Kaelen stood frozen, his jaw clenched. The words still hovered above the Codex, glowing faintly in the air like fireflies caught mid-breath.
Mira glanced between them. "What is the Hollow Star?"
Kaelen finally spoke. "A weapon. A prison. A god. No one truly knows."
"That's… helpful," she muttered.
Kaelen ignored the sarcasm. "The Hollow Star was said to be the failsafe of the old world. A last resort created by the Skyborn to destroy what they could no longer control. But it was locked away—anchored beyond the edge of memory itself."
Orin stared at the floating words. "If it's remembering, does that mean it's waking up?"
Kaelen's voice dropped to a whisper. "Yes. And if it wakes before the anchors are repaired… it won't distinguish between the old world and what's left of this one."
The chamber pulsed again—this time, not with light, but with sound. A deep hum that seemed to come from the walls themselves.
"Someone's trying to breach the Hall," Kaelen said, grabbing the Skyglass from his pack. "We need to leave."
"Can't we use this place to hide?" Mira asked.
Kaelen shook his head. "It's not a sanctuary anymore. It's a beacon. When Orin touched the Codex, something ancient noticed."
He turned to Orin. "We need to find the next anchor site. There are four left—if we can rebind even one, we might delay the Hollow Star's awakening."
"How do we find them?" Orin asked.
Kaelen looked at him grimly. "You don't find the anchors. They find you."
A tremor shook the floor. Dust rained from the crystal arches.
"We have to move," Kaelen said.
They rushed out of the Codex chamber, retracing their path through the glowing halls. As they reached the exit, a gust of hot wind struck them—followed by flickering flame at the top of the stairwell.
"Scorchers," Mira hissed. "They're already inside."
Kaelen glanced around. "There's one way out left. But it's not… normal."
"What does that mean?" Orin asked.
Kaelen strode to a side alcove and touched a glyph hidden on the wall. A circular panel slid open, revealing what looked like a pool of liquid starlight, swirling inside a stone frame.
"It's a Threadgate," Kaelen said. "It'll take us to wherever the Pattern needs us next."
Orin hesitated. "What if it takes us somewhere worse?"
Kaelen met his eyes. "Then we survive it. Together."
The flame at the end of the hall roared closer. Voices shouted. Boots pounded stone.
Orin stepped through the gate.
The world turned to stars—and then shattered.