This becoming will demand your breath, your patience, and your fight. It will require your unwavering perseverance and your deepest resolve. Transformation is not a gentle process; it is forged in the fires of both surrender and strength.

****** ******

Amidst the chaos and desperation, Eko stood at the outskirts of the Eastern Border, the glow of the barrier before her almost blinding. It had stood there for as long as she could remember, a wall that divided their world from the enemy, the line that had kept them locked in this endless war.

She was shaking, her body barely holding together, but it wasn't just grief or exhaustion driving her—it was rage. Raw, consuming rage. The kind that makes you do things you can't take back. She had more power than she knew what to do with, but today, she didn't care. She was past the point of caring.

The others appeared just in time to see her place her hand against the glowing dome. Her breath hitched, and with a scream that came from the depths of her soul, her power surged. Her bones ached with the force of it, her whole body trembling as if it might break apart. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

The dome before her began to crack.

The sky lit up around them, colors flashing in a chaotic dance of light and energy. Eko's scream tore through the air, a sound filled with anger, heartbreak, and the unbearable weight of everything she had lost. The dome trembled, shuddering under the assault, until finally, with one last push, it cracked wide open.

Matthew stepped forward, his chest tight as he watched her. He'd seen Eko in battle before, but this was different. This was her grief, her love, her pain—all unleashed. She had just shattered the barrier that had kept them out of enemy territory for fifteen years, and as he looked at her, he knew this wasn't just about the war anymore. It was personal.

And it terrified him. Because in that moment, he didn't know if he could pull her back from the edge.

The warriors stood in stunned silence, watching as the cracks spider-webbed across the dome's surface. Each fracture felt like a pulse of Eko's fury, spreading upward until the entire barrier began to collapse. The impenetrable dome, which had held them back for so many years, shattered like fragile glass, its pieces falling from the sky like stars. The ground trembled beneath them, and the air hummed with the remnants of its energy.

Richie tightened his grip on Jasmine's hand, trying to steady her trembling, but it was Mya's face that caught his attention. Her usually composed demeanor was gone, replaced with wide-eyed fear. Her high ponytail hung in disarray, soaked from the storm, and Richie could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Without a word, he reached out, offering his hand.

Mya hesitated for just a second, then took it, squeezing it tightly as the dome pulsed one last time before shattering completely. Magical energy cascaded around them like a surreal downpour, glittering in the air and crackling with the aftershocks of the collapse.

At the front, Eko pressed on, unflinching, her jaw set in determination. The pain and grief that had threatened to consume her moments earlier had transformed into something else—a fierce, unrelenting drive to take their enemies down. Matthew and Toni exchanged a look, grim but resolute, and moved forward in step with her. Behind them, Richie, Mya, and Jasmine formed a solid line, their fear outweighed by the resolve to follow Eko wherever this battle would take them.

Without pausing to consider the consequences, Eko charged forward, cutting through the remnants of the dome as they faded into nothingness. Her power blazing like a beacon, this wasn't just a fight anymore—it was personal. Eko's grief had turned into a relentless need for justice, and there was no stopping her now.

There was no time to dwell on what had just happened, no space for hesitation. Eko's grief had ignited a flame inside her, one that pushed her forward with a singular purpose: to end this, once and for all. As her feet hit the palace's ruined grounds, her focus remained razor-sharp. The once-grand cathedral hallways, now bathed in a heavy, eerie silence, stood as a testament to the life she had once known—a life that had been stolen from her piece by piece.

The sight of the forsaken palace stirred memories she had buried long ago. The sound of her father's laughter, the glimmer of sunlight on the lake where he had taught her to swim, and the echo of her brother's voice as they played hide and seek in the gardens—it all came flooding back, clashing with the grim reality of the war-ravaged halls she now marched through.

Eko pressed forward, her heart beating with a renewed sense of purpose. There was no resistance, no one standing in her way, but it didn't matter. She knew her enemies were here, somewhere, waiting. She could feel the tension thick in the air, the sense of something lurking just beyond the silence.

The warriors landed behind her mere moments later, their footsteps echoing as they followed her through the corridors of her past. The memories flooded back with each step, a painful reminder of what this palace once was. If remembering her father didn't cut deep enough, it was the image of her mother, lying peacefully in the palace gardens beside her, that gnawed at her heart. They had often fallen asleep under the sun's warmth, her mother's arms wrapped around her in comfort. But now, those moments felt distant, like a dream that had slipped from her grasp. The palace that had been a haven of happiness was now drenched in shadows, consumed by the echoes of war.

Matthew's eyes swept over the ruined grandeur of the Eastern Palace. Its towering pillars, once symbols of opulence and power, were now adorned with dust and cobwebs. The hallways, once alive with the vibrant energy of courtiers and guards, stood eerily still. It was unsettling. The absence of any resistance—no monsters, no enemies—made the air feel even heavier. It was as if the palace itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to snap.

Eko's frustration grew with every silent step, her breath quickening as the weight of the emptiness pressed down on her. And then, suddenly, she snapped.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Eko's voice tore through the quiet, her anguish sharp and unyielding. She reappeared before them, her bloodshot eyes wild with frustration. "WHY AREN'T THEY HERE!?"

Mya and Jasmine exhaled softly, exchanging a look that said more than words ever could. This—right now—was the best they could hope for. Eko wasn't in any state to be fighting, and they all knew it. The silent relief they shared was palpable, even in the heavy air of the desolate palace.

Toni and Richie mirrored Matthew's thoughts as he stepped toward Eko, their expressions dark with the weight of everything they had gathered. All their intel had pointed to this place—the grand Eastern Palace, where their enemies were supposed to be holed up. Yet here they stood, surrounded by nothing but ruin and eerie silence. It felt wrong, all of it.

Matthew's gaze swept over the group. "Fan out, watch your six," he ordered, his voice steady but tense. Toni, Richie, and Jasmine nodded, their movements sharp and precise as they spread out, disappearing into the decaying grandeur of the palace's ballroom.

His attention snapped back to Eko, and his heart clenched at the sight before him. She was pacing, her body tense, her grip on her Catania staff white-knuckled. The composed, focused woman he knew was slipping, unraveling before his eyes. Her muttering barely audible, she was caught in a spiral of rage and grief that he feared she couldn't pull herself out of.

"Eko?" Matthew's voice was soft, but the concern in his tone was unmistakable. He took another cautious step forward.

She stopped suddenly, her eyes wild as they locked onto his. "NO! They need to pay for what they've done!" Her voice was raw, trembling with fury and anguish. "They need to suffer, Matthew. I will destroy them all!"

Her words were like a storm breaking, filled with a dark, vengeful energy that sent a chill down his spine. He knew this wasn't just anger—this was grief. This was loss twisting her into someone she wasn't. And it terrified him.

"I know," he said softly, closing the distance between them. "They took everything from us." His voice was a soothing balm, though he knew it would do little to calm the tempest raging inside her. 

Eko's entire body shook violently, raw energy pouring off her in uncontrollable waves. Her eyes were wild—twin storms of sorrow and fury threatening to engulf her completely. Matthew could feel the electric charge in the air, each spark a testament to the intensity of her emotions. The very atmosphere seemed to vibrate, heavy with the weight of her anguish.

"NO!" she screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. Tears carved jagged paths down her dirt-streaked, blotchy face. "They took her because I chose you! She forced me to choose, and you told me to stay with her, but I came after you! Now she's dead! She's dead because... because... I was so fucking goddamn weak! God!" Her voice cracked, the last word breaking into a sob. "I chose you and look what it got me!" 

Her screams echoed through the desolate hall, the sound amplifying the emptiness around them. Eko's grip on her staff tightened until her knuckles turned white, the wood creaking under the strain. She took a deep, ragged breath, her body trembling as if it might shatter. "They aren't even here! They were never here!" she cried out, her voice filled with a mix of rage and despair.

Matthew stepped forward cautiously, his heart aching at the sight of her unraveling. "This wasn't your fault," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Baby, it's not because you weren't strong enough... Eko, please, look at me." He reached out a hand, desperate to connect with her, to pull her back from the edge.

But she didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were unfocused, lost somewhere deep within her pain. The raw energy radiating from her made the air around them crackle, tiny arcs of light flickering unpredictably. Matthew could feel the heat of it against his skin, but he refused to back away.

She inhaled sharply, a broken whimper escaping her lips. The truth was crushing her—she felt powerless, defeated. Every step they took seemed to lead to more loss, more sacrifice. The enemies kept taking, and with each blow, a piece of her was stripped away.

Eko's body shook violently, the weight of her emotions nearly breaking her apart. Her breaths came in shallow, ragged bursts as the unbearable truth pressed down on her chest, crushing her under its magnitude. She had spent her entire life running from it, hiding from it, but here, now, in this empty palace with Matthew standing in front of her, it was too much to bear.

"Eko, hey. Look at me, none of this was your fault." He reiterated. 

However, she didn't hear his words, nor the world around her. She inhaled deeply, the air thick with pain, and let out a small, broken whimper. 

"Matthew," she finally whispered, her voice barely a breath, strained and fragile. "There's something you—" She choked on the words, her breath catching as panic gripped her. She couldn't say it. The truth was choking her, and she could feel her body slipping into a frantic state, hyperventilating as her mind screamed at her to speak. This was the moment—the moment to tell him the truth she had buried for so long. The truth about why she was hunted, about the burden she carried.

But the fear of it, the weight of what that truth would do to them both, constricted her chest tighter. Her breaths came quicker, panic overtaking her, her heart hammering with the desperate need to finally speak the words that she had kept hidden for years.

Matthew, seeing the spiraling panic in her eyes, immediately stepped closer, his heart aching at the sight of her crumbling. His face was etched with worry, but his hands were steady as they found her shoulders. He squeezed gently, grounding her with his presence. "Eko," he whispered, his voice soft and calming. "Breathe. Just breathe." He held her close, his touch firm but gentle. "Take your time. I'm here. I've got you."

His calm words broke through the haze of her panic, a lifeline she clung to as she tried to rein in the overwhelming fear that threatened to drown her. But the truth still sat like a stone in her chest, waiting, and she wasn't sure if she could ever truly let it out.

The truth of it all was that she wasn't merely the princess; her story was far more intricate, tangled in the very fabric of destiny itself. She was hunted because she was a child, touching a pulsating and humming crystal amidst a sea of peonies at her home on the palace grounds. That single, innocent moment had set everything in motion.

For she was a child fifteen years ago, who took hold of a crystal without ever knowing what she was doing, and in turn, forced a war on all of them.

A child who witnessed the skies above her crack open.

A child to whom the timeskeeper had gifted a crystal and told to survive. It had been a burden too heavy for a child, but she carried it silently, growing up with the secret pressed deep inside her. The fate of her people rested on her, even when she was too young to comprehend it fully.

She was a child who grew up and met a man who made her world seem far less frightening the longer she stayed with him. With him, she felt a semblance of normalcy, a fleeting escape from the chaos that defined her existence. His unwavering support and love became her anchor, grounding her in moments of despair and fear.

"Eko?" Matthew's voice pierced through the fog of her memories. His voice was gentle, but there was concern in his tone. He didn't know what to do, how to help her, and that conflict was clear in his eyes as he watched her wrestle with the truth that had bound her for so long.

The memories swirled inside her, threatening to drown her. And yet, Matthew was there, his hands on her shoulders, steady and strong. He was her anchor in the storm, and in that moment, she knew she had to tell him. She had to let him in, even if the truth shattered everything between them.

The words choked in her throat, too heavy, too dangerous to voice. Instead, her anger surged, igniting her powers in a blinding flare. "NO!" she screamed, the force of her outburst causing the palace walls to shudder, mirroring the storm within her.

Matthew glanced back at his warriors, who had returned, their faces etched with concern. They shook their heads—there was no one around. The understanding in their eyes told him they grasped the depth of Eko's grief.

"Head back," Matthew ordered, his tone steady but firm. "Get all the units out here, start scoping the land. I want a layout of everything. Tell Kai, Max, Phillip, and Terrance to get their armies in the air. Everyone else—be ready for war."

The warriors nodded, exchanging glances filled with determination before turning to carry out his orders. But as Matthew faced Eko again, his concern only deepened. Her magic swirled violently around her, a chaotic storm of raw, unchecked energy.

He knew they had to act fast, but right now, Eko needed him to stay grounded. She needed to know she wasn't alone in this—no matter how deep her rage ran.

Matthew watched, his fists clenched as her emotions raged, sending pulses of power into the air. Without hesitation, he summoned a barrier of his own, a shimmering shield encircling him to deflect the outburst of her magic.

The palace around them, once solid and formidable, began to crack and crumble under the weight of her fury. The sheer force of her anguish made the walls groan, and debris began to fall from the ceiling. It felt like the entire structure was tearing apart, just like her heart.

"We were just kids, Matthew!" Eko's voice tore through the chaos, trembling with desperation. "We weren't supposed to be heroes! Why do we have to be the ones? Why were we forced into this? What makes us so special?!"

Her words, raw and searing, carried the agony of a question that had no answer—one that echoed the pain of anyone thrust into a battle they never chose. The weight of her grief was palpable, a visceral cry for understanding amid the destruction that surrounded them.

The collapse of the palace had been swift, the ancient walls crumbling under the sheer force of Eko's despair. What had once stood tall and proud, a symbol of her past, now lay in ruins. Her hatred, once buried beneath layers of composure, now surged with a ferocity that shook the very earth. Each ragged breath she took seemed to pull in the remnants of her rage and exhale it into the world with catastrophic force. The air crackled with raw energy, the ground quaking beneath her, matching the shattering fragments of her heart.

Matthew stood helpless behind his protective barrier, feeling every tremor of her power but unable to reach her. His heart broke with hers as he watched her rage spiral into destruction. Every scream, every pulse of energy, every piece of the palace that crumbled to dust was a reflection of the battle raging inside her.

In that moment, he wished he could wield the power to undo it all—the losses, the sacrifices, the relentless fight. He wished he could resurrect those they had lost, repair the damage inflicted on their souls. But the bitter truth gnawed at him: no amount of power or victory could ever heal the wound of losing those they loved. The war, despite the stakes and their determination, was bleeding them dry.

As Eko's power tore down the final remnants of the palace, the oppressive weight of everything they had been through settled on Matthew's shoulders. Their past haunted them, the present was a fragile reality hanging by a thread, and the future seemed like an impossible dream, obscured by the dark shadow of war. He wondered how much more they could endure, how many more losses would break them before they could finally see an end to this unrelenting fight. Deep down, he feared that no victory—no matter how grand—would ever balance out the pain and suffering they had already endured.

It felt like a sickness, festering deep inside their hearts—a war that wouldn't end even if they emerged victorious. It was personal, soul-deep, and he knew that if they didn't find a way to stop their enemy soon, it would claim them all, body and spirit.

Standing behind his protective barrier, Matthew could only watch as Eko unleashed the full force of her grief and rage. The palace crumbled like dust, a violent end to a place that had once held so much of her history. If only Matthew knew what this place had meant to her—the memories of her father and brother, a home once untouched by the war they were now consumed by.

When the last stone fell and the palace was finally gone, the night sky greeted them in an eerie silence. The stars flickered coldly overhead as if they too bore witness to the devastation. Eko, her body spent, gasped for breath, the weight of everything crashing down on her. She threw her head back toward Matthew, and when their eyes met, he saw it—the raw, untamed fury that still burned within her.

Tears streaked her face, mingling with the mud and blood that coated her skin. Her mascara ran in dark streaks down her cheeks, but it was the rage behind her eyes that shook him to his core. Her teeth were clenched, her entire body trembling with the force of her anger. She looked like she was barely holding herself together.

"I won't stop," she spat, her voice rough with the weight of her emotions. "I'm going to kill them all, Matthew. They won't take anyone else from us!" Her words cut through the night, laced with fury, grief, and an iron will that scared him.

He nodded, fully understanding the depths of her torment. He had seen this before, in the eyes of his soldiers—people pushed too far, consumed by the demons that haunted them. Eko was no different, fighting the same war, the same torment that had taken hold of them all.

"We will," Matthew said, his voice shaking as he stepped closer to her. "We'll bring them to their knees, I promise you that. But right now..." He hesitated, knowing how fragile this moment was. "Right now, I need you to come home with me. You need to shut down, Eko. Just for a while. "

Eko's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Shut down... from this? How can you even ask me that?"

"Because, baby," his voice wavered, his heart breaking for her. "You've just lost the last piece of your family, and the pain that's coming... it's going to be unbearable. You can't keep going like this."

"I've done it before. I'll survive this too," she said, her voice strained and cracking, the fury barely masking the fragility underneath.

Matthew moved closer, his gaze never leaving hers. His hands gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing away a tear. "I know you will," he whispered with a soft, sad smile. "But we both know how this story goes."

"I have to survive this," she repeated, her words filled with a desperate resolve that tore him apart. It was as if she was trying to convince herself that surviving was the only option, even when the weight of her grief threatened to crush her. "I have too."

"You will," he said gently, his voice steady. "And this time, we'll do it together." Relief washed over him as she finally leaned into his touch, her defenses softening, if only for a moment. "That's why I'm asking you to come home with me," he continued, his eyes pleading with hers. "Let me take care of you, just for a while. There's nothing left out here."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and onto his hands as she looked up at him, her once fierce eyes now filled with exhaustion. Her voice cracked as she whispered the words he never thought he'd hear from her, "I'm such a burden to you."

Matthew's heart clenched painfully at her words, a wave of emotion crashing over him. The idea that Eko, the same person he had always seen as strong and resilient, could see herself as a burden was like a knife twisting in his chest. He never thought she would carry that weight, never imagined she would feel so small in the face of everything she had endured.

Without hesitation, Matthew wrapped his arms around Eko, pulling her tightly against him as if he could physically shield her from the weight of her own thoughts. His hand slipped from her cheek to cradle the back of her head, his fingers weaving through her hair with a firm yet gentle strength. The urgency of his embrace conveyed a depth of emotion words could never capture.

Eko could feel the warmth and solidity of his body, each muscle tense with the effort to hold her together as she unraveled. As his fingers anchored her more securely, she pressed her face against his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat grounding her in the midst of her emotional storm.

"You are not a burden," Matthew whispered, his voice soft but resolute. "You never have been, and you never will be." His words were a gentle balm to her soul, offering her a moment of solace in the chaos, something to hold onto when everything else felt like it was slipping away.

Eko's sobs gradually lessened, the intensity of her anguish and rage beginning to ebb as Matthew's words sank in. She could feel the strength in his voice, the sincerity of his love wrapping around her like a lifeline, pulling her back from the brink of despair. His presence, his conviction—it was the only thing anchoring her to the moment, stopping her from spiraling further into the abyss.

Matthew leaned down, his breath warm against her neck as he whispered, "A burden is something you're forced to carry against your will. I chose this, Eko. I chose you. That means you're not a burden to me."

Eko froze, paralyzed by the weight of his confession. The walls she had meticulously built around her emotions, the defenses she thought were impenetrable, began to crumble. In his arms, there was no hiding, no pretending she could shoulder everything on her own. The grief, the pain, the relentless loss—it all came crashing down on her at once. With a heart clenched tight, she let it all go, sobbing into the man who held her like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.

Her tears soaked into his shirt, mingling with the sweat and grime of their battles. She could feel his arms tighten around her, the way he cradled her head, his fingers threading through her hair, a constant, comforting motion. Each gentle squeeze he gave was a wordless promise—a silent vow that he would bear her pain with her, that she wasn't alone in this. His own tears slipped quietly down his face, joining hers as they shared the weight of their grief.

The very fact was that he would be by her side for the rest of time if she asked that of him. Nothing would change the fact that she had crawled into his heart and made a home inside of his bones. Whether she knew it or not, and whether now was the right time to remind her, he would make sure to tell her this one important fact when she was in a better state of mind.

She was also his family now.

There was nothing he wouldn't give in this war to see it through to the end, if only for her. If only to ensure that the person he loved most could see that, despite the great tragedies, they could still emerge on the other side with their hearts beating, with life still worth living.

Gently, Matthew lifted her chin, his fingers trembling as they brushed against her skin. He gazed into her tear-filled eyes, and his heart ached in ways words couldn't express. Her pain had become his, and in that moment, he made a silent vow. His mission was to make the world a better place, if only for her. 

With a soft, tender kiss on her lips, he calmed the storm raging within her. The monster in her bones—the one that had fed on her grief, her anger—began to quiet, lulled into submission by the love that radiated between them. The chaos in her soul, which had once roared like a wildfire, slowly settled into a peaceful whisper, soothed by his unwavering presence.

Eko rested her head on his shoulder, her body finally easing into his arms. In his embrace, the insurmountable grief began to loosen its grip, ebbing slowly but persistently. 

Matthew gently stroked her hair, his heart heavy with the weight of all they had lost and everything still ahead. But in this fragile, fleeting moment, they had each other. As the darkness surrounded them, cradling the shattered pieces of their lives, Matthew understood the truth about grief—it demands to be felt, clinging stubbornly to the heart, never fully letting go. What truly mattered was what came next, because how they chose to move forward would define who they became next.