Veyrix stood frozen.
The surge of starlight from Ayden and Arielle had pierced the armor of void he wore—not to destroy, but to reveal.
And beneath it all…
He wasn't a monster.
He was a scar.
A broken piece of Kael's soul—cast away in her fall, born from her guilt, her fear, her love.
> "I was never meant to live," Veyrix whispered, voice hollow. "I was a consequence."
Arielle stepped forward, every breath trembling as she held herself together.
> "You were part of me. You were the part I abandoned when I chose to love."
His shadow wavered. "Then let me return."
---
A Soul Torn Three Ways
The sky flickered violently as Arielle collapsed.
Too much power.
Too many pieces of Kael trying to coexist in a mortal form.
Ayden caught her before she hit the ground.
> "Her body can't contain it anymore," Aetheron said from behind them. "Three souls—Kael, Arielle, and Veyrix—none of them whole."
"She's not just a soul," Ayden snapped. "She's her. And I'm not letting her die."
---
The Final Choice
Arielle opened her eyes—barely glowing now, flickering like a dying flame.
> "Ayden… I can let them go. Kael and Veyrix. I can be just me."
Ayden nodded, his eyes full of tears. "Then do it."
"But if I do," she whispered, "I may forget everything. You. The stars. Kael. All of it."
Ayden held her hand tightly.
> "Then we'll start again. From the ground up. From the bakery… from the first moment I saw you standing in the rain with crumbs on your chin."
She smiled through the tears.
> "That was a muffin."
"Still the best thing I ever saw."
---
The Letting Go
In one final act of strength, Arielle stood.
She closed her eyes, and from within her chest, light bloomed—first gold, then violet, then silver.
She reached into herself.
Pulled Kael free.
Then reached again.
And drew out the hollow echo of Veyrix.
Two orbs of celestial energy hovered before her.
Kael—warm, noble, full of bittersweet longing.
Veyrix—cold, quiet, but no longer hateful.
> "Goodbye," she whispered.
She kissed each light.
And let
them go.
They rose into the sky, dancing together like twin stars until they vanished into the cosmos.