Chapter 38: The New Name

The rain did not fall.

It rose.

Upward into the sky like time reversing. Selene watched in awe as the drops shimmered, each one a memory from a forgotten lineage. Faces, moments, battles—twisting in midair like stardust.

The boy, still holding Selene's hand, looked up and whispered, "Do I have to choose alone?"

The child approached him slowly, barefoot, her silver eyes soft. "You don't. But the name must be yours."

Alina stepped forward, voice quiet. "What would you want it to mean?"

He glanced at her, then at the swirling rain. "Not power. Not vengeance. Just... place."

The stars realigned.

From the center of the dreamscape, a stone altar rose, formed from the ground itself. Etched into its surface were names, old and sacred. Names of gods, forgotten kings, lost cities.

He stepped toward it, fingers trembling.

With a breath, he placed his palm against the stone—and a glow erupted beneath his touch.

A name emerged.

Cael.

He turned.

"That's me," he said, voice steady. "I am Cael."

The child smiled. "Then we are whole."

The realm began to collapse—not in fear or loss, but like a cocoon finally shedding.

The four of them—Selene, Alina, Cael, and the girl—stood hand in hand.

And woke.

They emerged back in the temple, no longer broken, no longer dreaming.

But something had changed.

The world felt it.

Cael touched the feather that had once belonged to the gods.

It no longer turned to stone.

It burned with living fire.

And somewhere far away, something ancient stirred—neither god nor mortal.

It had heard the name.

And it was coming.