The air shimmered like glass.
Even the ashes of battle seemed to hold their breath.
Erian stood at the edge of the broken cathedral grounds, staring at the horizon. A faint ring of light had appeared above the ruins—a perfect circle suspended in the sky, radiating quiet power. It wasn't just light. It was calling to him.
Aster stepped beside him, his eyes fixed on the ring. "The Celestial Gate."
Erian turned to him. "You've seen it before?"
Aster nodded slowly. "Once. When I was a child, before the Order sealed my memories. It only appears when two celestial sources converge. It's both a doorway… and a judgment."
Erian frowned. "Judgment from who?"
"The ones who created the stars."
A silence stretched between them, heavy and uncertain. The Gate pulsed once more, its glow spreading across the clouds like ripples in water. Each pulse resonated inside Erian's chest, synchronizing with the mark of starlight etched over his heart.
He winced as light surged through him. The mark flared bright enough to burn.
"Erian!"
"I'm fine," he gasped, clutching his chest. "It's just—responding."
Aster reached out, steadying him. "It's reacting to your core. It knows you're one of them."
Erian looked up at him. "One of what?"
Aster hesitated, his expression torn between awe and dread. "A Starborn."
Before Erian could speak, the sky split open completely. The ring expanded, becoming a massive gate of crystal and fire, its frame carved from living light. Voices echoed from beyond—ancient, layered, impossible to decipher.
Then, without warning, the Gate's center burst into motion. A beam of pure starlight shot downward, enveloping both of them.
Erian's eyes widened. "Aster—!"
"Hold on to me."
The world dissolved into brilliance.
For an instant, there was nothing but light—then gravity returned, and they fell, landing hard on smooth stone.
Erian blinked as his vision adjusted. They were standing on an endless platform suspended in the void. Above them stretched a night sky filled with millions of stars, each one connected by threads of glowing energy that moved like veins.
At the platform's center stood a vast structure, like a temple built from crystallized constellations. Its pillars reached into infinity, and between them hovered figures of pure light—celestial beings with wings of flame and eyes like planets.
Aster exhaled softly. "We've crossed into the Celestial Realm."
The nearest figure turned toward them, its voice echoing in all directions.
"Two fragments of what once was. One reborn by starlight, one forged by the sun. You have been summoned to stand before the Thrones."
Erian stepped forward carefully. "For what purpose?"
"To decide," the being said, "whether your existence restores balance… or breaks it again."
The ground trembled as the great doors of the temple opened. From within, a golden glow poured out, vast and overwhelming.
Aster's hand brushed Erian's. "Whatever they decide, we face it together."
Erian nodded, his voice soft but firm. "Always."
They walked forward, side by side, into the light of judgment.
And as the Celestial Gate closed behind them, the stars themselves seemed to whisper their names.