That was when the ground shook.

  The ruin came apart like the final pulse of a dying heart. Stone shattered above. Pillars groaned

  under the strain. The air grew thick with the crackling energy of the unstable portal, its light

  flashing wild and hungry, casting Ava and Ugraum in flickering shadows.

  Behind them, footsteps echoed—urgent shouts, the clatter of steel.

  The shattered remnants of Ugraum’s old clan burst into the chamber: some ready to fight, others

  shouting at him, confused and frantic at the sight of the swirling energy and the strange woman

  at its center.

  The ruin trembled as the portal flickered again, and Ava’s hand shook as she fumbled with the

  new console, the runes glowing and shifting erratically. The light pulsed, growing unstable. She

  could almost feel it—the pull of her world, the one she had come from, the warmth of the home

  that seemed so far away now. Then, the portal ripped open in a violent surge.

  Ava turned to Ugraum. He stood beside her, bloodied but unbowed. His hands were clenched

  around his axe, his eyes fixed on the growing threat behind them. The clan warriors, many of

  whom had turned on him, charged forward, weapons drawn, their voices mixed with anger and

  confusion. Even those who still claimed loyalty to him—now at odds over a stranger's presence.

  But Ava wasn’t just any stranger.

  “I’m not leaving you,” she said, her voice thick with urgency.

  “We don’t have time,” Ugraum growled, his eyes darting to the portal. “Go. Now.”

  “No.” Ava gripped his hand tightly, her pulse racing. “I’m not leaving you. Not like this.”

  The ground rumbled again, and the air twisted with the sound of cracking stone.

  Then, something worse. A new guardian slipped through the crack in the stone, ghastly and

  twisted. Then another. And another.

  Tall, eerie creatures, their forms forged from the very essence of reality itself. Runes

  glowed across their chests like brands. Their eyes were hollow, lifeless.

  They were coming for them.

  Ugraum’s hands tightened on his axe, but Ava’s eyes never left the portal. No more time for

  doubt, no more second-guessing.

  “Come with me,” she commanded, her voice steady and resolute.

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  Ugraum glanced back at the army of ogres closing in—some fighting amongst themselves. His

  grip tightened around her hand, and together, they ran.

  The portal crackled with life. And just as they leaped toward it, Ava felt a deep, primal unease.

  The runes pulsed in erratic patterns that she hadn’t seen before. The energies were misaligned.

  But they were already falling, tumbling into the spiraling void.

  And then—everything went still.

  Ava’s scream was no more than a whisper against the vast emptiness that surrounded them. She

  could feel the energy of the void, cold and hungry, tearing at her skin. Pain lanced through her as

  flesh and bone seemed to disintegrate in the current. Ugraum’s growl echoed in the agony, his

  body rending apart just as hers did. Blood. Bone. Darkness. They were torn to pieces, their very

  forms unraveling as they were pulled through the endless gulf of nothingness.

  But, even as their bodies disintegrated, they became something more.

  Thoughts, memories, and sensations expanded and merged. They were no longer two separate

  beings. They were one—endlessly entwined, stretching across the fabric of existence. Her hand

  reached for Ugraum, but it met only the formless void. Still, she could feel him—his presence,

  solid and unyielding, like a mountain in the storm.

  Then, the pain stopped.

  Calm. Stillness. Comfort.

  They no longer had bodies. They no longer had names, or forms, or even the weight of the

  worlds behind them. They were just—voices—echoes scattered across the stars, adrift through

  the currents of reality. They passed through timelines, splintering into fragments of themselves,

  glimpsing other versions of their lives—lives they could never live, moments they would never

  experience.

  But they were together.

  The portal exploded behind them with a deafening roar, releasing a catastrophic wave of heat

  and energy that swept through everything within its radius. The force of the blast was

  unimaginable, obliterating the ruin and the ogres alike. The air burned, the ground shattered,

  and a blinding flash of light tore through the chamber, consuming everything in its path.

  As the pulse of energy rippled outward, the guardians screamed in agony, their shapeless being

  cracking and dissolving into nothingness. Their bodies, once forged from the very fabric of the

  realms, were now nothing but ash, disintegrating with the failure of their sacred purpose.

  They had been the keepers—an ancient order entrusted with one task: to prevent those from

  crossing between worlds, to ensure that the boundaries between realities remained secure.

  But Ava and Ugraum, united as they were, had shattered that balance. No longer confined to one

  world, no longer subject to the laws of time and space, they existed across every thread of reality,

  rendering the guardians’ role obsolete. With their destruction, the very foundation of the

  guardians’ existence was erased, and the need for their mission passed. They shrieked and

  howled, their essence dissipating into the void, unable to sustain themselves in the face of this

  cosmic fracture.

  The world around them went silent as the last of the guardians fell away, their eternal task

  undone. No longer bound to their duty, they were forgotten by time itself, their bodies scattered

  like dust. And as their death marks the end of their order, the walls that had once kept the worlds

  apart were now gone—unmade in the wake of Ava and Ugraum’s omnipresence.

  Pathways between the realms, once fiercely guarded and tightly controlled, now stood

  unprotected.

  The ancient mechanisms that had kept reality intact were fractured, their guardians' deaths

  allowing the very fabric of the multiverse to unravel. No longer would there be any force to keep

  the worlds separate. Now, the way was open for anyone—friend or foe—to find their way across

  the boundaries between worlds, and there would be no one to stop them.

  The threads between realities were exposed, fragile and unguarded, their integrity compromised

  forever. The consequences of this would echo across the ages, leaving the door wide open for

  those who dared to step through.

  Ava could feel herself still—alive, in some way—but no longer tied to a body. No longer

  constrained by anything. No longer separate from Ugraum.

  She whispered, though there was no mouth to form the words.

  “I’m still here.”

  And, though it was not in words, she heard him respond—felt him, through the deepest part of

  her being.

  “I’m with you.”

  There was no touch, no warmth, no space between them. But they were together—every thought,

  every breath, every shift in the cosmic winds carried the hum of their connection. There was no

  longer any division between them or the realms they had once known. They drifted through

  existence, side by side, as one.

  The worlds, the realms—they no longer felt like barriers. Time itself seemed like an illusion, a

  winding thread that stretched infinitely before them. Their love, once confined to a fleeting

  moment, had become something eternal—a force that resonated across the ages.

  And in the distant future, their tale began to echo. Wanderers on the roads of Vashkaar would

  feel an inexplicable presence—something larger than life, an unseen force. In the forests, they’d

  hear laughter—a deep rumbling chuckle mixed with a soft, curious voice, whispering on the

  winds.

  Some called them ghosts. Some called them Gods.

  But everyone would speak of them in hushed tones— Svae’thirin Vashkaari— the Lovers of

  Vashkaar.

  The woman from another world. The ogre without belonging.

  Their story, woven into the fabric of legend, passed down through the ages, never fading—always

  together.

  * * *

  The End?

  Vaeltharyn Legends: Through the Rift comes to its conclusion. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of you who took the time to read and follow Ava and Ugraum's journey. Their story was one of discovery, sacrifice, and love in a world far beyond what they knew—yet, in many ways, it mirrors the very core of what makes Vaeltharyn special: the unknown, the magic, and the bonds that tie us together, even across realms.

  Through the Rift, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review. Your feedback not only means the world to me but also helps me decide what’s next. Reviews are what keep me going and inspire me to create more stories. If the reception is good, there’s definitely potential for more spinoffs in this universe—so your thoughts matter more than you might realize! I already have a lot of ideas in place as well.

  Kibby vs The World, where the impact of this story's events will eventually unfold.

  Sage Elvira