The Entangled Fragments: The Half That Burned

By Balaji Muthukumar

The Entangled Fragments, Part II: The Half That Burned is a breathless, heart-wrenching sci-fi romance about memory, sacrifice, and a love powerful enough to break worlds-and the survivors who must decide whether to rebuild or let everything fall silent.

Overview
Told from the perspective of the alternate-universe heroine who survived the collapse, Part II picks up after the shattering events hinted at in Part I-when one couple chose to burn so another could breathe. Haunted by the man she loved and pursued by relentless "Custodians" that erase paradoxes from existence, she follows a clandestine trail of safe houses, encrypted research, and forbidden tech to find the only person left who carries the echo of her lost partner: his other self, a quiet sound designer whose mind now holds a fragment of the man she can't let go. Together, they must unlock a sealed blueprint to dismantle the bridge that's tearing realities apart-before proximity turns their bond into the spark that ends their world.

What to expect

Fast, propulsive thriller pacing wrapped around a slow-burn, emotionally layered romance between a survivor and the echo of the man she lost.
High-concept multiverse stakes grounded in intimate, character-driven choices-every step closer risks erasing the people and histories they're trying to save.
A cat-and-mouse hunt across safe houses, mountains, and hidden labs, as an invisible system of "cleaners" closes in to prune anomalies.
A locked puzzle of schematics, quantum keys, and a "resonance chamber" that runs on human connection-asking what price a bridge demands, and who pays it.

For readers who love

Star-crossed lovers with impossible choices, where fate collides with free will and memory isn't just recalled-it's weaponized.
The intimacy of two people forced to become partners first, saviors second, lovers last-if reality will let them.
Big ideas with sharp edges: entangled consciousness, proximity collapse, and a universe that defends itself by erasing what shouldn't exist.

The promise
As the survivors close in on the architect who built the bridge-and the truth of the sacrifice that ended one timeline-Part II delivers a devastating, cathartic finale: either sever the resonance and live apart in safety, or step into the unknown together and rewrite the rules that have already taken everything. The Half That Burned is where longing becomes resolve, grief becomes fuel, and love becomes the last language left between worlds.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FP9NRBN4
• ISBN13: 9798262934805
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"