The last thing either of them saw was the other's outstretched hand, then... He disappeared.
Silence returned. The chamber restored itself instantly. The cracks vanished, the floor became solid once more, and the floating orb remained peacefully suspended where it had always been, as though nothing had happened.
Lilith stood alone, her breathing remaining calm, but her golden eyes searched every corner of the chamber.
"Atheline."
No answer.
She expanded her perception to its absolute limit. Dark Aether flooded the chamber; every shadow answered her call, still nothing.
It was as though he had never existed. For the first time in many years... A faint unease settled into the Queen of the Dark Elves' heart.
Meanwhile... Atheline felt himself falling. Not through air but through something far stranger. Countless images flashed around him. Mountains rose and crumbled, oceans split apart, cities appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
