Chapter Forty-Five

The chamber was still humming with residual magic, the golden glow fading into the stone as the last traces of energy settled. Celeste's fingers trembled as she touched her wrist, feeling nothing but smooth, unbroken skin. The crack—the reminder of her impermanence—was gone.

She was here. She was staying.

But as the realization set in, so did the questions.

Amelia still held her, her hands gripping Celeste's arms as if afraid she might vanish again. "How do you feel?"

Celeste hesitated. She didn't know how to put it into words. Lighter? Stronger? Real?

"I feel… whole," she finally said.

Amelia exhaled, relief flickering through her expression before she pulled Celeste into a tight embrace. Celeste melted into it, pressing her face against the crook of Amelia's neck, grounding herself in her warmth.

Nathaniel cleared his throat, drawing their attention. He wasn't looking at them—his gaze was fixed on the symbols carved into the stone, his expression shadowed.

"This place…" He traced his fingers over the inscriptions, as if committing them to memory. "She left this for you, Celeste."

Celeste pulled back from Amelia, her breath still uneven. "My mother?"

Nathaniel nodded, his jaw tight. "I never knew the full extent of what she was capable of. But she planned this. She built this." He gestured around the chamber. "And she left you something else."

He turned toward the pedestal, brushing away the dust and debris that had settled over the years. Beneath the engravings, a seam in the stone became visible. A hidden compartment.

Celeste swallowed hard as Nathaniel pressed his palm against it. A faint click echoed through the chamber. The stone shifted, revealing a small, ornate box.

Celeste hesitated before reaching for it, her fingers brushing against the cool metal. It was beautifully crafted, covered in intricate celestial patterns, the same ones she had painted over and over again without realizing why.

A memory stirred at the back of her mind.

"You will know when the time comes."

She inhaled sharply and lifted the lid. Inside, resting on a bed of dark velvet, was a ring. Simple, elegant—a silver band etched with the same celestial symbols. But the moment she touched it, warmth spread up her fingers, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Power.

It wasn't just an object. It was a key.

Nathaniel's voice was quiet. "It's yours."

Celeste's fingers curled around the ring as she looked up at him. "What does it do?". Nathaniel's expression was unreadable. "That," he said, "is something only you can discover." The weight of his words settled over her, heavy with meaning.

Amelia touched her arm. "No matter what it is… we'll figure it out. Together."

Celeste nodded, the warmth of the ring still thrumming in her palm.

For the first time, she wasn't afraid of the answers.