The night was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aelira stood at the edge of a crumbled balcony, the cold wind tangling through her silver hair. Below, the ruins of the battlefield still smoldered. Above, the stars blinked cautiously, as if unsure she should be allowed to return.
Her fingers trembled as she lifted her hand.
A flicker of light danced across her palm… then sputtered out.
Not gone.
But changed.
She couldn't feel the old magic anymore — the rage-fueled, starfire-burning force she'd once wielded like a blade. It was still inside her, yes, but now it moved differently. Like it was listening before it obeyed.
She closed her eyes.
"You don't have to carry it alone, you know."
She turned.
Kaelen stood behind her, arms crossed loosely, his tunic half-undone and his hair wind-blown. Soft moonlight clung to him, making him look unreal — like a dream carved out of shadow and promise.
"I wasn't trying to," she said quietly.
He tilted his head. "You always are."
They stood in silence for a moment, the space between them charged.
Then Kaelen stepped forward.
"I felt the shift," he said. "When you came out of the Vault. Something about you is… different."
"Everything is," she whispered. "The magic. The memories. Even my heartbeat feels borrowed."
Kaelen's eyes softened.
"Not borrowed," he said. "Evolved."
She looked up at him. "Aren't you afraid? That I might lose control? That I might become her again?"
Kaelen didn't hesitate.
"I'm more afraid of you losing yourself trying not to be her."
That broke something in her.
She looked away fast, blinking back the heat in her eyes. "You always know the exact wrong thing to say to make me feel things."
He smiled softly. "Good. You're feeling again."
Then… he stepped closer. His fingers brushed hers — just lightly, just enough to tether her to the moment.
And for the first time, she didn't pull away.
Inside the keep, Riven watched from the shadows.
He didn't say anything. Didn't interrupt.
But his hand curled tight around the hilt of his sword.
Not because he was jealous.
But because he knew what came next.
The closer they got to Aelira, the more the world would try to take her from them.
And something had just awakened in the north — a presence so old, even the stars refused to name it.
Far away, in a tower carved from frozen starlight, a man awoke.
He opened golden eyes and whispered her name.
"Seraiya."
He reached for a black crown sealed in ice.
"The Starbound Queen rises. And the world will burn if she chooses love again."