Dusk to Dawn

*Chapter 5*

The instant the Divide broke, Dusk and Dawn were thrown backward, a surge of energy crashing between the two. Dawn hit the ground hard, the force of the explosion leaving her breathless. Groaning, the princess blinked quickly, disoriented, as she watched the world around her shift in ways she could not comprehend.

Looking up In horror she watched as the sky, once a steady gradient of light, now flickered between blinding brightness and deep, consuming shadows. The horizon seemed to twist and blur, as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling.

Dusk groaned from where he laid a few feet away, his body tense as he pushed himself up. His eyes darted toward Dawn, and for a moment, they shared a look of shock. Whatever they had just unleashed, it was far more powerful than either of them had imagined.

Dawn struggled to her feet, her hand instinctively clutching the pendant around her neck. The crystal still glowed with a faint warmth, but its light flickered uncertainty, as though it too had been affected by the breaking of the Divide.

"What have we done..?" Dawn whispered, her voice barely audible over the rising wind. Dusk stood, his expression grim as he scanned the shifting landscape, "I don't know. But we can't stay here..."

The ground beneath them trembled, Dawn's heart leaping in her chest. She could feel it now, the ancient power of Erythra stirring beneath the surface, awakening from its slumber. The balance between light and dark had been disrupted, and the consequences were already rippling through the land.

"We need to find shelter," Dusk said, his voice cutting through the rising panic in the princess's chest. "Before the magic tears everything apart." Dawn nodded, following him as they hurried away from the shattered Divide. The air around them buzzed with unstable energy, and every step felt like they were walking through a storm of invisible forces.

They didn't speak as they ran, there was no need. Both of them understood the gravity of what had just happened. The veil that had separated their worlds was gone, and now, for the first time in history, light and dark were colliding in ways no one had foreseen.

...

They found shelter in a small grove of trees, the thick foliage offering some protection from the wild fluctuations of magic around them. Dawn collapsed against the trunk of a tree, her breathing heavy, while Dusk remained standing, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

For a moment, the only sound was the rustling of wind through the leaves.

"What happens now?" Dawn asked quietly, her gaze fixed on the ground. Dusk didn't answer right away, looking around, trying to find answers. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and steady. "We figure out how to stop Erythra..." Dawn looked up, her bright blue eyes meeting his, "but how? The prophecy.. It said nothing about this." Dusk's jaw tightened, "the prophecy was incomplete. There's more to it than we were told. We need to find the full truth... Whatever it takes..."

Dawn swallowed hard, her thoughts racing. Her entire life, she had been told that light and dark could never mix, that their worlds were destined to remain separate. But now, standing on the other side of the Divide, she realized that everything she had been taught was a lie.

There was more to the story. And she was determined to uncover it.