The Celestial Temple shook violently, its marble corridors groaning as if the building itself feared the Guardian. Starlight fractured across broken pillars, dust swirled like miniature galaxies, and every rune along the walls flared with chaotic energy. The roar of cosmic power was deafening, shaking the very souls of the twelve warriors.
Lyra soared at the forefront, wings of Phoenix Flame unfurled, molten fire streaking across the chamber like twin suns. Her heartbeat matched the furious rhythm of the Guardian's cosmic form, a pulse of life against a storm of destruction. Every step, every movement, carried the weight of everything she had fought for: her friends, her world, and the promise of survival.
The Guardian had shifted. Its movements were no longer reactive—they were calculated, devastatingly precise. Constellations on its massive body writhed in chaotic patterns, as if the universe itself had fractured inside it. Nebulae twisted violently, arcs of energy lancing outward like blades.
Lyra felt it immediately. A presence, deeper than anything she had sensed before: the Guardian's hidden, reserved power—an overwhelming cosmic force it had withheld, biding its time for this very moment.
---
The Cosmic Onslaught
A beam of concentrated cosmic energy erupted from the Guardian's chest, spreading outward like a newborn star detonating, a supernova. The force was incomprehensible, a ripple of pure celestial destruction. The warriors were thrown back as if hurled by a collapsing galaxy. Columns shattered, the marble floor splintered, and starlight fragmented into millions of shards.
The air hung heavy, charged with destruction. Each warrior hit the ground, bruised, gasping, bloodied—but alive. For a moment, silence reigned, only the echo of the Guardian's pulsing power lingering like a heartbeat across the chamber.
Lyra's Phoenix Flame flickered, trembling but refusing to die. Her golden-red eyes scanned the chaos. And then she saw it and her heart froze. The Guardian's gaze, fixated on Orion.
It was too late to warn him.
---
The Last Moment
In a terrifying instant the Guardian lunged itself forward, wings of cosmic dust trailing like comets, claws and energy coalescing into a strike that could obliterate Orion in an instant. Time seemed to slow. Every heartbeat stretched, every thought screamed.
"Orion!" Lyra's voice tore through the roar of cosmic energy.
She dashed forward faster than she had ever moved, wings trailing flames and light. The Guardian's strike surged toward Orion like the collapse of a galaxy. Lyra's heart hammered in her chest. There was no time—no hesitation.
At the last possible moment, she leapt, Phoenix Flame flaring around her like a shield of molten suns. She intercepted the Guardian's devastating strike, energy colliding with energy.
The impact slammed into her chest.
Pain seared through every fiber of her being especially through her chest. Her flames flickered, sputtered, coiling along her body but did not fade. Lyra's eyes met Orion's, wide with shock, disbelief, and terror. His arms shot forward, catching her mid-fall. The impact threw them both back, Lyra's wings folding weakly around her as molten fire trailed sparks into the shattered chamber.
"I… I won't lose you…" Orion whispered, voice breaking, tears flowing freely.
Her body trembled, Phoenix Flame dimming, wings shattered folding weakly around her.
Around them, the other ten warriors formed a protective circle, eyes wide, hearts hammering with helpless fear, shouting, casting magic, and striking with desperate precision. Their attacks forced the Guardian to hesitate for the briefest instant—but it was enough to realize the magnitude of the sacrifice being made.
---
The End: Lyra's Last Words
Lyra's breathing was ragged, her energy fading fast. She pressed her trembling hand against Orion's chest, feeling his heartbeat and the warmth of his heart. Her energy dimmed, Phoenix Flame flickering like dying stars.
"I… love you… Orion…" she whispered, voice breaking, her voice barely audible over the echoing winds of cosmic energy. Tears streaked her face, mingling with blood.
Then she glanced at the other warriors—Serena, Kael, Mia, Rafael, Emma, Kai, Sofia, Nero, Seraphina, Zane. Her gaze was steady, filled with warmth, gratitude, and defiance even in the face of death.
"I… I… love all of you… forever…"
Orion gripped her tighter, shaking violently, tears flowing. "No! Lyra! Don't leave me! Stay with me! I love you!" His voice cracked, panic and grief breaking through his usual composure.
The ten other warriors collapsed to their knees, some sobbing, some holding each other. The temple seemed to echo their grief—the dust and shattered marble weighed heavy, thick with heartbreak.
The Guardian hovered nearby, massive and immovable, its cosmic gaze unblinking. Yet even it seemed to pause, acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice to protect her loved ones.
Lyra's Phoenix Flame pulsed one last time, a final heartbeat of molten gold-red. Her lips curved in a faint, serene smile.
"Go… fight… survive… and…" Her voice trailed into silence, fading as her eyes closed.
Her head sank into Orion's chest.
Everything went still. The heat of her flames dimmed. The fire within her heart—brilliant, untamed, unyielding—extinguished.
Orion's arms shook violently as he cradled her, whispering over and over, "Lyra… please… don't leave me…" His tears fell freely, scorching with sorrow, his grief consuming the space around him.
The ten other warriors covered their faces, trembling, hands shaking, bodies trembling under the weight of the loss. Their tears mingled with ash and dust, forming a silent river across the broken floor.
Even the Guardian remained still, a massive silhouette of cosmic fury, as if it understood that a hero had given everything to protect the ones she loved.
The air was heavy, the chamber filled with grief so profound it could almost crush the soul. The twelve Celestial Warriors had survived countless trials—but now, they were shattered not by physical wounds, but by the unbearable weight of their hearts.
Lyra was gone.
And the galaxy itself seemed to mourn with them for her.