Starcore Pocket Watch
Chapter Twenty: Fragments in Place and the Prelude to Peace
The green radiance of the altar grew ever more brilliant, like a newborn sun, driving away the heat and gloom of the volcanic depths. Bound by the emerald light, Victor lay slumped beneath the rock wall, his face pale as ash. The madness in his eyes had been completely replaced by despair. Watching the four faint lights slowly igniting on the altar, he let out an unwilling, hoarse growl, yet lacked even the strength to lift a hand.
Kai and Linor stood side by side, bathing in the warmth carried by the green glow. They could clearly sense four faint lights approaching from different directions—the scattered Starcore fragments, summoned by the resonance of the three fragments, crossing the barrier between worlds and converging on the altar.
The first to arrive was a blue beam of light from the slums of Everlight City on the Eros Continent. It pierced through the volcanic smoke like a nimble bird and landed precisely in the fourth groove of the altar. Kai's eyes grew moist; he seemed to see his old repair shop again, to see the people of the slums struggling to survive amid steam and soot.
Soon after, a cyan light rose from the depths of the sea, cutting through the waves of heat from the magma and settling firmly into the fifth groove. Linor gasped softly—that fragment was recorded in her people's ancient tomes, a relic of the deep-sea ruins said to have slumbered in the Endless Abyss of the Aurora Continent, guarded by the sea folk for a hundred years.
The third light carried the scorching breath of the desert, arriving from the western Gobi of the Eros Continent. It was a brilliant yellow beam, and when it fell into its groove, the faint sound of howling sand and wind seemed to echo.
The final light came from the Sacred Tree of the elves on the Aurora Continent—a gentle green glow. It arrived last, yet carried the purest vitality, like a newborn sprout of the Sacred Tree, slowly merging into the seventh groove.
The instant the final fragment settled into place, the entire Starcore altar erupted with unprecedented brilliance. Seven streams of light intertwined, forming a pillar of radiance that pierced the heavens. The volcano's trembling ceased completely, and the churning magma slowly receded, revealing smooth stone beneath. The pungent stench of sulfur vanished, replaced by the fresh scent of grass and clear springs.
Bathed in the pillar of light, Kai and Linor felt their bodies grow light, as if they were about to merge with the radiance itself. They could sense the invisible barrier between the two worlds gradually dissolving, as the steam machinery of the Eros Continent and the magical energies of the Aurora Continent began to blend in perfect harmony.
"Are the two worlds… truly going to know peace?" Linor murmured, her voice trembling with disbelief.
Kai turned to her with a gentle smile. He reached out and took her hand. At the moment their fingers touched, two streams of light converged in their palms.
"They will," Kai said firmly. "Ironhammer was right. The power of the Starcore has always been meant to protect."
Watching this scene, Victor's despair slowly faded into emptiness. All his life, he had pursued the ambition of ruling two worlds through technology, never imagining that the true power of the Starcore fragments was to unite them as one.
At this moment, a gap slowly opened at the top of the light pillar. In the gap, a familiar golden figure slowly fell down, it was the guardian dragon. Its wounds have completely healed, and its golden scales are shining brightly in the light. The giant dragon lowered its head slowly, its amber vertical pupils full of gentleness, and let out a low dragon roar towards Kai and Lenore, as if in greeting.
Soon, more figures emerged from the opening in the light. Elves in white robes, dwarves carrying forging hammers, and humans clad in steam-powered armor stepped forth. They came from two different worlds, yet in this moment laid down all barriers and hostility, gazing at one another with curiosity and a shared longing for peace.
Ironhammer's figure also appeared among the crowd, still short and sturdy, a simple, honest smile on his face. When Kai saw him, his eyes reddened instantly. He released Linor's hand and ran to Ironhammer, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
"You're alive! That's wonderful!" Kai choked out.
Ironhammer laughed heartily and patted his back.
"Silly boy, these old bones aren't so easy to break. It was the altar's guardian power that saved me."
Linor walked over as well, a relieved smile on her face as she watched the two.
From the crowd, the elven High Elder stepped forward. Gazing at the seven fragments on the altar, his aged voice trembled with emotion.
"A hundred years… and at last, true peace has come to the two worlds. The light of the Starcore altar will illuminate every inch of the land, allowing magic and technology to coexist and flourish together."
Cheers erupted. The elves sang ancient hymns, the dwarves struck their forging hammers, and the humans sounded their steam horns. Song, hammering, and horns blended into a single symphony—the anthem of peace.
Victor lowered his proud head at last as he watched it all. He knew he had lost—lost to the Starcore's power of protection, and lost to the shared yearning for peace among all living beings.
Kai and Linor stood before the altar, smiling at one another as they watched the celebrating crowd. They knew the battle was over, yet a new journey had only just begun. They would become guardians of both worlds, using the power of the Starcore to protect this hard-won peace.
As the pillar of light slowly faded, sunlight broke through the clouds and bathed the lands of both worlds. The steam chimneys of the Eros Continent no longer belched dark smoke, and within the forests of the Aurora Continent, the hum of steam machinery could be heard. The intertwined glow of magic and technology illuminated the entire world.
Thus, the prelude to peace was played.