Time remained frozen.
Pages of books hung mid-air like feathers. Dust sparkled in unmoving beams of light. The guardian's massive jaws stayed suspended just inches from Elara's shoulder.
But the world around her didn't matter.
Not when he stood in front of her.
The man of light stepped fully out of the glowing glyph, each footfall sending ripples across the frozen chamber. His aura shimmered gold and white, warm like sunlight on old stone.
Elara felt her heart clench painfully.
She knew this presence.
From the scattered memories.From the execution courtyard.From the moment her past self died.
Her lips trembled."You… who are you?"
The man's golden hood fell back.
Revealing a face that made her breath stop.
Sharp jawline.Eyes like molten starlight.The same gentle expression from her deepest buried memories.
Damien stiffened. "No way…"
Lucian's grip tightened around the book. "This is— impossible."
The man reached out his hand toward Elara, voice low and reverent:
"You knew me as Caelum.""Your sworn knight.""Your first love."
Elara's knees nearly buckled.
Her knight.Her forbidden lover.The reason she had been executed.
Everything inside her shook as memories flooded through her again—Caelum kneeling before her…Caelum training her with a soft smile…Caelum holding her hands beneath the blooming Astravelle trees…Caelum whispering, "I would die for you."And then—Caelum taking the blade meant for her on the night she fell.
Elara gasped and stumbled back.
Damien caught her immediately."Elara— breathe."
Caelum's eyes softened with grief."You carry the fragments of who you were. I am only here because your soul finally called to me again."
Lucian stepped forward protectively."What do you want from her?"
Caelum didn't even look away from Elara.
"Her truth."
Elara leaned against Damien, dazed."Why now? Why appear to me?"
Caelum's voice deepened, tinged with sorrow.
"Because the world you were meant to rule… the one destroyed to erase your legacy… is rising again in shadow."
The ground trembled.
Caelum's eyes turned toward the frozen guardian.
"My time is short. This spell will break soon."
He turned back to her, stepping closer — close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating off him, close enough for her heart to ache.
Damien stiffened, visibly angry and confused.Lucian's jaw clenched hard — something dark flickering in his eyes.
Caelum cupped Elara's cheek gently — but didn't touch her.His hand hovered a breath away, trembling.
"You died in my arms," he whispered."And I failed to protect you."
Elara's chest tightened painfully. "Caelum…"
He smiled — heartbroken but tender.
"I will not fail you again."
He tapped the book in Lucian's hand."You must not let this be taken. Your enemies already know you touched it."
Lucian narrowed his eyes."Who exactly are her enemies?"
Caelum's expression darkened.
"Those who destroyed Astravelle will destroy the academy next. And they will target the one who carries the light."
His gaze landed on Elara.
"You."
Elara swallowed hard.
"Caelum… why was I reincarnated?"
Caelum stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Because a prophecy refused to die with you."
He raised his glowing hand, gently touching her forehead.
The moment he touched her, warmth exploded in her chest.
Light.
Power.
Memory.
A voice echoed in her mind —
"The princess of light shall rise again when the world stands at the edge of dawn and ruin."
Her eyes widened.
Caelum pulled away as cracks spread through the frozen world around them.
Time was starting to move again.
His voice dropped to a final whisper.
"Elara… my princess… my beloved…"
His golden eyes trembled with longing.
"Someone close to you will betray you.Someone you trust with your heart."
Elara's blood ran cold.
Damien's hand froze mid-air beside her.
Lucian stiffened, eyes widening.
Liora gasped in horror.
Caelum stepped backward, already dissolving into light.
"I will return when the seal breaks. Until then— survive."
The world shattered back into motion.
The guardian roared.Books crashed.Stone crumbled.
And Caelum vanished like sunlight through glass.
Lucian grabbed Elara's hand. "Move!"
Damien slashed at the guardian, fury in every strike.
But Elara—
Elara stood frozen.
Because Caelum's last words echoed louder than the guardian's roar.
"Someone close to you will betray you."
She looked at Lucian.She looked at Damien.She looked at Liora.
And for the first time—
She didn't know who she could trust.