Chapter 10 : The Lining of the Stars

Kael walked through the city streets, his mind still caught in the strange dreams that had been haunting him. There was something wrong. He could feel it—something was building beneath the surface, but no one had told him what it was yet. He was used to being the center of chaos, the spark that kept everything moving, but now... now, it felt like he was losing control.

As he rounded a corner, a figure appeared from the shadows. The old man. His wrinkled face was weathered by time, but there was a strange, knowing glint in his eyes. Kael had seen him before, fleetingly, but always in passing. He had never really paid much attention—until now.

"You're troubled," the old man said, his voice soft but sharp as a whip. "The stars are aligning, Kael. Can you feel it?"

Kael paused, unsure of what to make of the comment. and he asked "why are you here and you could have call me and i would have reached", The old man had always been a bit... out there. Still, Kael couldn't deny the truth in the man's words. There was something shifting in the air, something that made him feel like a pawn in a game he didn't understand.

"The princess," the old man continued, his eyes narrowing. "You've seen her, haven't you?"

Kael frowned. "Princess, yes i have but its not yet confirmed"

The old man's gaze softened, as if he were waiting for Kael to catch up. "Rhea. She's the one, Kael. She is the key."

Kael's heart skipped. Rhea. The strange pull he had felt when their eyes locked. The feeling had lingered, deep and unsettling, like something he couldn't shake off. He had thought it was just a momentary connection—nothing more—but now the old man's words seemed to confirm something he couldn't yet understand.

"The stars are lining," the old man repeated, "and they are pulling her toward her fate. You must be near her, Kael. Protect her. Keep her safe from those who will seek to use her for their own ends."

Kael's brow furrowed. "But I'm just... I'm just the guy , What can I do?"

The old man leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper. "You can use your fire. Your power. You can form a shield around her—shield her from those who wish her harm. The villains... they are coming, Kael. They will try to reach her. But with your fire, you can keep them at bay. You can make sure they don't get close."

Kael stared at the old man, disbelief and confusion warring within him. Fire. Shielding. It all sounded insane, but deep down, a part of him knew he couldn't ignore this. Something had shifted inside him, something that made his usual bravado feel out of place. Maybe it was time to stop running from whatever was coming.

"I'm supposed to call her, right?" Kael asked, his voice quiet, more to himself than to the old man.

The old man nodded. "Yes. Call her. and go to her place .. And when you do, use your fire to create a barrier. You may not understand it now, but the connection you share with her... it will be your strength."

Kael hesitated, uncertainty clouding his mind. But the urgency in the old man's eyes told him there was no time to waste. With a resigned sigh, he pulled out his phone, dialing Rhea's number. As it rang, his heart beat faster, not with excitement, but with the weight of what was to come.

The phone clicked, and Rhea's voice came through the speaker. "Hello?"

"Rhea," Kael said, his voice more serious than she had ever heard it. "Meet me at the café. There's something you need to know."

Rhea sat down at their usual booth, watching the door with a frown. She wasn't sure why Kael had sounded so... different. The usual teasing, the fire he always had in his voice—it was all gone. There was something heavy in his tone, something she couldn't quite grasp.

When Kael finally entered, he was alone, his expression unreadable. He didn't waste any time. He sat across from her and leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to say this, but... I'm supposed to protect you, Rhea. From whatever's coming."

Rhea's heart skipped a beat, her mind racing with the implications of his words. "What do you mean? Protect me from what?"

Kael took a deep breath, the weight of the moment pressing on him. "I don't fully understand it either. But the old man... he said the stars are aligning. That you—you're the key to something. Something big."

Rhea stared at him, a chill running down her spine. The pieces were starting to come together, and she didn't know whether she should be scared or relieved. "What does that mean for me?"

Kael leaned back, his hand brushing his hair back in frustration. "It means you're in danger. And I'm supposed to use my fire to protect you. To create a shield so the villains can't get to you."

Rhea was silent for a moment, the magnitude of his words settling into her bones. "What kind of villains?"

"The kind who would do anything to control what you are," Kael said. "And I'm supposed to make sure they don't reach you."

The weight of Kael's words hung in the air, thick with meaning. Rhea could feel the pull of something she couldn't yet understand, but the quiet certainty in Kael's voice made her believe him, even if the idea of using fire to protect her seemed absurd.

A flicker of fire sparked in Kael's eyes. "I know it sounds insane," he said, "but I can feel it, Rhea. The shield. It's inside me. And I think it's inside you too."

Rhea didn't know what to say. The stars had indeed aligned, and she was starting to see that they were all caught in something much larger than themselves.

In a dimly lit room far from the café, the villains sat around a large, round table. The air was thick with tension, but their laughter echoed, cold and calculating, as they discussed the nearing alignment.

Mirek, the strategist, leaned over the glowing star-map, tracing the constellations with his finger. His sharp eyes gleamed with anticipation. "It's almost time. In just thirty minutes, the stars will align. The princess... she'll be drawn to her fate."

Selene, the enchantress, reclined in her chair, fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. Her violet eyes glowed with an almost predatory hunger. "The pieces are in place. We've waited long enough. The princess is vulnerable—she has no idea what's coming."

Thorne, sitting in silence as always, placed his hand on the crude drawing of the blade and crystal, pressing it into the table with a quiet finality. He looked up, his cold eyes scanning the others.

"The shield won't stop us," he said, his voice low and heavy.

Selene smirked. "No. But it will be fun to watch them try."

Mirek straightened, a malicious smile crossing his lips. "In thirty minutes, we strike. And by the time the alignment is complete, everything will fall into place."

The laughter in the room grew louder, filled with cruel certainty. It was the kind of laugh that sent a shiver down the spine, knowing that the game had already been set, and the players were unaware of just how close they were to losing everything.