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Chapter 23 - The Path of Seven Lights

The stars above the Eternal Flame Temple had changed.

Where once constellations danced in peaceful harmony, now strange lines connected them—faint, shimmering threads of silver only visible to Zayn. They pulsed in sync with the black mark on his palm, guiding him toward an ancient truth.

He sat cross-legged beneath the cosmic dome, his eyes open but unfocused, scanning the heavens. Master Lior stood nearby, silent, watching his disciple with a mixture of awe and fear.

"It has begun," Lior said quietly.

Zayn heard the words but didn't reply. His soul was still half-floating in the celestial domain. A thousand fragments of memory—visions, warnings, and names—rushed through him.

The Celestial Stars.Seven divine relics forged from the hearts of collapsed gods.Each one a seal.Each one a piece of the prison that held The Nameless One.Now scattered across realms, buried in time, forgotten by all but a few.

"I must find them," Zayn finally said. "Before the next seal breaks."

Lior stepped forward, hesitant. "You understand what that means, don't you? Each star is guarded. By curses. By time. And by those who don't want them found."

"I understand," Zayn said. "But I saw the end, Master. If I do nothing, the Realms will fall."

Lior sighed and handed him a scroll.

It was old—sealed with the crest of the Order of Astral Fire—a long-lost Celestial sect known only through myth. "This map was kept hidden by your father," Lior whispered. "He told me… if the stars ever moved again, you would be the one to follow them."

Zayn unrolled the scroll.

Seven points glowed faintly. None of them on the same plane. None of them near.

"The first…" Zayn whispered, touching the mark furthest west. "Is in the Ruins of Sil'vara."

Lior went pale. "That place… is cursed. No one who entered ever returned. Even Void Saints disappeared without a trace."

"I'll return," Zayn said firmly. "Because I must."

He turned toward the exit of the temple, where the wind howled softly and moonlight spilled like silver water on the marble floor.

"But before I leave," he added, "I need one thing."

🔹 In the Armory of Ancients

Deep within the Eternal Flame Temple lay a vault few had ever seen. Known as the Starforge Hall, it was said to hold the weapons of gods and madmen, crafted in eras when stars were still young.

The doors opened at Zayn's touch. The mark on his palm pulsed, resonating with the runes engraved into the vault walls.

Inside, dust floated lazily in golden beams of light. Weapons hovered in silence—swords with breathing fire, spears humming with gravity, and shields reflecting not light, but fate itself.

But Zayn ignored them all.

He walked toward a far pedestal, where a simple rod floated.

It was plain, made of an unknown dark metal, no longer than his forearm. But on its surface, seven tiny star-like gems shimmered faintly—six dull, and one glowing dimly.

The Celestial Staff of Sealing.

Created by the Star-Smiths of the forgotten realm Valtoria, this staff had once been wielded by the legendary Saint Myrran—the last person to seal The Nameless One.

Zayn reached out.

The moment his fingers brushed the staff, he was flooded with ancient chants, memories of burning skies, and pain beyond understanding.

But he held firm.

The staff pulsed, then accepted him.

One gem—just one—lit up fully.

Sil'vara.

The first Star's location was now sealed in his soul.

Journey of the Seeker Begins

The next day, the sky above the Eternal Flame Temple darkened as Zayn soared into the air, riding a streak of pure starfire. Below, disciples watched in silence, their hands folded in prayer.

Lior bowed deeply. "May the Realms watch over you, Zayn. May the stars forgive what we have forgotten."

Zayn didn't look back.

His destination lay beyond the Ocean of Fangs, across the Ashen Mountains, and deep into the heart of Sil'vara—once a kingdom of light, now nothing but death.

As he flew, the stars above whispered old names, warnings, and riddles.

The staff glowed faintly in his grip.

He was no longer just a cultivator.No longer just a boy with divine talent.He was now the Star-Seeker, the one destined to rebuild the seal that kept annihilation at bay.

But far away, beyond the edge of known realms, another presence stirred.

Inside a forgotten prison, where time flowed backward and screams echoed without sound, a second seal cracked.

A giant obsidian statue crumbled slightly. Chains made of astral light began to fray.

And a voice—one with no mouth—sighed.

The First Seal… undone. The Star-Seeker walks the path. Let the game begin.

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