The first spear struck the earth like lightning. The ground split open, scattering shards of white stone and molten air. Aster barely managed to parry the second strike, the force sending him sliding backward.
The celestial envoys moved like fragments of light, their wings slicing through the air in precise, deadly arcs. Every motion radiated divine precision no wasted energy, no emotion.
Erian stood behind Aster, the glow beneath his skin pulsing in rhythm with the energy above. He could feel Lumis stirring, restless and impatient, whispering in a voice that trembled like the wind.
"Let me out, vessel. Let me end this for you."
Erian gritted his teeth. "No. If I let you take over, you'll kill everyone."
"Then you'll die with them."
Aster's blade clashed again, sparks flying. His breathing was sharp, his stance steady despite the divine pressure weighing on him. The leader of the envoys advanced, wings unfurling, spear glowing with celestial fire.
"You dare resist the will of heaven," the envoy declared. "Your devotion to a corrupted vessel will damn your soul."
Aster raised his sword, defiant. "Then I'll burn gladly."
The envoy lunged. The impact shook the valley.
Aster met the attack head-on, his sword screaming with heat as steel met light. The clash blinded Erian for a heartbeat. When his vision cleared, Aster was on his knees, blood streaking his cheek.
"Aster!"
Erian ran to him, but an envoy's spear intercepted, slicing through the ground in front of him. The shockwave threw him back, pain searing across his shoulder. He hit the ground hard, gasping.
The voice inside him laughed softly. "You see now? Mortality cannot defy the divine."
Erian looked up, his chest heaving. "He's fighting for me. For us. I won't let that be meaningless."
Lumis's voice darkened. "Then prove it."
A surge of light burst from Erian's body. Silver threads of starlight wrapped around his arms, spiraling upward until his hands shimmered with the glow of constellations.
Aster's eyes widened. "Erian"
"I'm still me," Erian said, voice trembling but sure. "I just need his strength, not his will."
He thrust his hand forward, and the starlight exploded into form hundreds of radiant fragments forming a barrier of shimmering energy. The envoy's next strike collided with it and shattered into pure light.
The envoys faltered for a moment, taken aback.
Erian rose, his eyes glowing silver, his breath steady. "Tell your gods that their chains no longer reach me."
The sky responded. A cascade of stars fell like rain, striking the ground in trails of silver fire. The entire valley trembled under the weight of celestial energy.
Aster forced himself to his feet, moving beside Erian. His sword reignited, burning gold. "Guess I'm not the only one breaking rules today."
Erian gave him a quick, shaky smile. "Let's rewrite them together."
They moved as one.
Aster's blade carved through the first envoy's shield. Erian followed with a burst of starlight that exploded against the second. The third envoy struck from above, wings slicing downward but Erian raised his hand, catching the blow midair. The light bent around him, twisting into ribbons of silver flame.
The envoy screamed as the energy consumed its form, dissolving into motes of broken light.
The leader staggered, golden ichor dripping from his wounds. "This power... it cannot belong to a mortal."
Erian stepped forward, his eyes calm. "Then maybe it never belonged to the gods in the first place."
With one final movement, he released a pulse of energy that shattered the last envoy's armor and sent him hurtling into the sky. The sigil above them cracked, fragments falling like dying stars before fading into nothing.
Silence returned. The battle was over.
Aster lowered his sword, breathing hard. He looked at Erian, whose light was already dimming.
"Erian," he whispered, reaching out. "You did it."
Erian smiled faintly, exhaustion pulling at him. "I only borrowed it... Lumis isn't gone. Just sleeping again."
Aster caught him as he stumbled forward. "Then we'll make sure he stays that way."
But as Erian leaned against him, a shadow flickered in the sky something vast and ancient watching from beyond the veil.
And in the distance, a voice whispered across the wind.
"The balance is broken. The stars will fall again."