31. Chapter Thirty-One

ROSE

One moment, the icy winds of the Aether Plains claw at me, the next, an overwhelming heat envelops my body. The sudden shift wrenches me from one extreme to another, and I'm sprawling onto soft, damp earth. The air is thick, saturated with the scent of rich, fertile soil and the distant murmur of running water.

Sanctuary.

My heart races, not just from the shock of the transition, but from the gnawing emptiness inside me. How we ended up back at Sanctuary, I don't know. Perhaps when we completed ascension, it simply brought us home.

But home without Chaos?

Without the comfort of his constant watch?

The thought is a blade twisting deep in my chest. I scramble up, my hands sinking into the grass as I struggle to orient myself in this sweltering jungle that buzzes with life. It feels like an alien planet compared to the stark, frozen plains we left behind.

Through my blurred vision, streaked with tears that won't stop, I spot all the humans, each one gasping, wide-eyed, grappling with the same disorientation. Bennett stumbles to his feet, wiping his brow, his face etched with confusion and concern. Lopey, clinging to him, looks around wildly, her eyes finally meeting mine. There's an unspoken question there, one I can't answer.

I climb to my knees, the oppressive heat wrapping around me like a thick blanket. I want to tear it away, to find some cool relief, but there's none to be had. Instead, my skin prickles with the sudden change, sweat mingling with the cold fear that still clings from the plains.

A part of me screams to search for Chaos, to deny the dreadful silence that his absence creates. But deep down, a devastating realization anchors me to the spot: he will never stand beside me again. The jungle's dense chorus fills my ears, mocking the quiet he left behind.

In desperation, I stagger to my feet and turn toward the sound of the fountain, its cheerful tinkle a cruel contrast to the agony inside me. The sound should be comforting, familiar, but it only sharpens the raw edges of my pain. Each drop echoes like a countdown, reminding me of what I've lost, of the warmth I will never feel again.

The heat is suffocating, the jungle a lush prison, and in its embrace, I'm utterly alone. Chaos is gone, and with him, a part of my soul that's lost forever.

I bury my head in my hands and wail.

I wail until my throat is raw. Until my vocal cords fray. Grief has split me apart, left me barren. My knees give out, but I never feel the soft crush of the earth beneath them.

A warmth unlike any other envelopes me. Familiar, comforting. It's not in my head, but in person. Strong arms wrap around me from the front, helping to hold me up.

My heart stutters in my chest. Whatever cruel trick of the mind this is, it's torture.

"Look at me, Rose." A voice I thought I'd never hear again finds my ears, and I lift my eyes to his. What I see in them is love—immense, unending love that has spanned ages.

"Chaos?" I sob. "Y-you died!"

"You are my eternity," he whispers, and the sincerity in his voice is a balm to my battered soul. "Not even death could separate us."

With a final surge of energy, the world shifts.

His lips move, whispering words I can't hear over the thundering of my pulse. But I feel them, every syllable imprinted on my soul.

"We are forever," he breathes, his voice barely audible over the roar of our fates intertwining.

The world holds its breath.

And then, tilts on its axis.