CHAPTER 30 The Corridor of Echoes
The sky cracked open above them, celestial light bleeding through the jagged wound in the Veil. Time felt suspended, every heartbeat echoing like a war drum in Lyra's chest. Eryx was ahead of them, his shadow vanishing into the cosmic rift. The Celestial Gate lay beyond, waiting for its heir—or its usurper.
This was it. The final chase. The last battle.
Lyra locked eyes with Alden and Kael. They nodded; no words needed. They understood the gravity of what lay ahead. If Eryx reached the Gate first, Eldoris would fall.
She drew a breath. Then let fate decide.
With a burst of energy, they charged into the Veil.
The moment Lyra stepped through the rift, she felt herself being pulled. It wasn't like teleporting, nor was it like moving through physical space. It was as if she had become weightless, drifting through a tunnel of light and darkness intertwined.
**Memories flickered around her—**not just her own, but those of countless souls who had walked this path before.
She saw a celestial queen, her eyes burning like supernovas, standing at the Gate.
A warrior, crowned in stardust, falling to his knees in defeat.
A child, hands outstretched, vanishing into the void.
The corridor whispered secrets of fate, showing Lyra glimpses of what could be, what had been, and what must never come to pass.
Then, a voice, deep and resonant, slithered through the void.
"Do you seek power, or do you seek salvation?"
Lyra gritted her teeth, shaking off the spectral visions. "Neither. I seek justice."
A flash of silver ahead—Eryx. He was moving faster, too fast. The corridor was pulling them all toward the Gate, but he was mere steps from reaching it.
She would not let him win.
The Celestial Battlefield
The corridor spat them out onto a floating platform of stone, suspended in the cosmic abyss. The Celestial Gate stood before them, a monolithic structure pulsing with ancient energy. It was impossibly vast, its towering archways woven with celestial fire, shifting between material and ethereal forms.
Eryx stood before it, his back to them. He wasn't moving.
Something was wrong.
As Lyra, Alden, and Kael landed on the battlefield, they saw it—the celestial guardians.
Towering beings of light and shadow, half-formed figures with hollow eyes, flickering between existence and nothingness. They were protecting the Gate, preventing Eryx from moving forward.
For the first time, Eryx looked unsure. His fingers twitched; his confidence shaken. "This is not how it was meant to be…" he murmured.
Lyra stepped forward. "And what exactly was meant to be, Eryx?"
His eyes flickered to her. "I was supposed to ascend."
A surge of emotion slammed into her. He had always believed this. This wasn't just about power—this was his purpose.
But he was wrong.
The stars had never chosen him.
They had chosen her.
The guardians shifted, their hollow gazes turning toward Lyra. The Gate pulsed, sensing her presence.
And then—chaos.
The ground trembled as Eryx moved first, summoning a blade of raw celestial energy. He slashed at the nearest guardian, the impact sending out a shockwave that nearly knocked Lyra off her feet.
The guardians shrieked in unison, their forms twisting into nightmarish shapes, their divine judgment turning to wrath.
Eryx had just made them enemies.
Alden was the first to react, drawing his sword and lunging forward. "You damned fool!"
Eryx blocked his strike, their blades clashing like thunder. Sparks of raw energy surged from the impact, illuminating the battlefield.
Lyra barely had time to react before one of the celestial guardians lunged at her, its hollow eyes burning with a thousand lifetimes of duty.
It did not see her as an ally.
She dodged just in time, rolling to the side as its enormous hand slammed into the stone where she had stood. The impact shattered the ground, sending debris flying.
Kael shouted; his voice urgent. "They're turning on all of us! We have to—"
A second guardian lashed out, sending a pulse of celestial fire toward them.
Lyra had no choice.
She unleashed the mark.
Her celestial energy exploded outward, clashing with the fire and sending a ripple through the battlefield. For the briefest moment, the guardians hesitated.
That was all the time Eryx needed.
With a burst of speed, he dashed toward the Gate.
"No!" Lyra screamed.
She gave chase, every muscle burning as she pushed herself forward.
The Final Choice
The Celestial Gate opened with an eerie hum, its ancient energies pulsing in rhythm with the heartbeat of the universe. The glow intensified, swallowing everything in its light. The moment Eryx stepped before it, the energy coiled around him, lifting him off the ground as if accepting him. His entire form shimmered, becoming translucent, as though he was ascending beyond mortal comprehension.
Lyra was only a few feet behind, pushing forward with everything she had left. Every muscle in her body screamed for relief, but she ignored it, her only focus on stopping Eryx before it was too late.
She reached him just as his hand touched the threshold of the Gate.
Time stopped.
Everything around them froze—Alden, Kael, the celestial guardians—even the Gate itself halted mid-pulse. It was as though the universe had taken a breath, waiting for what came next.
Lyra stood inches from Eryx, staring at him in stunned silence. The cosmic energy flowing around them made them feel like they were floating, suspended between the mortal realm and something far greater.
Eryx turned to look at her, his silver eyes glowing with celestial power. But there was something else there too—hesitation. Doubt.
Lyra's voice was barely a whisper. "This isn't the way."
He gave a small, almost bitter laugh. "Isn't it?" His voice was laced with pain, with exhaustion. "I have given everything, Lyra. I have fought for this my entire life. The Gate has chosen me. I was meant to ascend."
Lyra shook her head, stepping closer. "No, Eryx. You were meant to stand at the threshold, but not as the ruler. You have fought so hard to claim something that was never truly yours."
His expression flickered, as if part of him already knew she was right. But he refused to surrender. "Then why did the Gate allow me here?"
Lyra's fingers clenched into fists. "Because the Gate does not choose—it tests. And right now, it's testing us."
The moment those words left her lips, the Celestial Gate shuddered, as if acknowledging the truth.
Eryx's breath hitched. "No… no, that's not…" He faltered, the weight of realization hitting him like a tidal wave. His fate had never been to rule. His fate had been to stand in the way—to be the final obstacle.
The celestial energy crackled, and Lyra could feel it—a choice loomed over them both. The Gate wanted something, something neither of them had fully understood until now.
Two heirs. One throne.
One of them had to surrender.
Lyra had thought this moment would be a battle, but now she knew—it was a choice.
Her fingers reached out—not to fight him, not to take the power for herself, but to share it.
Eryx stared at her hand, his entire body trembling. He had fought against fate his entire life. But in the end, fate had never been against him—he had been against himself.
His voice broke. "I don't want to lose."
Lyra's eyes softened. "Then let's not be enemies anymore."
His breath shuddered as his entire body tensed. This was it.
And then, for the first time, Eryx let go.
He unclenched his fists, the celestial energy that had once burned around him releasing its hold. The glow in his eyes dimmed. His shoulders sagged. He surrendered.
The Gate reacted immediately.
A blinding pulse of power surged outward, lifting both of them into the air. Lyra felt her body being pulled forward, and she did not resist.
Eryx stepped back.
And Lyra… became.
The Birth of a New Era
The moment Lyra fully embraced the celestial energy, the world changed.
The battlefield, the ruins of Eldoris, the very fabric of reality—all of it shifted. It was as if she had stepped beyond time itself.
She was no longer in the mortal world.
She was standing in the Celestial Realm.
Stars stretched endlessly around her, swirling in an infinite dance. The constellations pulsed with power, recognizing her as one of their own.
Eryx was still beside her, silent, as if afraid to move. His silver eyes scanned the endless expanse, his breath shallow.
And then, a voice—not just any voice, but the voice of something ancient, something eternal.
"Only one may rule. Choose."
Lyra turned to Eryx.
He looked at her, his expression unreadable.
And then, for the first time, he smiled.
"I yield," he whispered.
Lyra's heart skipped. "What?"
Eryx exhaled, his voice lighter than it had ever been. "I was wrong. The stars were never mine to claim."
The celestial power shifted.
The Gate began to close, as if it had found its answer.
Eryx took a slow step back, the celestial light fading from his body. He was returning to mortality.
Lyra could feel it—her ascension was complete.
Her body glowed with pure energy, and suddenly, she understood everything.
The truth of the celestial bloodline.The wars that had shaped history.The balance between light and shadow.
She was not meant to rule as a queen in a palace.
She was meant to become the bridge between realms.
A guardian. A force of balance. The Celestial Empress.
The universe pulsed around her, accepting her transformation. Lyra lifted her gaze to the heavens, feeling the weight of destiny finally settle upon her shoulders.
This was not an end.
It was a beginning.
And for the first time, the stars whispered her name.