It began with light.
Not the gentle kind that warms the morning sky but a violent, bleeding glare that swallowed everything in white fire.
The bells of the Academy screamed as the heavens cracked open.
I was thrown to the ground, ears ringing, eyes burning. When my vision cleared, the world was unrecognizable towers torn apart, the sky inverted into a whirlpool of darkness, and at its center hung an impossible sight:
A black sun.
Its light devoured instead of shining.
Students and soldiers alike ran through the courtyards, shouting spells, summoning wards that shattered as fast as they were cast.
Aster's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding.
"Division formation! Protect the lower wards!"
His aura exploded outward, a storm of blue light that stabilized the collapsing barrier overhead.
The Celestial Division moved with inhuman precision the crimson-eyed woman carving through shadow beasts, the silver-haired boy forming sigils midair, the feathered girl whispering ancient words that burned the darkness.
And me standing frozen, heart pounding, watching the sky tear itself apart.
The entity from the Frostline appeared again, descending like a fragment of night. Its form twisted and luminous all at once, its voice echoing inside my mind.
"Child of light… the devouring sun awakens. Balance must be broken."
I staggered back. "What do you mean?"
It tilted its head, unreadable. "You carry its heart."
Then it lunged.
Before I could react, Aster appeared in front of me blade flashing. The impact sent a shockwave across the courtyard, shattering stone.
"Stay behind me!" he shouted.
"I can fight"
"Not like this!" His voice cracked for the first time. "You don't control it yet!"
The entity's form wavered, then split tendrils of starlight striking in every direction. One hit the barrier, another the tower, and one… found me.
Pain ignited. My chest burned as the mark blazed to life. Silver lines spread across my skin like veins of fire.
"Erian!"
I screamed as light burst out a flood that turned night into day. For a moment, I wasn't me. I was every star screaming at once.
And then silence.
When I opened my eyes, the courtyard was gone. The beasts were gone. The black sun hung dim above the ruins, pulsing weakly like a dying heart.
Aster stood before me, his uniform torn, his blade shattered.
I fell to my knees, gasping. "Did… did I"
He caught me before I hit the ground. "You saved them," he said quietly. "But at what cost?"
My vision blurred. The last thing I saw was the mark on my chest now no longer silver, but black.
And pulsing.