Seventeen years ago, the night sky above Imperium Astrae blazed with brilliance. The twin stars — Astra and Noctis — hung in perfect alignment, their radiant halos fusing into one magnificent beam that cleaved through the heavens. It was said that every few millennia, when the stars reached this celestial harmony, the very flow of Aether would surge through the veins of the world.
That night, the kingdoms stood still. The wind whispered differently, the oceans shimmered with unseen colors, and deep beneath the crust of the earth, ancient fragments of Aetherion — the divine heart of creation — pulsed in unison with the celestial rhythm.
In a quiet village far beyond the imperial borders, hidden by forests and mist, a woman screamed in labor. Her cries mingled with the celestial echoes of the twin stars above. The midwives, terrified yet awestruck, witnessed the strange light that filled the small hut — soft, silvery blue, dancing like living starlight. The newborn's first cry broke through the cosmic hum, and as the stars reached their brightest, the light sank into the child's skin, leaving a faint sigil over his heart — a mark shaped like two interlocking crescents.
The alignment ended, and so did the light. The stars dimmed. The villagers spoke in hushed tones for years — about the child born under the "Kiss of the Twin Stars," the one the heavens themselves had marked.
Now, seventeen years later, that same boy plummeted through a rift in the earth.
The ceremony grounds above were chaos — students screaming, earth splitting, buildings cracking like fragile glass. But beneath all that panic, in the endless pit that opened below, Zeref fell through a torrent of light and darkness. He tried to control his descent, using his energy to balance, but the fall was relentless. His blade, Eclipsera, shone faintly by his side, humming as though it recognized where they were headed.
The deeper he went, the less real the world around him felt. Gravity twisted. Time slowed. Floating fragments of ancient runes glimmered around him — like frozen echoes of history. Then, finally, the fall ended with a soft thud.
He landed on a vast, radiant platform — neither stone nor metal, but something luminous, pulsating with life. Around him stretched an endless cavern, its walls shimmering with crystalline veins that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. At its center stood an enormous sphere of light — suspended midair, swirling with hues of azure, gold, and deep violet.
It was alive.
Zeref blinked, struggling to breathe. "What… is this place…?"
The air felt heavy — sacred. His chest began to glow faintly, right over the mark he'd had since birth. The glow synchronized with the light before him, beating together in perfect harmony.
He took a hesitant step forward, drawn as though by instinct. As he approached, the light pulsed brighter, and faint whispers filled the air — ancient voices, neither kind nor cruel, only eternal.
And then, behind him, a familiar voice echoed softly.
"You shouldn't have come alone."
Zeref turned sharply. Standing near the base of a fractured pillar was Lin Zhiyao. Her robes fluttered in the still air, her gaze calm yet knowing. For the first time, she didn't look like a teacher — she looked like someone who belonged to this place.
"Miss Lin? How… how did you—"
"I followed you," she said gently, stepping closer. "Because I knew this would happen one day."
Her eyes lingered on the sphere of light — Aetherion.
Zeref frowned, still overwhelmed. "You knew? About this place?"
Lin Zhiyao nodded, her expression turning solemn. "I've been searching for it ever since I was a child. When I was little, I found a fragment — a small, glowing shard of crystal. Along with it came a book — the Aetherion Codex. It spoke of this divine relic, of its power to breathe life into worlds… and of an heir, one born beneath the twin stars."
Zeref's heart thudded. "The heir?"
Her gaze flickered to his chest, where the faint glow of his mark had grown stronger. "The Codex said the heir would bear the mark of celestial convergence — a symbol of Astra and Noctis, bound in harmony. The child would awaken the Aetherion and bring balance to the dying world."
The sphere pulsed again, reacting to her words. The ground trembled slightly.
Zeref stepped back. "You're saying that's me? That I'm that heir?"
Lin Zhiyao's voice softened. "You were born when the stars aligned, Zeref. The Codex spoke of you — your arrival, your hidden power, and the return of Aetherion's light. This place brought you here because it recognized you."
He shook his head, struggling to believe. "But I don't even understand what this power is… I've trained, I've fought, but I've never—"
"Fate doesn't ask if you're ready," she said quietly. "It just begins."
The light from the Aetherion swelled, filling the cavern in blinding brilliance. Runes began to rise from the ground, forming a circular pattern around Zeref. The sigil on his chest burned — not in pain, but in resonance. Streams of energy arced from the sphere and wrapped around him like ribbons of living starlight.
Lin Zhiyao shielded her eyes. "It's recognizing you! Don't resist it!"
But Zeref could barely stand — the power was overwhelming. He felt every nerve in his body hum with energy, his mind filling with flashes — memories that weren't his: battles under alien skies, gods wielding celestial blades, and a world before time.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the light dimmed. The cavern went still. The sphere's pulsing calmed, and Zeref collapsed to one knee, panting. The mark on his chest now glowed faintly with a serene light — steady, warm, eternal.
Lin Zhiyao approached and helped him stand. Her voice trembled slightly. "Now you see… the Aetherion has accepted you."
He looked around the glowing chamber, still dazed. "But… why now?"
"Because the balance is shifting," she replied softly. "The world has begun to change. When the Aetherion stirs, it means time is moving again — the ancient seal of the timeless war is weakening."
Before Zeref could ask more, the ground beneath them shuddered violently. Cracks of light spread across the floor, and streams of energy surged upward like pillars.
"It's sending us back!" Lin Zhiyao shouted, grabbing his arm.
A blinding beam shot up, engulfing them both. The next moment, the two were thrown upward through the rift, breaking through layers of earth and light.
When Zeref opened his eyes again, he was lying on the academy grounds amidst the chaos. The sky was fractured with storm clouds, the students scattered and confused — but the crack in the ground had sealed, leaving no trace of what had happened.
He sat up, breathing heavily, glancing around. Lin Zhiyao stood nearby, her expression calm and unreadable. Their eyes met briefly, and she gave a faint, knowing nod before turning away, as if nothing had occurred.
Zeref looked down at his chest — the glow was gone, but the warmth remained. Deep inside, something ancient stirred, whispering faintly like a forgotten promise.
He clenched his fist, determination sparking in his eyes.
No one could know yet. Not until he understood what it meant.
The heavens above began to clear, revealing the faint shimmer of twin stars in the distance — unseen by everyone else, but shining just for him.
---
To be continued...