Aiden woke to silence.
The air was cold, heavy, and strange—like the atmosphere itself was watching him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a violet sky swirling with luminous mist. Floating ruins drifted lazily above the ground, tethered by invisible threads of magic. The place felt alive yet forgotten—beautiful, but haunting.
He stood slowly, brushing dust off his torn academy coat.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
> "You're in the place between," a calm voice answered.
Aiden turned sharply. The figure from before—Eryndor, the Keeper—stood on a fragment of marble nearby, his robes glowing faintly like morning fog.
"The Lost Dimension," Eryndor said, stepping closer. "A world erased from time. Once part of your reality… now buried between realms."
Aiden frowned. "How did I get here? The rift—my magic—"
"You tore the veil open," Eryndor said. "Unintentionally. The Starborn mark within you connected with this realm's core energy. Only those chosen by the starlight can cross the void and survive."
Aiden's heart pounded. "Then… I can go back, right? My friends, my sister—"
Eryndor's expression darkened slightly. "The path home exists, but it's unstable. Before you can return, you must regain control over your Starborn energy. Otherwise, the rift will consume you—and everything you touch."
Aiden swallowed. "So I'm stuck here until I learn to control it."
"Yes. But you won't be alone."
---
They walked across the floating ruins. The ground glowed faintly with runes as if responding to Aiden's presence. Shards of glass-like crystal floated beside them, showing reflections of distant worlds—glimpses of Astraeus, of Seraphina standing beneath the broken sky, searching for him.
Aiden stopped. "She's looking for me."
Eryndor nodded. "Your bond is strong. But bonds like that attract attention—from both light and shadow."
"What do you mean?"
"Something ancient sleeps in this realm," Eryndor said softly. "A being that once sought to devour the stars themselves. Its prison weakens every time a Starborn opens a rift."
A chill ran down Aiden's spine. "You're saying… I woke it up?"
"Perhaps not yet," Eryndor said. "But you've drawn its gaze."
Before Aiden could respond, the ground trembled. Far away, a massive crystal tower cracked with a deafening roar. From the fissure spilled black mist that moved like a living tide.
Eryndor's eyes narrowed. "It begins."
"What is that?"
"The remnants of the Devourer. You must flee."
Aiden's instinct screamed to run, but his legs stayed rooted. He could feel the darkness reaching for him—cold, endless, familiar. And then, from within that storm, a voice whispered:
> "Return to me… Starborn…"
The sound pierced his mind like a dagger.
Eryndor raised his staff, summoning a dome of light. "Aiden! Focus! Resist it!"
Aiden clenched his fists, forcing the voice back. His mark burned with silver light. Slowly, the whispers faded.
When silence returned, Aiden collapsed, panting.
"What was that?"
"The essence of the creature once known as Umbra, the Void Serpent," Eryndor said gravely. "It feeds on imbalance. On fear. The more unstable your power becomes, the stronger it grows."
"So I have to master it before it masters me."
Eryndor smiled faintly. "Exactly."
---
They made camp beneath a glowing crystal tree whose branches hummed softly in the wind. Aiden sat cross-legged, watching the shimmering roots twist through the air like veins of light.
Eryndor handed him a small orb. "Focus your energy into this. It will help you stabilize your magic flow."
Aiden closed his eyes, channeling his power. At first, nothing happened. Then, the orb pulsed—slowly, rhythmically—matching his heartbeat.
He saw flashes of memory: the academy courtyard, Lyra's laughter, Kael's calm determination, Seraphina's fierce eyes. He could almost feel them.
"Good," Eryndor murmured. "Your heart anchors your magic. Remember that—emotion is both your strength and your weakness."
The orb's glow dimmed. Aiden opened his eyes. "I'll get stronger," he said quietly. "I'll find a way back. I owe it to them."
Eryndor placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you will. But first… you must learn what it truly means to be Starborn."
---
Days passed—if "days" could even exist in this timeless realm. Eryndor trained Aiden relentlessly: how to harness astral flow, how to weave starlight into reality, how to separate illusion from truth. Each success brought exhaustion—but also clarity.
Aiden could feel himself changing. His control improved; his aura steadied. Yet the pull of the Void never vanished. Every time he rested, that whisper returned—faint but insistent.
> "You cannot escape what you are…"
He'd wake up sweating, gasping, the mark on his wrist glowing faintly.
One evening, while training, Aiden felt a sudden surge of power. The air split behind him, revealing a small crack in reality—a miniature rift. Through it, for just a second, he saw Seraphina's face.
"...Aiden?"
He reached out instinctively—but Eryndor's shout stopped him. "Don't touch it! It's unstable!"
Too late. His fingers brushed the edge, and the rift burst open in a flash of light.
When the brightness faded, a figure stood in front of him—a girl around his age, with pale blue eyes and hair that shimmered like frost.
She blinked, equally shocked. "Where… am I?"
Eryndor exhaled. "It seems fate brings you another companion."
The girl turned to Aiden, studying him curiously. "You're… not from this world either, are you?"
Aiden hesitated, then smiled faintly. "No. But maybe we can find our way back together."
---
Far beyond the void, in Astraeus Academy, Seraphina stood before the sealed rift, her eyes glowing with fierce determination.
She could feel it—the faint pulse of her brother's soul. He was alive. And that was all she needed to know.
"Hold on, Aiden," she whispered into the wind. "I'm coming for you."
The next phase of their journey had begun—two siblings bound by starlight, separated by worlds, yet moving toward the same destiny.
---