The Starforge just… flickered out.
Not like it fizzled or ran outta juice, more like it finally checked something off its cosmic to-do list. Maelin lifted the blade, and the noise it used to make—sort of this weird, musical hum—just flatlined. The runes, those freaky little lights all over the sword, faded like they'd seen enough and wanted a nap.
Caelum crept up, real careful, eyes darting around for that thing—the guardian, or whatever it was. You know, the one that looked like someone stitched together shadows and broken clocks.
Yeah, it was gone.
All that was left was this weird, burnt smell, like someone torched a library during a thunderstorm. Creepy as hell.
"Why did it call you Key-Bearer?" Caelum asked, staring at the sword like maybe it'd start talking too. It just sat in Maelin's grip, like it'd been waiting around since dinosaurs or something.
Maelin kinda froze up, clearly doing mental gymnastics. "I think…" She dragged it out, like every word was a boulder. "This blade isn't just a weapon. It's a lock. Or maybe a key… for something buried way deeper than a vault."
And, naturally, before Caelum could even say "what the hell," the floor started having a meltdown.
Cracks split the marble—spiderwebs shooting everywhere. Those big fancy crystals up above? They blinked out, one after another, like the universe just hit snooze. The pedestal where the blade had been chilling fired off a last burst of light, then shot it straight into the floor, tracing old lines nobody'd noticed before.
The Forge was opening up.
Maelin and Caelum scrambled back as the pedestal sunk away, revealing this spiral staircase, all glowing and mysterious, like some cosmic nightlight. There was this hum down there, not quite music, not quite words—just layers on layers, voices echoing from some other age.
"You hear that?" Maelin whispered, like maybe she was hoping Caelum didn't.
Caelum nodded. "They're calling for you."
"No… they're warning me."
---
Below the Forge
Stairs wound down into what looked like a tomb built by someone with a real flair for drama—glass, fire, and a ton of ghosts in the walls. Every surface pulsed with memories: flashes of the Choir, battles against monsters made of starlight and nightmares, betrayals that literally burned. Every step? Maelin felt it steal something from her—fear, yes, but also anything soft or easy.
At the bottom, she found it.
A chamber. A mural.
And, smack in the middle—her own face.
Except… not quite her. This version wore a crown, eyes on fire, blade raised—not in triumph, but like she'd just lost everything.
Beneath it, an inscription in some half-forgotten tongue, and Maelin could only catch bits:
> "The Key shall awaken the Song…
The Song shall awaken the Star…
The Star shall fall."
Maelin turned to Caelum, voice all hollowed out. "It's not just a prophecy."
He didn't even blink. "It's a warning."
And behind them, at the edge of the stairs, the shadows started moving. Because of course they did.