The sky cracked at 3:03 a.m.
Not with thunder. Not with lightning.
But with silence.
The kind of silence that hums behind the ears and freezes the breath in your chest.
Arielle shot upright in bed, her heart hammering.
The locket on her nightstand was glowing white-hot, the stardust inside swirling violently.
And from outside the window—Calen's silver eyes stared in, unblinking.
> "It's begun," he said.
---
The Tear in the Veil
Calen led Arielle and Ayden into the fields outside Edenvale.
There, in the sky above the hills, a faint shimmering line glowed.
It looked like a scar across the heavens.
> "That's the fracture," Calen said. "It appeared when you severed Kael and Veyrix. But it didn't close… because something remained behind."
Arielle clutched the locket tighter.
> "You mean… me."
Calen nodded. "You are still Kael's echo. The stars left a part of themselves with you—because your choice to love broke the cycle. Now, something ancient is trying to undo that."
---
The Trial of the Heart
That night, as Arielle slept, her body remained still…
…but her spirit soared.
She stood in a realm of twilight—a mirror between worlds. There was no sky, only silver mist. And before her stood a figure draped in veils.
> "Arielle," the voice murmured. "Or Kael. Or the forgotten. You must choose."
> "Choose what?"
The veiled being lifted a hand. The locket floated from her chest.
> "To awaken fully… or remain mortal. To remember your power… or let it sleep forever."
"But… Ayden," she whispered. "What happens to him if I change?"
"That is the cost of all light. What it touches, it transforms."
--
The Awakening Begins
In the real world, Ayden watched as Arielle's body began to glow softly.
Not violently. Not dangerously.
But gently—like a star rising from the sea.
Calen stepped beside him.
"If she chooses to remember, nothing will be the same."
If she doesn't," Ayden said, jaw tight, "will she die?"
Calen's silence was answer enough.