Moonlight bathed the academy courtyard in silver as the engagement celebration continued deep into the night. Laughter, soft music, and clinking glasses echoed within the grand halls — but Staryo's mind was far away.
He stood at the balcony, overlooking the training fields, where the wind whispered against the stone paths. The warmth of the ring on his finger had not faded; it pulsed, steady, rhythmic — like a second heartbeat.
A bond.
A connection.
A promise.
And yet… there was that voice.
The one that whispered during the ceremony.
"…my other half."
Staryo's brow tightened, eyes narrowing slightly. The shadows felt heavier tonight.
Behind him, footsteps approached softly.
Aru.
She walked with a calm grace, the starlight catching in her long crimson hair. Her presence alone eased the tension around Staryo's chest.
> Aru: "You left the hall early. Are you uncomfortable?"
Staryo didn't turn immediately. His gaze remained on the training grounds below.
> Staryo: "Not uncomfortable. Just… remembering."
Aru stepped beside him.
> Aru: "The Trials?"
> Staryo: "No. Something older."
Their hands brushed — not on purpose — but neither moved away.
Aru glanced at him quietly.
> Aru: "Whatever you remember… you don't need to bear it alone anymore."
Staryo finally looked at her — and for a moment, the night felt warm.
---
But the warmth did not last.
A ripple of cold wind sliced through the courtyard, unnatural and sharp.
The torches flickered.
The shadows deepened.
Aru's eyes sharpened instantly — her flame aura flaring.
> Aru: "Someone's approaching."
Staryo felt it too —
A presence that moved like smoke through the night.
From atop the academy's northern spire, a figure stepped forth — graceful, calm, yet strangely familiar.
A young man.
Silver hair cascading behind him like moonlight.
Eyes glowing with the same celestial gleam that Staryo's did when the Cart Method awakened.
His expression was gentle… but cold.
Reverent… yet distant.
As though he had known Staryo for a long, long time.
> ??? (soft, calm):
"Staryo. I finally found you."
Aru stepped forward instantly, flame surging into a defensive stance.
> Aru: "Who are you?"
The young man did not look at her.
His eyes stayed on Staryo — only Staryo — as though she did not exist.
> ???: "Do you not recognize me?
Or did your rebirth erase everything?"
Staryo's pulse stilled.
Rebirth.
He did say rebirth during the Trial.
And this stranger reacts to it like truth.
Staryo's voice was steady:
> Staryo: "Speak your name."
The young man smiled — not warmly.
But knowingly.
> ???:
"I am Seru."
"Your Twin Star — the one who was never meant to be born."
The air froze.
Aru's eyes widened — shock and disbelief breaking her composure.
> Aru: "Twin star…? Another… you?"
Seru stepped closer — but his presence did not stir air or energy.
He was there yet not.
Real yet unreal.
A mirrored existence.
> Seru:
"We were born from the same celestial seed.
One body meant to hold two souls."
"But something — or someone — separated us."
His gaze sharpened.
> Seru:
"So while you lived under the sky—
I lived in the cracks of existence."
Staryo said nothing.
But his heartbeat pounded like thunder.
Cart Method… rebirth… forgotten origin…
Aru stepped closer to him, standing at his side, protective but calm.
Seru's eyes flicked to her hand holding Staryo's.
> Seru:
"Ah. You've already bound yourself."
"Good. It will make unraveling you… more interesting."
Flames surged from Aru instantly.
> Aru (fury):
"Watch your words."
Seru did not react.
He simply reached out — and reality itself shivered.
The courtyard dissolved.
The stars above warped.
Suddenly, Staryo and Seru stood alone — in a void of shifting starlight and broken space.
Aru was gone.
The academy was gone.
This was not illusion.
This was their shared soul-plane — a place that only Twin Stars could enter.
---
Twin Star Plane — Void of Mirrors
Staryo stood still, expression firm, even as the air rippled with celestial pressure.
Seru faced him — eyes soft, voice quiet.
> Seru:
"I do not wish to destroy you, Staryo."
"But there cannot be two holders of the Celestial Core."
"Only one of us is allowed to exist."
A long silence.
Then Staryo spoke, voice low:
> Staryo:
"If existence demands one of us vanish…
then I choose myself."
Seru smiled — beautifully, sadly, inevitably.
> Seru:
"Good."
"That means you're still me."
---
A CRACK OF LIGHT — THE FLAMES OF ARU BREAK THROUGH
Reality tore — a ribbon of flame ripping open the void.
Aru's voice thundered:
> Aru: "STARYO!"
She forced her way in — through sheer will and bond.
Seru's eyes widened — truly surprised.
> Seru:
"She crossed the Twin Star barrier…?
How—?"
Staryo answered:
> Staryo:
"Because she chose me."
Seru looked at the two of them — hand in hand — flames and stars intertwined.
His expression wavered — the first sign of emotion.
Jealousy.
Regret.
Loneliness.
> Seru (quiet):
"…I see."
He stepped back — and the void began to collapse.
> Seru:
"We are not finished."
"The past is returning. The seal is weakening.
And when it breaks — we will stand on opposite sides."
The last light faded.
The world returned.
Aru and Staryo stood in the courtyard again — breath heavy, hearts fast.
The night was silent.
---
Seru's origin is tied to an ancient celestial catastrophe.
The academy receives summons for the Continental Youth Tournament.
Kaelith begins training in forbidden flame arts out of rage.
Aru and Staryo begin Dual Flame–Star Synchronization Training.
Staryo will soon learn the true reason he died once before.
---