The forest had begun to change.
When Lyra first woke in this world, the trees had stood silent—freshly born, their roots unsure of the soil beneath them. But now they whispered. The wind carried voices, faint and ancient, weaving through branches that reached for the stars.
Lyra paused on a cliff overlooking the valley. Below, rivers of silver light flowed between the hills, glowing like veins of a living world. The sky above was a deep blue dome, scattered with unfamiliar constellations.
This was not the world she had fought for.
It was something else—something new.
And yet, when she closed her eyes, she could still hear Rian's heartbeat echoing through it all.
Her journey had taken her far east, beyond the endless plains, until she reached a vast, circular basin—at its center stood a crystal tree unlike any other. It was enormous, its trunk shimmering with trapped starlight, its branches stretching into the heavens. From its core pulsed a faint rhythm, like a sleeping heart.
Lyra approached carefully. "You called me here, didn't you?"
The tree did not answer, but the ground around it began to glow, forming a ring of ancient symbols. She recognized them immediately.
The same sigils that had surrounded Rian when he awakened the First Star.
Her breath caught. "No… it can't be."
The wind picked up, and the light from the tree intensified. Within the crystal bark, a silhouette began to form—a familiar shape. Broad shoulders. Wild hair. Eyes closed as if in deep sleep.
Her knees gave out. "Rian…"
The tree pulsed once more, responding to her voice. The air filled with warmth, and for a heartbeat, she felt him there—his soul resonating through the light.
But something was different. This was not resurrection. This was rebirth.
Lyra pressed her palm against the trunk. "Are you trapped, or are you choosing to stay?"
A faint whisper brushed her thoughts.
Not trapped. Rooted. Watching.
Tears welled in her eyes. "You became part of this world?"
The world needed a heart.
Lyra's voice trembled. "And you gave it yours…"
The crystal glow brightened, wrapping her in a gentle warmth that eased every scar she'd carried. Around her, flowers bloomed in colors she had never seen before—petals like fragments of starlight, soft and luminous.
Then, in the soft hum of the air, Rian's voice came again, lighter this time.
It's your turn now. Protect what's growing.
She nodded slowly, her tears falling freely. "I will. I swear it."
The wind answered with a single, familiar howl—the echo of the Star Wolf carried through the valley, fading into the distance.
Lyra stood beneath the crystal tree until the stars appeared one by one. For the first time since the end, she smiled—not out of grief, but out of peace.
Because she finally understood.
Rian hadn't died.
He had become everything.