I. The Citadel Under the Red Moon
The night following the battle was unlike any other. The air was thick with ozone, sap, and ash; the Qi pulsed like a new heart within the stones of the Morningstar Citadel. Disciples and elders alike could not tell if they were celebrating or mourning—if the victory was a new dawn or the sharp edge of a final sentence.
In the center of the plaza, Samael's armor rested upon an improvised pedestal: fragmented, still damp with blood and the void—both a symbol and a warning. No one dared touch it. Kael, his hands still stained with the blood of the dragon, kept watch beside the medicinal pond where the Patriarch floated.
The roots of the Star Tree, for the first time in generations, crackled with an inner light that was neither ice nor fire, but an amalgam: the legacy of the battle, the Inverse Scale, and the decision to defy the heavens. Beneath its branches, Seraphina wove orders and comfort in equal measure, while Celeste slept in her lap, her breathing as steady as a counter-spell against the chaos.
II. The Circle of the Twenty: Preparations and Oaths
When the moon reached its zenith, Seraphina gathered the Sequences in the War Room. It was a vast, oval chamber decorated with tapestries of ancient battles and red ribbons woven by generations of matriarchs. The air smelled of incense and iron, of promise and fear.
The twenty chosen ones, marked by fresh wounds and the recent glow of their ascensions, formed a circle. Kael, his robes still stained, took the floor. —"You know why we are here. The clan has paid dearly for this night: the blood, the soul, and nearly the life of the Patriarch. Now it is time to pay in another way." His grave voice echoed off the stone walls and filtered down to the lower chambers, where the junior disciples listened with heavy hearts.
Violeta nodded, breaking the silence. —"The Star Dragon Root is more than a myth. It only sprouts in the Sea of Beasts, a place where even the sky is devoured by ancient creatures. No one returns alive without paying a price."
Eris stepped forward, her gaze ignited. —"I would rather pay with my life than see our brother fall. Who else?"
A murmur ran through the room. Elara, the Mist Flower, raised her hand. —"He bled to give us a place. Let my shadow buy him one more day."
Lyra, Lys, and Cedric exchanged glances, knowing the defense remained in their hands. Each understood that protecting the root was as vital as seeking the cure. Seraphina stood, her imperial poise impossible to ignore. —"Kael, Violeta, Eris, Elara: you are the expedition. The rest, stay with me. There will be no peace for those who seek to cross our borders."
Kael closed the circle, fist over his heart. —"I swear by the Star Tree: I shall not return without the root or the honor of having tried."
One by one, the expedition members sealed the oath. Lys gave them vials of vital essence and protective talismans; Elowen planted "returning seeds" into the hems of their cloaks. Violeta embraced Eris, both knowing any goodbye could be their last. —"If you fall, I will jump after you," Violeta whispered. Eris smiled, tears glinting under the emerald light. —"If you get lost in space, I will burn until I find you."
III. Intrigue and Alliances in the Penumbra
Beyond the plaza, the commercial city of Golden Oasis seethed with rumors and greed. In a black marble inn, Lord Varian of the Star-Ice, an Alchemist from the Alliance, and a Beastman emissary sat around a table laden with maps and untouched goblets.
—"They are preparing for a suicide mission," Varian said, his voice like frost scratching glass. —"If the Star Dragon Root falls into their hands, the Patriarch will not only survive: he will ascend above any Saint. The balance will die."
The Alchemist nervously toyed with a vial of golden powder. —"My spies claim the barrier is weakened by the fractures of the battle. If we attack tonight, we catch the Matriarch and the child."
The Beastman snorted, licking his fangs. —"My hunters are already moving through the shadows. We will test the defenses and the loyalty of the disciples. If the dragon is asleep, the pack will devour the prey."
In a corner, a hooded figure—a youth with mist-colored eyes and blue lotus tattoos—listened in silence. He was one of Lys's apprentices, camouflaged as a servant. As soon as he caught the key to the conspiracy, he slipped a note sealed with Light Qi into a hidden compartment, certain that the Morningstar elders would receive the warning in minutes.
IV. The Weight of Heritage – Samael and Celeste
While the citadel bustled with preparations, Seraphina took Celeste and descended to the Core Chamber. There, Samael still floated in the pond, his body alternating between cracks of light and marks of the void. His consciousness was a whirlpool of battle fragments, visions of worlds beyond the limit, and the echo of the Hammer of Heaven.
Celeste approached timidly and placed her hand on her father's chest. She felt the dragon heart beat slowly, each thump like a muffled drum of thunder. —"Daddy..." she whispered, not knowing if he could hear her.
Something in the space vibrated. Samael opened his eyes—heavy with exhaustion and blood, but filled with the same light that had defied Valerius. —"My star..." His voice was raspy, nearly a thought, but Celeste felt it in her soul. —"Does it hurt?" she asked, squeezing his hand.
Samael allowed himself a moment of fragility. —"It hurts... but it would hurt more to never see you laugh under the Tree again." Celeste nodded, tears shimmering on her cheeks. —"I brought you a light, Daddy." She opened her fist, showing a tiny glowing pebble—a spark of Qi she had "stolen" from the pond. —"When you're scared, think of me."
Samael smiled, the gesture crooked and full of love. —"If I fall into the void, it will be your light that guides me back."
V. The Last Preparations – Between Aurora and Storm
In the Dragon Tower, the expedition sharpened weapons and checked talismans. Violeta adjusted her spear strap, practicing portals with Kael; Eris ran flames over her spearhead to purify the blade and her spirit. Elara meditated, surrounded by mist, visualizing the routes and the serene face of Samael—her master, her anchor.
Cedric and Xylia reviewed defenses and escape routes. The entire clan poured themselves into the preparation. In the plaza, Lys and Elowen gathered the apprentices. —"We cannot go with them," Lys said, her voice trembling, "but each of you is a root of this Tree. If we fall, you are the forest that will remember us."
At the perimeter, Tamsin wove silent traps with spore poison; Sela sealed wall cracks with ancient runes, while Lyra covered the citadel with a mantle of illusory mist. Before departing, Kael gathered the team under the Star Tree. —"Today we are not just blood or destiny. We are the will to never surrender," Kael said.
Great Elder Lilith placed her warm hand on each of their heads, whispering words of rebirth. —"Stop the wind, hold the flame; freeze the abyss and return the aurora. That is the Morningstar power."
VI. The Tension Before the Dawn
The expedition departed when the first line of light cut the horizon. The northern gate opened with a solemn groan. The four left in silence, their auras hidden, their eyes fixed on a future covered in mist, beasts, and betrayal.
From the walls, hundreds of disciples held their breath, some whispering prayers, others clenching their fists. In the tower, Seraphina embraced Celeste and lit a candle of blue frost. In Golden Oasis, the outsiders unleashed their plans. However, a strange breeze extinguished several torches and diverted an entire caravan of mercenaries toward a ravine. The echo of Morningstar Luck was already intervening, silent and miraculous.
VII. Epilogue: Under the Light of the Pendant
That night, before falling into a restorative sleep, Celeste squeezed the pebble she had given her father. She felt a vibration in her chest—an invisible thread connecting her to Samael, to the expedition, and to every member of the clan.
—"May the path be cold, but may the aurora always return," she whispered, and the stone glowed faintly, like a tiny star in the palm of her hand.
Outside, the red moon faded. The clan, wounded but undefeated, began the vigil. No one slept fully. No one forgot the price of glory. But everyone promised, under their breath, that as long as a single root remained beneath the snow, the Morningstar legend would not die.
[End of Chapter 89]