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BLACKNESS.

Vera stands before me, bathed in blood and flame,

hair stretching wide and loose like a live oak.

“Answers, but not an ending. Now that you have them,

do you still want to fight?”

I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”

“Then there is one final truth. A legacy forced, not given.

A burden I did not carry.”

A question in her eyes. A choice.

“I’m ready.”

She considers this. Nods.

“Then I will release him. And grant him voice.”

In the distance, a presence rises.

From the threshold between worlds, he calls my name.

All at once, I become we.

We are in the cave again.

We take one step and we are already at the stone.

We grasp the ancient hilt, warm under our fingers.

We pull Excalibur free.