Days passed in a blur of silence and guarded steps. Lena was allowed to walk only within the inner palace. Guards followed her everywhere though they pretended not to. The crystal never stopped glowing. Sometimes it pulsed faintly like a soft breath, other times it flared bright enough to cast light across the walls.

She tried to ignore it, but each time she looked away she could still feel the hum deep in her bones. The rhythm followed her through the halls, through her sleep, even into her dreams.

Mira had not been allowed to visit since that night. Elara brought food and messages instead, her face pale with worry. “The prince has ordered new patrols near the lower levels,” she said one morning. “They say strange shapes move near the sealed doors. No one dares to check.”

Lena stirred her tea slowly. “Shapes?”

Elara nodded. “Like shadows walking on their own.”

The words sank into Lena like stones. She thought of the reflection she had seen in the glass, the one that looked like her but wasn’t. Maybe the shadows weren’t strangers. Maybe they were echoes.

Later that day the prince summoned her again. His study smelled of ink and smoke. He had removed his armor, wearing only a dark shirt with sleeves rolled. The map of the palace lay open again, but this time it showed red markings spreading outward from the Gate chamber.

“The tremors grow stronger,” he said. “The scholars think they are harmless. I do not. I think the Gate is reaching.”

“Reaching for what?”

“For balance,” he said. “Every opening demands an anchor. When you crossed, something of you stayed behind. Now it is trying to make both sides equal.”

“You mean it’s trying to bring my other self here.”

He met her eyes. “Or send you back to replace her.”

The idea made her stomach twist. “If that happens, what will happen to this world?”

He didn’t answer right away. “When two reflections overlap, one shatters. It has happened before in other ways. Kingdoms collapsing after strange storms, people vanishing into thin air. Those were echoes too.”

Lena took a breath. “Then we need to stop it.”

“That is what I intend to do,” he said. “But I need you to show me exactly where you stood when the Gate awoke. Every step, every sound. If it responds to you, maybe we can understand its pattern.”

They left the study at dusk. Guards followed at a distance. The halls felt colder the deeper they went. Torches burned low, their flames bending toward the floor as if drawn by an unseen wind.

When they reached the sealed chamber, two guards pulled the heavy door open. The sound echoed down the corridor like thunder.

The light inside was dim, blue veins pulsing through the stone floor. The markings glowed faintly. Lena stepped onto the platform, her heart beating fast. The moment her foot touched the center, the glow brightened.

The prince watched closely. “It reacts instantly. It knows you’re here.”

Lena knelt and pressed her palm against the floor. Warmth spread through her hand, then through her chest. The hum grew louder until it filled her head. Images flashed again—her city skyline, streetlights, cars passing in rain, and the faint reflection of herself walking away from something unseen.

The prince’s voice came through the haze. “Lena. Can you hear me.”

She nodded though she wasn’t sure if she could speak. The markings beneath her pulsed faster, lines of light crawling outward like rivers breaking their banks.

A sudden gust blew through the chamber though there was no opening. The torches flickered out. The only light came from the floor and from Lena’s skin, faintly glowing where it touched the stone.

Alden drew his sword but did not move closer. “Stay still,” he said. “It’s trying to link again.”

The light swirled upward, forming a circle above her head. Inside it she saw flashes of both worlds—his palace and her city, side by side like overlapping mirrors. She saw the other Lena again, standing on a street wet with rain, reaching out toward her through the veil of light.

The voice spoke once more, clear and calm. The way is not closed. Choose the world to remain.

The circle shattered. The chamber fell dark again. Lena gasped for air, her hands shaking. The prince caught her as she nearly collapsed.

“What did it say,” he asked.

She whispered, “It told me to choose.”

“Choose what?”

“Which world stays.”

The prince stared at her, realization spreading across his face. “Then the Gate is not just opening. It is deciding.”

Lena pressed a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was uneven, echoing the rhythm beneath the floor. “If it forces a choice, one world will disappear.”

Alden looked toward the glowing cracks across the platform. “Not if we find a way to keep both alive.”

“But can we?”

He did not answer. Instead he helped her stand. “For now, we make sure the Gate cannot decide without us.”

As they left the chamber, Lena looked back once more. The markings still pulsed softly, like eyes watching from beneath the stone. She could feel their gaze follow her up the stairs, a reminder that the two worlds were no longer separate.

They were already bleeding into each other.