The days passed with a happiness that words could not describe—a joy that once felt like a distant fantasy, but had now become their reality. For them, life was perfect.
But within that perfection, something was silently collapsing.
As Elena grew inside Stephanie's womb, Stephanie's body grew weaker by the day. Her physical form was never meant to carry a being not of her world... a being that was not a like herself.
Yet, she never gave up. She would smile at Ravaz, reassuring him, hiding everything from him.
But he could feel it. He saw the pallor, the exhaustion that could no longer be concealed. Every time he asked, she would simply smile and say:
"I'm fine."
She said this even as the pain consumed her from within—a slow, lethal agony. Still, she endured it for the sake of the child growing inside her... and for Ravaz. She didn't want him to see her weak. She loved him more than she loved herself.
Deep down, she realized the truth: this was the end. But she didn't ask him to wallow in her grief; she chose to focus on his happiness instead. His smile was enough for her.
When she reached the seventh month, everything began to unravel. It was inevitable. The full nine months could not be completed here; they had to be finished in the womb of Azaveria.
But Ravaz didn't know. He didn't know that her energy had been completely depleted—that every cell in her body was dying to grant life to their daughter. His ignorance was an unintended betrayal.
That evening, Ravaz returned as usual. But this time, the scene was anything but ordinary.
Stephanie was on the verge of collapse. Her breath was shallow, her face ghostly pale, and life was slowly fading from her. He froze in his tracks.
"Stephanie...?"
She looked at him with great effort and whispered:
"Ravaz... do you remember those dreams? Those unstable frequencies from the future that pushed you to stay away from me?"
His voice trembled. "Don't say that..."
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. In her gaze was something he had never seen before: finality.
"Ravaz... I am dying."
The words struck like a thunderbolt.
"Forgive me... I was afraid you would force me to choose, that I would lose our child... so I pretended to be strong."
He gripped her hand tightly, as if trying to keep her from slipping away. "Stop... please. I don't want the child. I only want you!"
But she smiled through the pain. "I don't have much time left. Listen to me... this is my final wish."
Time stood still.
"My friend Rose... you know her. The gynecologist..." She began to speak in broken breaths, but with fierce determination. She told him of her visit to her, of the child, and of that strange sensation of death she had felt.
Then, she uttered the sentence that shattered everything:
"When I give birth... swap the children."
Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence, like the end of the world.
"Infants change quickly. Cast an illusion over Elena that fades over time... make her look like Rose's daughter."
She looked at him—deeply, with love, and with goodbye.
Ravaz could not comprehend her words. He looked at her as if the world were collapsing beneath his feet. But she did not stop.
"Rose named her daughter Elena too... take her child... and care for her... until she passes."
Her breath grew weaker with every word.
"She will be a good mother... I could not choose anyone better for my baby..."
She reached out, wiping away his tears—tears made of light.
"Do not worry... she will not be wronged... this was her dream..."
Ravaz broke down. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
She touched his face gently and said, "I loved you madly... and I am grateful that I was the one to bear your child."
Then... the moment of the end began.
The pain reached its zenith. The silence turned into a faint cry... and then... Elena was born.
She was different. Pure white skin... jet-black hair... and eyes that carried something non-human. Yet, she was beautiful.
Stephanie held her in her arms as if she were cradling life itself. She kissed her forehead and whispered:
"I am happy that I gave birth to you... I love you... and I will always choose you."
Then... she closed her eyes.
Quietly. With a faint smile on her lips... she was gone.
Ravaz collapsed. He didn't scream. He didn't move. He only... wept. Tears of light, burning in silence.
But the promise... the promise still remained.
He vanished. And in an instant, he was in Azaveria... in the dimension of loss.