Later, beneath the floating gardens of Aeris, Liora and Kael sat side by side, their hands intertwined, their gazes tracing constellations above.
"The prophecy… it's not just about me," Kael whispered. "It's about us. And I think… I think the stars chose us to change the course of the realms."
Liora nodded, her heart heavy with both awe and fear. "Yes. But it also comes with sacrifice. There's no telling what we'll lose along the way."
A soft voice echoed in her mind—an ancient whisper carried by the starlight. "The mortal and the fallen star. Bound by love. One will live, one will change the world. Only through the heart can balance be restored."
She shivered. The Starbond was real, and its weight pressed upon her chest. Kael felt it too, though he did not speak. Instead, he leaned closer, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "Whatever happens," he murmured, "I want to face it with you."
And in that moment, the world beyond the gardens—Aeris, the upper city, the Archons—faded. Nothing existed but them, and the fragile, radiant bond that had begun with a fallen star and a mortal who had defied death.
Above them, a single star pulsed, brighter than the rest—a silent herald of the trials to come, of choices yet unmade, and of love that would challenge the very heavens.
But even as hope lingered, Liora could feel a shadow moving in the distance—Seren, watching, calculating. Every heartbeat brought them closer to a confrontation they could not avoid.