Before the breaking. Before the sacrifice. Before reality itself was torn apart to save it from something worse. In an age when magic flowed as one unified force, the cosmos trembled on the edge of catastrophe. Young researcher Aldrich Williams witnesses the devastating power of uncontrolled unified magic as it destroys everything he holds dear, while brilliant theorist Elena Carter races to find solutions that don’t require breaking the fundamental laws of existence. As reality storms ravage entire sectors and unified practitioners lose control with apocalyptic consequences, these two brilliant minds from rival families must make an impossible choice: allow the universe to tear itself apart through unchecked magical chaos, or deliberately shatter the very foundations of reality to create the separation that might—just might—save what remains. This is the story of how the greatest enemies began as reluctant allies, how the most difficult decision in history was made by those who understood its true cost, and how the breaking of everything planted the seeds for its eventual healing. Some choices echo across generations. Some wounds take centuries to heal. And some sacrifices create legacies that their descendants will spend lifetimes trying to understand.