**Chapter 23: "Weaving the Balance"**

Okay, here we freaking go. Take two. Except this wasn’t some rehearsal, or a practice run. This was it. The real deal and last. Everything had led to this damn moment. Every sacrifice – Gareth’s brave last stand flashing through my mind. Every betrayal – Kael's twisted fate. Every agonizing lesson learned – courtesy of the First Weaver. It all boiled down to me, standing in the center of this freaking ancient temple, the nexus of all things magical and dangerous, about to pump every last ounce of magical juice I possessed into a barrier that I barely understood. Fun times. Real fun, that is only not fun at every step that it makes.

I flicked my gaze—tired, I could feel it—over to Lyra. She was watching me, her expression a carefully constructed mask of worry and steely, unwavering resolve. I knew her better than that, though. Beneath that warrior’s façade, she was terrified. Terrified for me, terrified for the kingdom, terrified of what might slip through the cracks if I screwed this up.

Seraphina, bless her brilliant, frazzled heart, was scribbling furiously in her notes, muttering things about energy conduits, dimensional stability, and something about the resonant frequency of the soul. I honestly had no clue what she was going on about half the time, but her presence was strangely…anchoring. Like, if anyone could science the hell out of this incredibly mystical and terrifying situation, it was her. Her brain never freaking shut off. She could probably calculate the exact probability of a demonic invasion while simultaneously brewing a perfect cup of tea.

The air crackled around me, each point giving the chaos the point it has, thick with the combined, almost violently opposed energies of the Gods and Demons. I could feel it tugging at my soul, a chaotic and not so great symphony of creation and destruction. It was like listening to angels and devils having a shouting contest inside my head. The memory of the First Weaver’s teachings echoed in my mind, clear, calm, and almost mocking in their simplicity: *Balance, Elias. Control.* Easier said than done when you felt like you're about to explode with raw, untamed power.

My feet were starting to tremble.

Balance…yeah, great concept. Like trying to ride a unicycle on a tightrope, while juggling chainsaws. But it was always the key, right? The thin, precarious line between chaos and order that kept the freaking world from dissolving into a demonic playground. If the high noble and his band of merry psychopaths were so determined to tear this world a new one, I sure as hell have to clean it here now, after all that happens and after all I lost.

I forced myself to close my eyes. I needed silence. I need every power from all sides. I need the world to hear. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my lungs, and focused. I reached out with my senses, pushing past the noise and the distractions, feeling for the fractured state of the barrier. It wasn't just damaged; it was mutilated. It was like looking at a shattered mirror, the reflections distorted, grotesque, and broken into a thousand agonizing pieces. Rifts shimmered in the air, dark and hungry, leaking demonic energy into the mortal realm. Each of the people were trying to hold it but are slowly failling even faster. Each tear was a gaping wound on the world, and I could feel the tendrils of darkness reaching out, whispering promises of power, tempting me to embrace the chaos. Every temptation hurts and gives

*Not today, Satan, not never again.*

"*Elias, you gotta move it! We're running out of time, for real this time!*” Seraphina shouted, her voice barely audible over the escalating hum of energy. "*The rifts are widening faster than I can comprehend it! At this speed, demons will get out. It's bad. Too bad!*”

Lyra, ever the warrior, stepped forward, her sword already drawn. It gleamed in the ethereal light, a beacon of defiance against the encroaching darkness. She was covered in grime and monster guts, pretty great.

She says, "*Do what you must. Just make sure that whatever happens, they can't come out. I’ll hold them back if it comes to that, the best I can.*” She looked utterly exhausted after battling the noble’s minions, but her hands were steady, her eyes resolute. The thought of her facing an endless demon horde, alone, made my insides churn. It felt like using people’s lives as payment to my life. A payment to buy my fate. But I trusts everyone here and the cause, and so do many others. I will make that trust stay for the rest of that world, i will make it so.

But I have to be realistic, and I knew that was a lie. As tough and skilled as she was, there was no way she could hold back a full-scale demonic invasion. If any demons got loose, hundreds, thousands people will suffer and die.

I had to do this. I’d caused enough pain already. Gareth was dead. Kael was dead. I had killed a bunch of others and helped kill. No more people could die because of my petty, revenge-fueled streak. That ends now. This all ends, right freaking now.

With renewed determination, I started to channel the Soul Weaving magic. It felt different now. Cleaner, more controlled, more focused. The First Weaver's essence, which was inside inside of me, a part of me that gives me all the knowledge, helped to guide the flow, that he can guide me, his knowledge acting as a filter, separating the divine and infernal energies. I wasn't just drawing on raw, unfettered power; I was shaping it, molding it with intention, not only relying on feelings.

*Visualize, Elias. Become the energy, control and weave the force.*

It was, not going lie, still like trying to paint with lightning. Each strand of energy had to be precisely placed, carefully woven together to create a cohesive whole. I could feel the barrier resisting my efforts, straining against my touch, pushing back against my efforts to mend it. The demonic energy snarled and lashed out, trying to corrupt the weave, trying to ensnare me in its seductive embrace. It was a battle for control, a war raging within my very soul.

Sweat poured down my face, stinging my eyes. My muscles trembled.

I focused on one of the smaller rifts. I visualized it closing, the edges drawing together like a wound healing, that i fix people, and they can be happy, and smile more. I channeled the divine energy—warm, golden light and infused it into the rift. It sparked and sputtered, and for a moment, the room went dark. The the dark was turning to brightness like everyone said it, but was it worth it? But slowly, surely, the rift began to shrink.

"*It's working, just one out of how many others left?!?*” Seraphina yelled, her eyes wide with excitement. "*Keep going! You are the only one that can, now or never, right?*”

Lyra, a true warrior in front, was doing her best but I can see she is struggling and having a hard time when some smaller demons started to slip through, cutting them down with swift, precise strikes. Her face was grim, her breathing ragged, but she fought like a god. It means more and gives more than that; for the longest and all time she did more that I would ever do.

She says, "*I can feel the barrier weakening!*” She strained with as she was fighting the demon invasion, and there was more pouring on. "*This isn't enough, Elias! You need to do more, I can stop all but I can make sure they waste more to get off! Do more Elias.!*”

I knew it. The small rift had been a test, a warm-up. Now it was time for the big leagues, to show this power to the world. There isn't going to be any other nexts.

I turned my attention to the largest tear in the barrier, the tear that had every pain, and every suffer for doing what I did.

I called upon every single power, every drop of strength that I have, every god or gods gave me after those that are now gone, and every demon. This wasn't strength, nor skill, that it was an only act of will that made that happen.

Am I doing what is right? Or wrong?

This has no ending, this energy will never end if have to be here and keep to hold it, the feeling it makes me shake. I can’t do this, can i? I think for a second that that if I end here, there’s no one who can fix this.

"*Elias, you're pushing yourself too hard!*” Seraphina shouted, her voice laced with genuine fear. "*You look so frail, you're not okay. You're going to burn yourself out! You're out of control?!*”

I ignored her, and kept pushing. At every bit of second of fear.

Did everyone knew this would end like that? Was I meant to save everyone?

My vision blurred. I stumbled, nearly collapsing. The demonic brand on my wrist throbbed like a second, malevolent heartbeat, trying to pull me into the darkness, tempting me to give in to the strain. Every pain says *“Give in, Elias. Surrender to the chaos. Embrace your fate. You know you can't stop it. If you give is all may come from, or whatever. And even all what is happening will only have on it. If all the dreams would have had the only point of helping. Will it do more?. Will it keep?. Or what would make it stay?* *Is there no end?!”*

I screamed the only thing that came at mind while doing it, the only power.

"*Get outta my head! Get! OUT!*”

The faces, are always there, like the only people that there won't, and always have been, forgotten. Azazel.

Azazel can and must to lose, no matter that I keeped all this for me.

"*Elias! Fucking Focus!*” Lyra yelled, her voice cutting through space and to the bottom of my mind. She plunged her sword into the chest of a hulking demon, sending it back screaming into the rift, giving me a very brief time to see her face. "*We're all counting on you! Is that we have to?!*”

Her words snapped me back to my senses and the true call of fate. It can't end now and never, never again, if she still needs to do so much, too many has to fall to the destiny, it can’t end. With the world screaming and bleeding.

Am I so greedy that I would take all the light for me? The good will be gone?

But the darkeness has to be stopped or we will never be saved in these all chaos.

This world, this terrible, awesome world, this all.

"*Please, Elias, please stop!*” Seraphina pleaded, she said with tears "*You're going to kill yourself! There has to be another way! You will fall, and who would make all go? The only who said love wasn’t real?!*”

"*There isn't is what the demon wants me to think!!!*” I roared with anger, channeling every last shred of energy into the tear. "*This is the only way to end all the bad blood that has been falling! I will fix and give everything that all, here, now, can do. This is everything I am!!!! This is my all, the world needs to be saved!!!!*”

I felt a sensation building inside me, the one that was making something tremble. Not mine, it’s their people and it won’t fall.

It’s something else.

A feeling, that can’t be described, neither seen, the thing everyone talks.

My own soul.

My mind got blank and for every sec I don’t remember nothing.

Maybe some things I’ve seen, some visions of the future, other.

I need them, but the truth is that I can’t!!

"*It's doing it!*” I heard something vague calling from all of this.

The feeling that everything seems dark, but it’s not.

The first ever soul weaver, what everyone said and has done with.

"*Release everything that you have! The power is the one who takes you now*” It says. "*Be there, do one, now! Now!!!!!!!!*”

I thrust my hands forward, unleashing a torrent of pure Soul Weaving from me, that comes from my all. The temple shook so violently, like even more, and the runes on the walls flared with blinding, raw light of hope. The demonic energy screamed as it pushed back, writhing and twisting as it was forced back.

But now the reality it, the image is what happens.

Are they saved here?

But Lyra had something, more than the rest of them.

It fades

"*I won't do it!*” Then, a voice screams a second, it’s not mine.

Everything is out of control, maybe the demon is control?

What do I did? Am I going to destroy the only choice I have?

"*Stop!*” What sounds like an unknown echo starts calling out to all the time to the doom.

Am I in control? Have I even ever been?

The images, people falling to the ground. Is it me seeing what will happen? Is this their fate for what I’ve done? Or are those some sort of premonition that tells the only.

I have lost all that they can lose, will can.

The rip gets biguer, even more than what it was, even more deep. Is it from the demons pulling it? The true face that can be on. Or me pushing everything even beyond from limit, just too much?

And there’s no end.

Everything is lost.

Then I thought of the ones that will never stay, the only images that comes in my all, no one.

Will the end be like this? The ending where the people and worlds can be on one. The all that’s stays, never comes for you.

Suddenly I felt a huge, unknown, power, pushing all the rest, and everyone. And that I don’t have. The power wasn’t mine, and never it will because it was too strong, the energy flowed like warm milk, with comfort and care, into my veins, it’s a bit. But its also not and it’s out from control, am I too greedy? Is the control lost or what? Or what is for it comes. I am not going to be a monster and let this happen.

The faces stays, there’s nothing to be on more. This world and the rest will leave me.

Now what?

Can they hear?

Can they hear that I came back?

Then what are the feelings in those, it’s all, lost?

"*I can, should and will fix this, I can't let it for me so it’s done!*” It does, screaming is what I only hear and see and say.

I focused all that came to my head, the images, the dreams, the ones lost forever and forgotten.

The memory for making me be here.

Now, I have to decide on something, I can’t, is too much.

Why can’t I do?

Maybe the demon had the control from all this, no.

I will win and can.

All of them are free and saved now, the power has to be all and with.

But if I give the destiny and the one who gave its all power.

They will be not ok like the others.

What can i do in all is.

Only, if I let.

The temple started to stop shaking; a light with hope, coming from the all, the sun. No, what’s happens comes to every soul so it’s to late. I’m tired of giving so much that I didn’t give at all.

The rift starts sealing, making the noise that would say this it’s and end “It’s not true.”

But the demonic and god power that I was feeling are slowly going outside to me. All this time I never was the leader, I wasted their time.

All because I saw something but I am only seeing.

They will only hurt more forever.

This can’t be said, will I lost all what I did or am been doing?

Did they knew it or not; what’s happens. All it’s ending bad.

What will all come on tomorrow?.

The surge was gone. I fell to my knees, I’m done.

"*Elias…*” Seraphina rushed to my side, her face etched with concern. Something is happening, but she will be the one knowing. Are you alright? Everything’s going out.

Was all bad? I don’t think so. Maybe something that had happened it will, just be, okay or not. Is nothing comes forever.

Did all come today?, yeah, the only destiny.

I’m falling the tears. I just want all the good.

"*It's over, isn't it*” I asked, looking up at Seraphina. Is this, all?

Then I looked at Lyra; she seemed worried.

And for once, I felt a genuine sense of peace. I’d done it, I swear, I thought, I did it. Whatever comes to their fate may turn forever great always the great

Why’s is so hot? All is okay, it’s is all.

Does not mean all are safe?

I looked back to Lyra, she can.

“*The barrier… the connection that you had with those demons, is gone. It´s not with*,” she said with a weird face; still looking at me. “*The power… no, I cannot all seems to be*” she asked all, I give nothing. How can I do more. Is a nothing .

And for everything is for the ones.

I said, "Okay; but now comes the true battle, the only thing is what, who will say the all.”

Was really hopin' things would stay that way for a while. If the things get well.