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**Chapter 139: The Crossroads of Time**
The vineyard pulsed with energy, the very air charged with expectation. The echoes stood before the siblings—watching, waiting. The past no longer lingered in silence. It demanded resolution.
Elena's pendant burned steady against her chest, its glow unwavering as the vineyard's roots trembled beneath her. She exhaled slowly, pressing her palm against the soil. "This isn't just about us," she murmured. "It never was."
Matteo's gaze remained locked on the shifting figures. "The vineyard preserved itself at a cost," he said. "The past is asking us to pay it."
Isabella took a firm step forward. "Then we fight for what's right," she said. "But we don't let the past undo everything we've built."
Luca studied the forms flickering before them. "They aren't moving," he muttered. "They won't act until we decide."
Carlo's grip tightened around the ornate box, his expression unreadable. "The vineyard can endure," he said. "But only if the choice is made."
Elena turned to him, breath steady despite the weight of the moment. "And if we choose wrong?" she asked.
Carlo's silence stretched long enough to be unsettling. Then, finally, he spoke. "Then the vineyard falls."
Pietro let out a slow, wary breath. "We're gambling with history," he muttered.
The wind surged, carrying voices that were no longer fragmented—sharp, unified, final.
**"Choose."**
Elena closed her eyes for a brief moment—then opened them, her resolve fierce.
**"We will."**
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