The descent into the final Vault was like stepping into the night sky itself.
Starlight shimmered underfoot as they followed the spiral path downward. The walls were carved with constellations that pulsed gently — alive with ancient magic. No wind. No echo. Just silence so complete it rang in Aelira's bones.
Kaelen walked beside her, quiet.
"Do you feel that?" he murmured. "It's like the stars are watching."
"They are," Aelira said. "They always have."
The Core
The Vault opened into a vast chamber lit by a thousand floating lights. At its center hovered a dais — and on it, a crown unlike the one from the fire Vault.
This one was glass.
Not fragile, but sharp — like frozen light, with edges that shimmered in every color of the sky.
Ashar exhaled. "That's not just a relic. That's a keystone."
"Keystone?" Kaelen asked.
Ashar nodded. "A binding point of magic. It doesn't just hold power — it decides who wields it."
Aelira stepped forward. The moment she did, the lights dimmed.
"Seraiya," a voice whispered."Will you wear the crown again?"
She closed her eyes.
"No," she whispered. "I'm not her. I'm Aelira."
The Choice
The crown floated toward her, stopping just above her hands.
It spoke again, not in words — but in memory.
Scenes unfolded in her mind: Seraiya's rise, her betrayal, the burning of kingdoms, the Mirror King weeping as she turned away from love for power.
And then… the mirror shattered.
"You wore me once," the voice said. "You used me to rule. Will you now use me to heal?"
Aelira's fingers hovered beneath it.
"What will it cost?"
"Everything you thought made you strong.Everything you built on fear."
She turned to her companions.
Ashar stood tall. Riven nodded once.
And Kaelen… he gave her the smallest smile. "You don't have to carry it alone."
The Binding
She reached up and took the crown.
It didn't burn. It sang.
Light spilled from it, pouring through her veins, rewriting her magic — stripping away the remnants of Seraiya, the echoes of vengeance, the shadows of lost power.
In their place: clarity.
Not a weapon. Not a ruler.
But a guide.
The chamber shook.
Above them, a figure stepped from the wall of stars — tall, cloaked in silver.
The Mirror King.
🪞 The Reunion
"You found it," he said, voice rich with wonder. "The crown that doesn't take. The one that forgives."
"I don't want to rule," Aelira said. "I want to rebuild."
He stepped closer. "Then I am yours to follow. Not as your shadow… but as your equal."
Their eyes met — soul to soul — and Kaelen watched silently, an ache forming in his chest.
"I remember him," the Mirror King said softly. "Your knight. Your flame."
"He's not gone," she whispered. "He's still here."
Kaelen stepped forward. "Whatever this means… whoever you were… I want to know you as you are now."
And Aelira?
She smiled.
"Then stay. Both of you. I choose my path now — and you can walk it beside me."