The throne room of the Azure Empire had never felt so cold.
Aster stood at the base of the steps, his armor polished, his eyes calm. Yet beneath that stillness, fury simmered like fire trapped under ice.
Before him, the High Priest of Solarius bowed deeply. His robes glowed faintly, embroidered with golden suns that reflected the morning light.
"Your Majesty," the priest said, "the temple has detected a disturbance in the starflow an unnatural surge of celestial energy radiating from the academy."
Aster's jaw tightened. "And you came here to accuse me?"
The priest's eyes gleamed. "We came here to warn you, Your Highness. The stars are dangerous when they defy the sun. We believe a student within the academy has been touched by forbidden power."
Aster felt his pulse quicken. He forced his expression to remain cold. "Do you have proof?"
The priest smiled faintly. "Not yet. But the energy pattern is familiar almost identical to the one you manifested at birth."
Silence filled the hall.
The courtiers shifted uneasily. Even the guards seemed afraid to breathe.
Aster stepped down from the dais, every movement controlled, deliberate. "Be careful with your words, High Priest. You speak as if my blood is cursed."
The priest lowered his gaze, but the arrogance in his tone didn't fade. "Not cursed, Your Highness. Merely… dangerous. The bond between the sun and the stars must remain severed, or the world will drown in shadow once more."
That phrase struck like a blade. The same warning his father had whispered years ago.
The stars bring ruin.
But all Aster could think of now was Erian.
The night when their souls had touched. The light that had burned through him. The warmth that felt nothing like ruin.
He clenched his fist. "You will not interfere with the academy. If this is about politics, then speak plainly."
The priest's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Politics are but reflections of divine will. The temple only wishes to ensure your reign remains… pure."
Before Aster could reply, a golden sigil flared across the floor a mark of the sun, forming a chain of light that reached toward him.
Aster froze.
The priest whispered an incantation. "For the protection of the realm, we seal the starlight within the crown prince's blood."
Agony ripped through him. The light coiled around his arms, his chest, searing into his skin. The bond between him and Erian flickered, dimming under the force of the seal.
Aster dropped to one knee, gasping. "You dare"
The priest's eyes were cold. "For the sake of the empire."
Then the light faded, leaving only silence and the scent of burnt metal.
When Aster lifted his head again, his vision swam. The connection he had always felt with Erian the faint pulse, the warmth in the void was fading.
No, not fading.
Being cut away.
He grasped the edge of the throne, breathing hard. "You think you can cage the stars…" he whispered, "but even the sun must set."
The priest turned to leave, his voice calm. "We shall see, Your Highness."
When the doors closed behind them, Aster staggered to his feet. He touched his chest. The starlight within him flickered weakly, trying to resist the seal.
Somewhere far away, he knew Erian must have felt it the sudden pain, the emptiness between their souls.
Aster's eyes darkened. "If they try to take him from me again… I'll burn their temple to ash."