Kalien had never feared the unknown.He had faced monsters, rival kings, even broken time's tether once to protect a realm that didn't love him. But none of those battles had felt as paralyzing as watching Aelria step into the Veil—alone.
Now she was back. Changed.
He knelt beside her as her breathing steadied, her skin pulsing with faint light. She had returned stronger, but also... quieter. Like some part of her had stayed in the void. His chest tightened.
Riven moved behind him. "She shouldn't be conscious yet. Not after what she just did."
Kalien didn't look away. "She's stronger than you know."
Aelria stirred, her fingers curling around the hilt of the Starshard blade. When her eyes opened again, Kalien saw it—clarity. She was no longer just reacting. She understood.
"What did you see?" he asked gently.
Aelria's voice was soft. "Truth. Fractured, but real. The Veil is not only made of magic—it is memory. All the forgotten dreams, the abandoned promises of the Starbound Realm… they rest there. Waiting."
Kalien helped her sit up. "And now they rest in you?"
She hesitated. "They answer to me. But they also warn me—what's coming isn't something we can fight with blades alone."
Before Kalien could speak, the Mirror King stepped forward. "She speaks true. The final fracture has begun. Realms will blur. The ancient seals weaken."
Kalien stood, body tense. "Then tell us what we face."
The Mirror King's expression was grim. "The Unseen Court rises."
A hush fell.
Riven cursed under his breath. Even Aelria's magic flickered.
"The Court was banished," Kalien said. "Locked in the Hollow Deep."
"Until now," the Mirror King replied. "Your journey through the Veil reopened what was sealed. Not your fault—but now your burden."
Aelria rose to her feet, the air around her shimmering. "Then we face them. But we don't do it scattered."
She turned to Kalien.
"This is your war too," she said. "You've followed me into fire, shadow, even into madness. But I won't ask again. Not unless you choose it."
Kalien met her gaze—and in that moment, he didn't see the shattered girl who once doubted herself, nor the beacon of divine power she'd become. He saw Aelria. The woman who had pulled him from despair. The woman he couldn't bear to lose again.
"I chose you the first day we met," he said simply. "And I will again, every time."
He stepped forward, removing the leather strap from his wrist. Wrapped around it was a thin, ancient thread—silver, almost invisible. He tied it around her hand.
"An oath of the Nightguard," he said. "My strength is yours. My fate, bound to yours."
Aelria blinked rapidly, her voice catching. "Kalien…"
But he only smiled. "You're not alone in this."
Behind them, Riven coughed. "If we're swearing loyalty and sharing feelings, someone better start writing this down for the bards."
Even the Mirror King chuckled faintly.
Aelria shook her head, her expression softening. "Then let's find the last piece of the map. The final constellation lies hidden in the ruins of Solmaris. That's where the Unseen Court will strike first."
Kalien unsheathed his sword, standing by her side.
"Then we ride before they do."
As the sun dipped below the shattered horizon, the three of them turned toward Solmaris, where the fate of the realms would be sealed.
And as Kalien walked beside her, his vow still warm against her skin, Aelria knew—for the first time in a long while—she didn't have to face destiny alone.