Chapter 38

• Kael stood in the quiet of the Nexus chamber, staring at the fragment of eternity now embedded within the containment vessel. The Heart of the Weave pulsed faintly, its light struggling to match the overwhelming energy of the Shard. The balance was shifting, and he could feel it—an invisible weight pressing on the threads of the multiverse, and on him.
• Angelica leaned against the doorway, her flames subdued. "You've been standing there for hours. If you're trying to intimidate the Shard, I don't think it's working."
• Kael turned to her, his expression tired but resolute. "It's not about intimidation. It's about control. Every time I use it, I can feel the Nexus pulling further into it, like it's becoming part of the Shard instead of the other way around."