Ash drifted through the air like snow.
The mountains that once held the Vale of Thorns were gone — erased by light and shadow.
Elian stood at the edge of the crater, silent, cloak torn, his left hand wrapped in blood-soaked cloth.
His body still burned from the Eclipse Burst; every heartbeat felt like a knife turning inside his chest.
Kael stirred behind him. "We… survived?"
Lyra coughed weakly, light flickering around her fingers. "Barely. The shrine's gone — along with whatever kept the Abyss asleep."
Elian said nothing.
He only stared at the horizon — where the clouds above were splitting, light descending in faint threads of gold.
Lyra followed his gaze. "That's… not sunlight."
Kael's eyes widened. "Those are angelic descent markers."
Far above, in Celestara, the skies glowed crimson.
Seraph Astraea, the Blade of Heaven, descended from the citadel — her wings sharp as glass, her sword trailing ribbons of molten light.
Every angel who saw her kneel whispered the same thing:
> "The Judgment has begun."
Astraea's voice, calm as ice, echoed through the chamber before she left.
> "Do not mourn the child. He was never meant to live free. The Seal must remain closed — even if it means breaking the vessel."
With a single motion, she cut through the veil between worlds and fell to the mortal plane — her arrival splitting the sky above Elian's crater like a burning comet.
But she was not the only one who saw that light.
Far away, in the ruins of an ancient temple, a man wrapped in tattered robes looked up — his one remaining eye glimmering gold.
A faint sigil of the Eclipsera burned across his palm.
> "So… the heir finally stirs," he murmured.
"Lirael's son… just like she warned."
He picked up a cracked pendant — a twin to Elian's own — and whispered a prayer.
> "Forgive me, my lady. It seems I'll have to meet him sooner than I thought."
He began walking toward the crater.
The wind howled.
Elian turned as the golden comet tore through the clouds and struck the earth.
A figure rose from the impact — silver wings unfurling like razors, eyes pure white flame.
Kael staggered back. "Oh, gods. That's—"
Lyra whispered the name in fear. "Astraea. The Angel of Final Judgment."
Astraea's voice carried through the smoke, soft yet merciless.
> "Elian Vale. Son of the Eclipsera. You have been judged unfit to bear the Seal of Balance.
Surrender your life — and spare the worlds further ruin."
Elian stepped forward, his broken sword still glowing faintly in his hand.
His voice was calm, but his heart thundered.
> "If you're here to finish what Heaven started… then you'll have to kill me for it."
Astraea's expression didn't change.
> "That is the intent."
The ground cracked as she drew her blade.
Divine flame ignited around her — white, perfect, endless.
Kael grabbed Elian's arm. "You can't fight her, not like this! You're barely standing!"
Elian looked at his trembling hands — then at the pendant around his neck.
His mother's wings glowed faintly, as if answering.
He whispered, "I won't run. Not again."
As Astraea took her first step forward, the wind froze — time itself seemed to hesitate.
And in that instant, the man in the tattered cloak arrived, stepping between them, his cane striking the ground.
Astraea's eyes narrowed. "Identify yourself, mortal."
The man smiled faintly. "Not mortal. Not anymore."
Elian blinked. "Who are you?"
> "Once," the man said, "I was called Raviel — your mother's shield."
Elian froze. "You… knew her?"
Raviel nodded slowly.
> "I served her when she defied Heaven and sealed the Abyss. And I carry what she left behind — the truth of why she did it."
Astraea's sword burned brighter.
> "Then you both carry sin."
The sky thundered.
Astraea raised her sword — and Raviel extended a single hand.
The two powers collided — divine and broken — light and shadow exploding outward in a storm that shook the land.