CHAPTER 34

THE STAR BORN REBORN

A World Without Her

The battlefield was eerily silent.

Alden stood frozen, staring at the empty space where Lyra had once been. The last remnants of her essence hung in the air like drifting embers, glowing softly before fading into the night.

Selene was the first to move. She collapsed to her knees, gripping her staff tightly, her violet eyes shimmering with an emotion she rarely showed grief.

Kael's breathing was shallow, his wounds forgotten as his trembling hands clutched the stardust that remained. "She was right here…" His voice cracked. "She was just here."

Alden clenched his fists. His entire body shook with rage and sorrow. The weight of his failure crashed down on him, suffocating. He had sworn to protect her.

And yet—he had lost her.

Eryx stood at a distance, his expression completely unreadable. He watched as the remnants of Lyra's power faded, his silver eyes dark and stormy.

Selene suddenly turned on him.

Her voice was cold, venomous. "You knew this would happen."

Eryx's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Alden drew his sword, his blood boiling. "She trusted you, and you led her to her death."

Eryx remained silent, his gaze never leaving the place where Lyra had vanished. For the first time, he looked… lost.

Kael's voice was hoarse. "If she's gone… what now?"

Selene swallowed, her fingers curling around the fragments of stardust that remained.

And then—the wind shifted.

A shimmer of celestial energy pulsed through the air.

A whisper echoed through the darkness.

"I am not gone."

Somewhere beyond the mortal world, Lyra floated.

She was surrounded by stars and endless light.

Her body felt weightless, her mind in a dreamlike haze. The pain from Eryx's betrayal, the battle, the sacrifice—it all felt so distant.

Then, a voice.

Deep. Resonant. Ancient.

"Star born. You have crossed the threshold. Now you must choose."

Lyra turned. Before her stood a celestial figure woven from pure light. Their form shifted and flickered like a living constellation.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Who are you?"

The figure's presence was overwhelming, like standing before the very heart of the universe.

"We are the Celestials—the ones who have guided the stars since the beginning of time. You are one of us, Lyra. The last of the Star born."

Lyra's heart pounded.

"Then why did you let me die?"

The Celestial's light flickered.

"Because your mortal body could not contain what you were meant to become. But your journey is not over. You are at a crossroads, Lyra. You may ascend and join us in eternity… or return."

Lyra's breath caught. "Return?"

The Celestial extended their hand. "To the ones who still need you. But know this—the path back is not easy. There will be a price."

Lyra hesitated.

The stars around her whispered. She saw Alden's grief. Kael's desperation. Selene's fury.

And—Eryx.

His silver eyes, unreadable yet filled with something that unsettled her.

Something like… regret.

Lyra straightened. She had come too far to abandon them now.

She reached out.

And as her fingers brushed against the Celestial's light—everything exploded into brilliance.

The Return of the Star born

A shockwave of energy burst through the battlefield.

The sky split open, revealing a radiant vortex of celestial power.

Kael shielded his eyes. "What is that?"

Alden's breath hitched. His heart pounded. Could it be…?

Eryx's eyes widened. For the first time, his mask of control shattered.

Then, she appeared.

Lyra descended from the vortex, her body glowing with divine light. The golden mark on her arm burned brighter than ever before, and her eyes—her once-human eyes—were now like molten stars.

Alden took a shaky step forward. "Lyra…?"

Her feet touched the ground, and the energy around her calmed. The world itself seemed to exhale.

Kael let out a broken laugh, his voice filled with disbelief. "You—You're back."

Selene whispered, "Impossible."

Lyra slowly turned to Eryx.

He didn't speak. He didn't move.

For the first time—he looked afraid.

Lyra's voice was steady, yet it held a power that had never been there before.

"You tried to kill me."

Eryx's fingers twitched, but he said nothing.

Lyra stepped closer, the air between them charged with an energy that made even the shadows tremble.

"I should end you."

Alden reached for his sword. "Let me do it."

But Lyra raised her hand, stopping him.

Eryx met her gaze. For a moment, they stood frozen in time.

Then—he did something unexpected.

He dropped to his knees.

"Lyra…" His voice was barely audible. "I was wrong."

Alden took a furious step forward, but Lyra held him back. Her eyes never left Eryx.

"You betrayed me. You led me to my death. And yet…"

She exhaled.

"You're still bound to me, aren't you?"

Eryx clenched his fists. "I was meant to destroy you. And yet, even now… I cannot."

Silence stretched between them.

Lyra's heart pounded.

The prophecy had never been about destruction.

It had been about redemption.

And Eryx—was part of it.

The battlefield lay in eerie silence, the last echoes of war fading into the wind. The once-blackened sky had begun to lighten, streaks of silver and gold breaking through the storm clouds that had loomed for so long. The scent of scorched earth and magic still lingered, mingling with the distant hum of a world that was beginning to breathe again.

Lyra stood at the heart of it all, her celestial glow slowly fading as her feet sank into the broken ground. She was back. She was whole. But something inside her had shifted irrevocably.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself against the storm of emotions within. Fear. Relief. Grief. Power. It all churned inside her, overwhelming and undeniable.

She turned, scanning the faces of those who had fought beside her. Alden. Kael. Selene. Each of them worn and wounded, yet unyielding. Their gazes locked onto her—not with disbelief, not with fear, but with something else.

Hope.

Lyra swallowed hard, her throat tightening.

The war was over.

But why didn't it feel like victory?

The Weight of Survival

Alden was the first to move. His sword, still slick with battle, clattered to the ground as he strode toward her. His usual composure was gone, stripped away by everything they had endured. His emerald eyes, always sharp, now held an emotion so raw it nearly unraveled her.

"I thought you were gone."

His voice was quiet, but the way his hands trembled at his sides told her everything he wouldn't say.

Lyra forced a shaky smile. "I was."

Alden didn't hesitate. He closed the space between them, pulling her into a fierce, unrelenting embrace. It wasn't the careful touch of a prince. It wasn't restrained by duty or pride. It was desperate, human, real.

Lyra stiffened, caught off guard, but then—she let herself lean into him. Just for a moment.

Just to feel something other than the weight of the stars.

Kael cleared his throat, his usual sharp sarcasm nowhere to be found. "Alright, alright, don't smother her." But his voice wavered, betraying his own relief.

Selene stood a few steps away, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She didn't speak, didn't move—but her violet eyes glistened. And Lyra knew.

They had all mourned her.

And now, they had to learn to live with her return.

The Shadow of the Betrayer

Lyra slowly pulled away, her gaze shifting.

To Eryx.

He was still kneeling, his dark cloak tattered and bloodstained, his silver eyes unreadable. He had not moved since she returned.

He had not spoken.

The one who had betrayed her.

And yet—the one who had also tried to stop himself from doing so.

A slow breath left Lyra's lips as she stepped toward him. The air between them crackled with something neither of them could name.

Kael tensed. "Lyra…"

Alden's hand drifted toward his sword.

Selene said nothing, but her grip on her staff tightened.

But Lyra ignored them all.

Eryx lifted his gaze as she stopped in front of him. His silver eyes met hers. There was no arrogance now. No unreadable smirk. No cryptic riddles.

There was only a man who had lost something he hadn't realized he needed.

"Say it."

Her voice was quiet. Steady.

Eryx's jaw tightened. His fingers curled into fists. He looked at her as though he was about to be condemned.

"I was wrong."

A sharp exhale escaped Kael. Alden took a step forward, but Lyra lifted a hand, stopping them.

She studied Eryx. His shoulders were tense, as though bracing for a killing blow.

A thousand emotions surged through her—anger, grief, understanding, and something else. Something she did not want to name.

But in the end, only one question mattered.

"Are you still bound to me?"

A breath. A silence.

Then, slowly—Eryx nodded.

A cold realization settled over Lyra. The prophecy had spoken of destruction. Of an unbreakable tie between light and shadow. And yet—Eryx had not been able to let her die.

Why?

Her heart pounded, but she pushed the thought away.

There was time for questions later.

A New Beginning

Lyra turned away from him.

She faced the battlefield one last time. The ruins. The ghosts. The remnants of what had been lost.

But in the distance, the horizon was no longer blackened with war.

The first hints of sunlight broke through the darkness, painting the sky with soft hues of gold and blue.

Selene finally spoke; her voice careful. "What now?"

Lyra inhaled. The mark on her arm pulsed softly, no longer a burden—but a part of her.

She looked at her people. At Alden. At Kael. At Selene. At Eryx.

And then, she smiled.

"The war is over."

She turned back to the open world before her.

"But our journey has only just begun."