The Toll of the Eternal Wheel

  The air thickened, pressing down like an unseen weight. The Watchers stood motionless, their hollow gazes locked onto Renji.

  "Choose," the tallest one whispered. "Blood or memory."

  Renji's hands clenched into fists. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

  Blood meant pain. A sacrifice he didn’t yet understand.

  Memory meant the unknown. Giving up something that could change everything.

  Selene’s grip on his wrist tightened—not in restraint, but in silent support.

  "Renji…" her voice was quiet, urgent. "Be sure."*

  He exhaled slowly.

  And then—

  He made his choice.

  "Take my blood."

  A ripple passed through the Watchers, like a collective murmur of approval.

  "So be it."*

  The tallest one raised its hand.

  Renji barely had time to react before a sharp, invisible force sliced across his palm.

  Pain fred. Warm blood dripped onto the stone floor.

  The ruins shuddered.

  The blood seeped into the cracks, pulsing with an eerie light. Symbols ignited across the stone, forming a spiraling pattern that extended into the darkness.

  Renji gritted his teeth, holding his bleeding palm as the light swallowed the ruins whole.

  The Path Opens

  A doorway appeared in the empty air—a swirling abyss of shifting colors.

  The Watchers took a step back, their forms fading into the gloom.

  "The path is open."

  Selene hesitated, gncing at Renji.

  "Are you sure about this?"

  He wiped his palm against his jacket, flexing his fingers. The pain was dulling already.

  "Too te to back out now, right?" He smirked, though his heart still pounded.

  Selene sighed. "You’re reckless."

  Renji shrugged. "And yet, here I am."

  Without another word, they stepped forward—

  And the world swallowed them whole.

  To Be Continued…