The next morning dawned beneath a heavy, shimmering fog that rolled across the Astraeus Academy grounds. The air felt dense, charged with the static of wild mana. Students whispered nervously in the hallways — rumors spreading faster than lightning. A new Rift had opened in the Starsea Forest, and this time, it wasn't closing.
Aiden adjusted his cloak and glanced at the message flickering in his hand — a holographic seal from the Headmistress herself.
> "Team Alpha: Investigate the Starsea Rift immediately. Report findings. Avoid combat unless necessary."
Beside him, Lyra was already preparing her spell gauntlets, lines of blue runes glowing along her arms. "You'd think they'd send teachers, not students," she muttered. "A Rift this unstable could eat a whole city."
"Teachers are busy containing the other breaches," said Kael, strapping on his blade. "We're the only ones who've survived direct exposure before."
Aiden stayed silent. The image of Celestine still haunted him — her warning echoing like a song trapped in his mind: Don't trust anyone wearing gold.
He wasn't sure what it meant, but the weight of it pressed against his chest with every breath.
Seraphina appeared then, descending the staircase like starlight itself. She had traded her instructor robes for sleek combat armor, a long staff strapped to her back. "You're all moving under my command," she said, her tone firm but not cold. "No reckless behavior. No splitting up."
Kael smirked. "Sure, Professor. We'll behave."
Seraphina's sharp glare made him cough and look away.
Aiden smiled faintly despite the tension. "Let's go."
---
The Starsea Forest lived up to its name. As they stepped beneath its towering silver-leaf trees, the sunlight fractured into cascading waves of color — blues, violets, and greens, like walking inside a living aurora. The deeper they went, the quieter the world became, until the only sounds were the soft hum of magic and their own footsteps.
Lyra tapped her wristband. "Mana density here is off the charts. The Rift must be close."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "I can feel it. Like a heartbeat."
Then they saw it — a massive tear suspended above a crystal lake, swirling with golden and crimson light. The air around it bent like glass, reality struggling to hold itself together.
Aiden stepped closer, his pulse quickening. "This isn't a normal Rift... it's alive."
Seraphina's brow furrowed. "Alive?"
He nodded. "It's reacting to us — to me."
Before she could stop him, Aiden reached out. The moment his fingers brushed the air around the Rift, the ground trembled. Magic spiraled outward, sending shockwaves through the trees. The water beneath them lifted into the air like liquid light.
And then, a figure emerged.
It was a woman — tall, graceful, and cloaked in flowing robes of gold and black. Her hair glimmered like molten metal, and her eyes shone with mirrored galaxies.
"Ah," she said softly, her voice echoing across dimensions. "The Starborn returns."
Aiden froze. "You... know me?"
The woman smiled faintly. "I made you."
Everyone drew their weapons instantly, but Seraphina's expression hardened into something between awe and fear. "A Dimensional Architect..." she whispered. "But they vanished eons ago."
The woman's gaze shifted to her. "We never vanish, child. We wait."
Aiden's heart pounded. "What do you want?"
"To remind you of your promise," she said, stepping closer. "You were never meant to be reborn here, Aiden Solstice. You are a fragment of the Celestial Covenant — the last spark of what we lost."
The air burned with energy. Aiden could barely breathe as images flashed before his eyes — stars collapsing, worlds burning, and Celestine standing in the midst of chaos, wielding light that could cut through time itself.
The Architect's hand lifted, palm glowing. "Your sister opened the Gate once. You are destined to close it. But to do so, you must choose — humanity, or eternity."
Aiden took a step back. "What kind of choice is that?"
"One that decides which world survives."
Suddenly, the Rift flared violently, pulling debris, trees, and even light into its core. Lyra screamed as the ground split beneath her. Kael grabbed her just in time, anchoring them with a mana chain.
Seraphina summoned a barrier, her magic glowing fiercely. "Aiden! We have to retreat!"
But Aiden couldn't move. His pendant — now cracked and faintly glowing — was resonating again. Inside, he heard a faint voice.
Brother... don't let her touch you.
Celestine's voice.
Aiden's eyes widened, and he jumped back just as the Architect's hand reached for him. Her expression shifted, sharp and furious. "Defiant even now..."
The Rift exploded in a shockwave of gold light.
When the dust settled, the Architect was gone — but in her place hovered a sigil made of pure energy, slowly fading into Aiden's chest.
Seraphina rushed to his side. "Aiden! Are you hurt?"
He shook his head, breathing heavily. "No... but she left something inside me."
Lyra's scanners flickered. "Your mana signature's changing. It's like... it's rewriting itself."
Aiden looked toward the distant horizon, where the academy towers shimmered faintly through the fog. "Then whatever she started... it's only the beginning."
As they turned back toward the academy, a faint golden shimmer lingered on the surface of the lake — forming a message that only Aiden could read.
> The next gate opens under the twin moons.
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