They reached the Valley of Life. At its heart stood the World Tree—a towering colossus of wood and light, its millions of branches sprawling toward the heavens, countless leaves once emerald now dried up. A silver waterfall spilled down the valley walls, its mist curling at the tree's roots.
It should have been a sight of eternal majesty, yet decay clung to it. Leaves drifted endlessly to the ground like dying embers. Thick boughs, splintered and broken, lay where they had fallen.
Around its base, hundreds of tall, shield-bearing angels held the defensive line. Overhead, the twin white dragons—the Tree's eternal guardians—swept in arcs of burning grace, unleashing torrents of scorching blue fire on advancing enemy ranks. At ground level, the long, iron-barreled energy cannon—crafted by the genius of the dwarves—spat beams of pure destruction into the sky, blasting apart colossal winged abominations.
This was Celestara's last stand.
Solennia was borne through the air at breakneck speed, the wind howling past as they cut through the chaos. Thousands of enemies blurred beneath them until the silver gleam of the angelic defenses came into view. They broke through the shield wall and descended into the courtyard of the World Tree.
At the far end stood a lone woman, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.
"Lady of Life, we need your help! The Lady of War is—"
At the sound of her sister's title, the Lady of Life turned sharply. Her face was ashen, her luminous eyes wide with alarm. The angel carrying Solennia lowered her gently onto the ground.
The Lady of Life moved toward them in a rush, her blue-green hair streaming behind her like a braid woven by the forest and sky. Her ocean-hued gown whispered over the ground—soil that, if spilled upon the mortal world, would render barren fields lush again. Her snow-pale skin glimmered with a purity that could banish any sickness at a touch.
"Solennia!"
The Goddess of Life dropped to her knees beside her dying sister. The once-mighty Lady of War—who had once stood unflinching against armies—could now only muster a faint, weary smile.
"Oh… my dear Lady of War."
Maya's trembling hand cupped Solennia's cheek, a soft yellow glow spilling from her palm.
"No," Solennia murmured, catching her wrist and gently pushing it away. "Save your strength, sister. It is useless. I can already feel the end. My light is gone."
The words struck her like a blade. With her divine sight, Maya could see it—her sister's inner radiance had vanished, the spark that marked her as a goddess now extinguished.
"No…" Maya's voice quivered, her eyes glistening. "No, not like this. You promised me, Solennia—you promised to stay alive. If this is the way it ends…"
From beyond the courtyard, the war thundered closer, the crash of weapons and screams carried on the wind. Solennia's gaze drifted upward, to the vast canopy of the World Tree swaying above. Her blurred vision caught the slow rain of withered leaves.
Under her palms, the earth felt… wrong. Hollow.
"Life is dying," she breathed. Her eyes met Maya's with sudden clarity. "You are dying, Maya."
Maya's jaw tightened. "Don't you dare worry about me," she snapped, her voice breaking. "Not when you are the one slipping away."
"The world can endure without me," Solennia said, her voice ragged. "But it will not survive losing you."
Maya's lips trembled. "And I could never endure losing you, Solennia."
"Then take my life," Solennia urged. "Forge it into your weapon. You have to live, Maya—listen to me."
But Maya was already shaking her head violently, her hair whipping around her pale face. "No… no, no!"
"Just this once," Solennia pressed, her eyes fierce despite the fading light in them. "Set aside your feelings—for the sake of life itself."
"You don't understand," Maya whispered, her voice breaking into something almost desperate. "It's more than that. More than everything. You cannot die. Your life is my life, Solennia. If you fall… everything falls."
Solennia froze, the words striking her harder than any blade.
Maya's fingers closed gently around Solennia's hand. The clash of steel, the thunder of cannons, the screams of war—all of it bled into a distant murmur. For that heartbeat, the battlefield faded. There were only the two of them, and Maya's serene, almost unnerving calm.
"What do you mean?" Solennia asked at last, her voice low but edged with unease.
Maya hesitated, as if weighing the cost of the truth. She has to know, she thought. The universe had reached the frayed end of its story, and only Solennia could turn the page.
"I met the Lady of Fate," Maya said quietly. "Long before this day. We spoke at length—because she already knew we would lose. I was horrified… but for the sake of the realm, I kept silent."
Her gaze softened, almost apologetic. "She never told me how you would die. Only that you… wouldn't. Not in any chapter written so far. We are already at the final chapter, and beyond it… she sees nothing. No ending, no dawn—only a blank page."
Solennia's brows knit, but Maya pressed on.
"That is why the Lord of Death himself holds back the awakening of the apocalypse," she continued. "He waits—because your thread is the last unbroken one. And that… is why he is not here."
Maya's fingers tightened softly around Solennia's hand. "And I've realized… without me, your story would never have been written. If destiny is to be fulfilled, I must act."
A ripple of unease ran through Solennia. She didn't like where this was heading.
Then Maya lifted her free hand between them, palm open. A golden light unfurled from her skin, spiraling upward in a delicate whirl before gathering into the shape of a tiny star. Its heart glowed with a pure white core, encircled by a single, slow-turning ring.
Solennia's fading vision sharpened at the sight. Even half-blind with pain, she could never mistake it. This was no mere relic—it was the axis upon which all existence turned, the heart from which both life and death were born. The treasure the Lady of Life had guarded since the dawn of creation.
The Lifestar.
"Why are you showing me this?" Solennia whispered.
"Because with this, you will survive. And with this, the universe will endure."
Maya extended the star toward her.
But Solennia shook her head and pressed the hand away. "No. This is too much for me to take."
Maya's brows furrowed. "You must. Without it, there will be no one left to restore you."
"And without it," Solennia countered, "you will fade. I know what happens if the Lifestar is torn from you."
Maya's eyes hardened. "Are you not listening? Without you, there is no universe. You must take it."
"At the cost of you?"
Her sister held her gaze, unwavering. "As life must always yield to death, I have been ready—always—to give mine for the sake of this world."
A thunderous explosion ripped through the courtyard, the shockwave rattling the very stones beneath them. The angels' defense lines buckled, their shimmering wards splintering under the onslaught. No one could say how long they could hold. This realm was already beginning to crack at its seams.
"You have no other choice." Maya pressed the Lifestar into Solennia's hands, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Go. Don't think about me—don't think about anything except living. Your destiny is already written, Solennia. I love you."
"What? Wait—"
Another shudder tore through the ground. One of the guardian dragons screamed as it fell, its massive body crashing down and shattering the last barrier. Maya saw them—the flood of abominations, writhing and shrieking as they poured into the courtyard like a living tide.
Solennia's eyes locked with Maya's one final time. Then, the world folded into black. Somewhere far away, faint and fragile against the roar of destruction, came the cries of a newborn child.