CELESTE'S POV
I burst through the cabin door, silver starlight already blazing from my hands.
"Get away from him!" I screamed.
My mother's head whipped toward me, genuine shock crossing her face. "Celeste—"
"Don't." My voice shook with rage. "Don't say my name like you care."
Theron moved to stand beside me, his sword raised. Through the corner of my eye, I saw blood trickling down his arm. They'd already hurt him.
"You planned this," I said, staring at my mother. "The betrayal. Adrian. Morgana. All of it. You were part of it from the beginning."
My mother's face hardened. "I did what was necessary."
"Necessary?" I took a step forward, my magic flaring brighter. "You sentenced your own daughter to death!"
"To protect something bigger than you!" She raised her hands, dark energy crackling between her fingers. "You don't understand what's at stake. What you are."
"Then explain it to me!"
"I can't." For just a second, pain flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Celeste. But you have to die. It's the only way to stop the prophecy."
"What prophecy?"
"The one that will destroy everything." My mother's voice broke. "I'm sorry. I truly am."
She attacked.
Dark magic shot toward me like black lightning. I threw up a shield of starlight just in time. The two powers collided with a sound like thunder.
The dark witches behind my mother attacked too. Twenty different spells flew at us from every direction.
Theron and I moved together instinctively. His sword deflected what my magic couldn't block. My starlight burned away the darkness his blade couldn't reach.
We were outnumbered ten to one.
But we fought like we'd been doing it for centuries.
"Behind you!" Theron shouted.
I spun, blasting a witch who'd gotten too close. Theron immediately covered my blind spot, his sword taking down two more attackers.
My mother watched us with something like horror on her face. "Impossible. You've already bonded. But you shouldn't be able to—"
"You know nothing about what I can do!" I sent a wave of celestial fire toward her.
She blocked it easily, but I saw her hands trembling. "Please, Celeste. Stop fighting. Let this end."
"Never!"
We battled for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. Bodies of unconscious dark witches littered the ground. But more kept coming.
Theron was slowing down. I could see it in the way he moved, the way his sword swings were getting weaker. His curse was draining him.
"We can't win this," he said through gritted teeth.
"I know."
"We need to run."
"I know that too."
A massive blast of dark magic exploded between us, throwing us apart. I hit the ground hard, my head spinning. When I looked up, my mother stood over me.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again. Tears streamed down her face. "I love you. I always have. But you have to die."
She raised her hands for the killing blow.
Theron threw himself between us.
The dark magic hit him square in the chest. He flew backward, crashing into the cabin wall. The shadow marks on his skin exploded outward, covering half his body in writhing darkness.
"No!" I screamed.
My mother's face went white. "What have I done?"
Power erupted from me—pure, raw celestial energy that I didn't know I had. It exploded outward in a wave of blinding silver light. Every dark witch in the clearing was thrown backward. Trees bent away from the force. The ground cracked beneath my feet.
When the light faded, I was kneeling beside Theron.
His eyes were closed. The shadow marks covered most of his chest now, spreading toward his neck. His breathing was shallow.
"Don't you dare die," I choked out. "Don't you dare."
I placed my hands on his chest, pouring healing magic into him. But the shadows fought back, trying to consume my celestial light.
"It's... too late," Theron rasped, his eyes opening slightly. "The curse... accelerated. I have... hours, not weeks."
"No. No, I can fix this—"
"Listen." He grabbed my hand weakly. "The temple. North... mountains. Go without me."
"I won't leave you!"
"Have to." His grip tightened slightly. "Find answers. Break the curse. Save... yourself."
"I don't want to save myself! I want to save you!"
Something shifted in his pain-filled eyes. "Why?"
"Because—" The words caught in my throat. "Because you're the only person who didn't betray me. The only person who chose to protect me when everyone else walked away. Because when I'm with you, I don't feel alone anymore."
Theron stared at me like I'd just said something profound. "Celeste..."
A groan from across the clearing interrupted us. My mother was sitting up, looking dazed and horrified.
"You have to go," she said weakly. "More will come. The Shadow Covenant knows where you are now."
"The Shadow Covenant?" I helped Theron to his feet, supporting his weight. "What is that?"
"The organization behind everything. They're trying to stop the prophecy." My mother's voice was thick with regret. "I thought I was protecting you by helping them. But I was wrong. So wrong."
"What prophecy?" I demanded.
My mother looked at us—at me supporting Theron, at our joined hands, at the way we stood together despite everything.
"The Prophecy of Two Souls," she whispered. "When the Star Witch and the Cursed Knight unite, they'll unlock a power that can either save the world or destroy it. The Covenant wants you dead to prevent that power from awakening."
"It's already awakening," Theron said roughly. "We've seen visions. Memories that aren't ours."
"Then you need to reach the Star Temple before the curse kills you." My mother stood shakily. "I'll buy you time. Run. Now."
"Why would you help us after trying to kill us?"
"Because I finally understand." She looked at me with tears in her eyes. "You're my daughter. And I choose you over their lies. Go!"
Theron and I ran.
We climbed onto Shadow, Theron barely able to hold on. I could feel him weakening by the second, the curse spreading through him like poison.
Behind us, I heard my mother fighting—buying us precious minutes with her life.
We rode into the forest as darkness fell completely.
Hours later, we stopped in a cave. Theron could barely stay conscious. I laid him down gently, my hands shaking.
"Stay with me," I begged. "Please."
His eyes closed. His breathing got slower.
I didn't know what else to do, so I lay down beside him, pressing my forehead to his. Maybe if I stayed close, my celestial energy would slow the curse.
That's when the dream came.
Suddenly I wasn't in the cave anymore. I was standing under a sky that bled red. Stars fell around me like rain—beautiful and terrible.
Theron stood beside me, but he looked different. Younger. Wearing different armor from a different time.
"Two souls, one destiny," a voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. It sounded ancient and powerful. "You have lived and died together across a thousand lifetimes. Always finding each other. Always failing."
"Who are you?" I called out.
"I am what watches. What waits. What records." The voice grew louder. "This is your final chance. Unite your powers completely or watch your world burn. The choice is yours. But choose quickly—time runs short."
The dream shattered.
I woke gasping, still in the cave. Theron's eyes were open, staring at me.
"Bad dream?" he rasped.
"I saw us. Under a bleeding sky. Stars falling like rain." My voice shook. "A voice said we have to unite or the world burns."
Theron's jaw tightened. "I've had the same dream. For three months."
We stared at each other. The air between us felt charged, electric.
Then the temperature in the cave dropped so suddenly I could see my breath misting.
"Do you feel that?" I whispered.
"Yes."
Outside the cave, the stars began to pulse with strange, rhythmic light. Like heartbeats. Like they were alive and watching us.
The shadow marks on Theron's skin glowed in response—not with darkness, but with silver light matching my magic.
"What's happening?" I breathed.
"The prophecy." Theron's hand found mine. "It's activating."
The moment our skin touched, the cave exploded with light—silver and shadow mixing together, creating something entirely new.
And in that light, I finally understood.
We weren't just connected across lifetimes.
We were two halves of the same soul.