The realm was quieter now, the whispers of the illusions fading as she approached the edge, the place where the fabric between worlds was thinnest. The air felt charged, like the moment before a storm, and before her, in the center of a clearing bathed in silvery moonlight, lay the anchor point—a pool of mirrored light, its surface rippling gently as if the moon itself had been caught in its reflection.

Caitlyn stopped at the edge, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew what this was. The decision that lay before her was irreversible. If she stepped through that pool, she would return. She would be whole again, reunited...