The moment the figure acted, the atmosphere among those hovering above shifted.
A subtle, suffocating tension spread.
Most fell silent, their expressions guarded.
Then, a lazy voice broke through, laced with amusement.
"Well now… Warden Prince, it seems you're rather fond of that lady from the Vidhyara clan. Tell me—do you have some connection with the Fateweaves? Or have you simply fallen for her charms?"
The calm voice answered, unbothered.
"Set aside your insinuations. She is the one who warned us. Without her, the consequences would have been… unfavorable."
A pause.
"And she is not like the others. A Fateweave is no true threat—not when compared to the DoomsVeils or VoidCrests. If anything, she may prove useful. The Myriad Battlefield grows increasingly unstable. We may yet require her abilities."
A soft chuckle followed.
"Heh… sounds convincing. But is that truly all?"
The voice turned colder.
"Do you really believe you can keep her alive? Fateweave or not, she is still one of those cursed Ancient clans."
A brief silence.
"Or have you forgotten what they did… five hundred years ago?"
For a moment, the calm voice did not respond.
Then—
"We will decide her fate later."
A faint shift in tone, now carrying authority.
"The Trial of Celestial Ascension is still underway. Whoever ascends as the next Astral Celestial Ascendant… will decide what is to be done with her."
His gaze swept across the gathered figures.
None objected.
Silence was their consent.
Even the lazy voice merely snorted, offering no further challenge.
—
Nyxvi remained still.
Even as her fate was discussed so casually, she showed no reaction.
Her gaze rested on the two imprisoned figures below.
Within her eyes, countless threads shimmered into existence—each one a different hue, endlessly shifting, weaving, unraveling… as though mapping the flow of the world itself.
no one noticed her unusualness.
__
Noting the lack of objection, the calm voice shifted.
"More importantly… how do we deal with them? It seems those two have somehow been chosen as Celestial Candidates. They stand in the same trial as us."
This time, the others responded.
"I still find it hard to believe. Five hundred years since the Calamity… The Heavenly Dome cursed those clans, ensured they would never ascend. Why is it different now?"
"And not one—two of them," another voice added, grim. "We owe thanks to Miss Nyxvi. Had she not revealed this, one of them might have ascended… and history would have repeated itself."
A colder voice followed.
"The Ancients must never become Celestials. That alone would spell disaster."
"They should not exist at all."
"Agreed. We end them here."
—
Their attention converged on the two below.
Yet, no one moved.
The due below might young. Injured. Newly ascended Astral Saints. But they were still of the Ancient clans. And this was a trial of ascension—where a single misstep could cost everything.
No one wished to be the first to bleed.
—
Sensing the hesitation, the calm voice spoke again, firmer now.
"I know what you all fear. But this is no time for selfish caution."
A pause.
"We strike together. End them—now."
His voice turned resolute.
"My prison will not hold indefinitely. For the sake of the world… those cursed bloodlines must vanish."
As he spoke, his Soul Astra ignited.
This time the others didn't hesitate. One by one, they followed.
A spear of condensed starlight tore through the heavens.
A collapsing sphere of gravity twisted the air itself.
Blades of void-light flickered into existence, slicing through space.
A tidal wave of blazing astral fire surged downward.
...
...
Manifestation of a multitude of powers from Peak Astral Saints, they all fell at once. A convergence of annihilation, descending upon the golden prison.
—
Below.
Vaelira's pupils shrank. She could feel it. Every single one of those attacks… locked onto them.
"Aeternyx — Manifest!"
She reached for her power. Nothing came. She forced it again—space, time, distortion—
but it was like grasping at emptiness. The prison suppressed her. Her own power betrayed her. She had only just become an Astral Saint. Her Soul Astra was unstable, fragile—and before a Warden's authority, it meant nothing.
Her hands trembled.
*Is this… the end?*
*Father… I'm sorry. I couldn't fulfill your wish…*
Despair crept in as the storm of destruction reflected in her eyes—
Just Then—
someone stepped in front of her.
Kaelrath.
His back faced the oncoming annihilation. His body, marked with shifting, devil-like inscriptions, radiated something dark… something monstrous.
Yet,
his smile was gentle.
Soft.
"Lira…"
His voice was quiet.
"I've always wanted to tell you this… but I never had the courage."
A faint breath.
"I love you."
Her eyes widened.
"I never cared about power. Or glory. Or those ancient titles…"
His voice trembled, but he did not stop.
"Before you… there was nothing. Just emptiness."
A small, broken laugh.
"But when I met you… I felt alive."
Memories flickered behind his eyes.
"Those years… even when we were running, barely surviving… they were the only times I was truly happy."
His voice softened further.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't fulfill your wish."
A pause.
"If there's a next life… I'll be strong enough to protect you."
His eyes blurred—
yet they never left her.
—
Vaelira stood frozen.
"You—…"
But the words never came.
The storm descended. A cataclysm of power swallowed them whole.
And yet—
not a single trace of it touched her.
Kaelrath stood unmoving. Every attack… every fragment of destruction… was drawn into him. The devilish markings across his body writhed violently, devouring the onslaught.
But this was power from multiple peak Astral Saints. His body could not withstand it.
Cracks spread across his flesh.
Bones shattered.
Blood burst forth in torrents.
His very being began to collapse under the strain.
The pain should have broken him. But he did not falter.His gaze remained the same—
gentle.
Loving.
Fixed only on her.
At last, the final wave was consumed.
Silence fell.
—
His body gave in.
It broke.
Blood spilled as life drained from him, the markings fading, their sinister glow extinguished.
His lips moved one last time.
"I… I'm sorr— Lira… my lo—"
—
He fell. The trident in his hand dissolved into nothing. The darkness that once clung to him faded into stillness.
—
Vaelira did not move.
For a moment— her world ceased.
Fragments of memory surged through her mind—
their first meeting…
his awkward smile…
his clumsy actions…
the countless times they had survived by a thread..
and the way he had always looked at her.
Then,
Vaelira's knees gave way. Tears spilled, unrestrained, tracing down her face. She pulled his lifeless body into her arms.
"I… I'm sorry, Kael… it's my fault…"
Her voice broke.
"I shouldn't have pushed you… I shouldn't have—"
Her grip tightened.
"I don't want this power… I don't want to be an Astral Celestial…"
A sob escaped her.
"Please… come back…"
Her voice trembled, barely holding together.
"Kael… please…"
A whisper.
"I love you too…"
—
Her tears fell endlessly.
"No… Kael… you can't die like this… please… come back…"
Her voice turned hoarse, desperate.
"Aeternyx — Temporal Reversal!"
She forced her power, desperately trying to rewind him, to restore him..
Nothing happened.
Not just because of the prison.
Not just because her power was failing.
But because—
he was already gone. And no power over time or healing could bring back the dead.