The sky above the empire burned silver.
Every star pulsed with unnatural rhythm, their light trembling like tears against the dark.
In the heart of the Celestial Palace, the great spire known as the Astral Sanctum began to hum — a low, resonant sound that no one alive had heard for centuries.
Lyra stood at the balcony, her robes fluttering in the wind.
Below her, the capital city glittered with unease. People whispered prayers, and priests raised their eyes to the heavens that refused to sleep.
She whispered, almost to herself, "The stars are crying."
A soft voice replied behind her. "No. They're remembering."
Lyra turned. It was Kael, his silver eyes dimmer than usual. He approached slowly, holding an ancient book wrapped in seals of light.
She frowned. "What's that?"
"The Imperial Chronicle," Kael said quietly. "A record that only emperors were allowed to open. It contains the truth about the first Starlight bloodline."
He placed it before her. The seals melted as if recognizing her touch. When the book opened, the air around them shimmered, forming visions of a forgotten era.
Aster's face appeared first — not the man she knew, but another, older version, wearing golden armor and a crown of light.
Behind him stood a being made entirely of stars, tall and formless.
The voice from the memory echoed through the chamber.
"In the beginning, there was no emperor, no crown, no sun. Only the bond between the First Light and the mortal who dared to love it."
The vision shifted — the mortal reached out, touching the light's hand. But their union tore the sky apart.
One became divine, the other human. Yet their hearts remained bound, creating the Starlight Lineage — a curse disguised as power.
Lyra's lips trembled. "The blood of constellations… it's not a gift. It's a remnant of that union."
Kael nodded grimly. "Every emperor born with that light carries both creation and ruin. The brighter their soul, the sooner the world bends beneath them."
Lyra felt her pulse quicken. "Then Aster…"
Kael closed the book. "He stands at the end of that line. The last to bear the blood. If he falls, the heavens fall with him."
Far beyond the mortal realm, Aster stepped through the collapsing gate of the Veil. His boots touched the cold marble of the observatory once more, the air splitting with crackles of residual light.
He exhaled slowly.
The palace guards who saw him dropped to their knees instinctively. His aura had changed — calmer, deeper, yet infinite. Even the torches bent toward him, flames drawn by gravity that wasn't natural.
Lyra ran toward him the moment she saw his figure. "Aster!"
He turned. For a moment, her heart faltered — his eyes weren't the same.
They glowed faintly, like twin stars reflecting the entire sky.
"Aster, what happened to you?" she asked.
He looked at his hands. Silver veins traced beneath his skin, pulsating faintly with each breath. "I saw the beginning," he said softly. "And the end."
Lyra stopped. "What do you mean?"
"The Veil showed me everything. The gods… the first light… the one who made me." His gaze drifted upward. "We were never meant to hold this power. It was borrowed — stolen — and now it wants to return."
Lyra took a step closer, her voice trembling. "Then fight it. You're still you."
Aster smiled faintly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That's what I'm afraid of, Lyra. That soon… I won't be."
Before she could answer, a deep vibration echoed across the palace. The moon shifted again, casting half the empire into darkness.
And somewhere far away, a sound like cracking glass tore through the night.
Kael appeared at the doorway, his face pale. "The Eclipse Engine. It's been activated."
Aster turned sharply, the air igniting around him. "Then she's begun."
Lyra stared at him. "Seraphine Vael?"
"Yes," Aster said. "And if she succeeds, she'll rewrite the stars themselves."
He lifted his gaze to the heavens where the constellations flickered and dimmed one by one.
"The sky is dying," he whispered. "And it's my fault."
In the ruins beneath the desert, Seraphine stood before the now fully awakened Eclipse Engine. Its core burned black and gold, rotating with the energy of collapsing suns.
She spread her arms wide, her laughter echoing through the cavern.
"Cry, stars. Burn, heavens. The Emperor of Starlight has returned… and with him, your doom."
The machine roared — and for the first time in history, the stars bled.