When Erian opened his eyes, everything was white.
The room smelled of incense and healing herbs. Crystal runes floated above him, pulsing softly with light that matched his heartbeat. He tried to move, but his body felt heavy, as if weighed down by the stars themselves.
Professor Kael sat beside him, reading from a set of old scrolls. When Erian stirred, Kael looked up with weary eyes.
"You nearly destroyed half the training hall," he said quietly.
Erian blinked. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"No. I managed to contain it." Kael's expression softened slightly. "But your magic… it's reacting to emotions now. Especially fear and pain."
Erian frowned, sitting up slowly. "It wasn't just magic. It felt like someone else."
Kael nodded. "The bond again."
Erian's hands clenched around the blanket. "I saw him. Or maybe I felt him. He was hurt."
Kael sighed. "Your link transcends space. But that means if one of you suffers, the other will bear the echo."
He leaned forward, voice low. "You need to learn control before the Empire finds out. Bonds like this are forbidden for a reason."
Erian looked up sharply. "Forbidden?"
Kael's gaze darkened. "Because the last time such a bond appeared, it ended a kingdom."
The words left a chill in the air.
Erian didn't respond. He turned his head toward the window, where the morning light spilled through. The sky outside shimmered faintly, silver clouds swirling as if listening to his thoughts.
He whispered under his breath, "Then I'll learn control before they come for me."
Far across the capital, inside the great marble throne hall, Aster knelt before the Emperor.
The chamber was vast, lined with banners depicting the Celestial Crown the symbol of divine rule. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, but the throne remained shrouded in shadow.
The Emperor's voice echoed, cold and commanding. "I hear the high priest has spoken to you."
"Yes, Father."
"And?"
Aster raised his eyes. "He warned me to sever the bond."
"Then why haven't you?"
Aster hesitated. "Because it's not something that can be severed by will. It's alive."
The Emperor rose slowly from the throne, his robe trailing like mist. His gaze was sharp, ageless, and filled with something that was not entirely human.
"Alive?" the Emperor repeated. "Or dangerous?"
"It's not a threat."
"Everything you touch becomes one," the Emperor said flatly. "The council fears you are tied to the disturbance in the stars."
Aster met his father's gaze. "If the stars tremble, it is because the world beneath them is rotten."
A murmur of shock spread through the nobles lining the hall. The Emperor's eyes glinted dangerously.
"You forget your place."
"No," Aster said quietly. "I've finally remembered it."
For a long moment, neither spoke. The air grew heavy, the divine sigils on the floor dimming as though the throne itself disapproved.
Then the Emperor turned away. "You will not leave the palace until the bond is broken. Do not test my patience again, Aster."
As the guards moved to escort him out, Aster lifted his head toward the light streaming from the windows.
He could still feel the faint pulse of Erian's energy in his chest, steady and warm, cutting through the cold silence of the palace.
He smiled faintly. "Even the stars can't cage me forever."
Outside, the clouds stirred, responding to the unspoken defiance between two souls who refused to bow to fate.