The silence after the battle felt stranger than the fighting itself.
Aren stood at the edge of the shattered valley, holding the Starblade while its silver light slowly faded. Around him, broken stones floated for a moment before falling back to the ground.
Liora walked beside him, her hand resting on the ancient map they had taken from the ruins.
"It changed," she whispered.
Aren looked down. The map was no longer showing the Kingdom of Elyndor.
Instead, a single symbol burned in blue light—a giant gate hidden beyond the northern mountains.
"The last sanctuary," Kael said. "My grandfather told me stories about it. A place where the first Star Keepers locked away the greatest secret of the sky."
"And what secret is that?" Liora asked.
Kael's face grew pale.
"The true names of the fallen stars."
A cold wind swept across the valley.
Suddenly, the Starblade shook in Aren's hand.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Return what was stolen... or the heavens will fall forever.
Aren dropped to one knee.
He saw a vision.
Thousands of stars were disappearing from the night sky. Cities burned beneath endless darkness. And standing above the world was a shadow wearing a crown made of broken light.
The figure slowly turned toward him.
"You are too late, Starborn."
The vision ended.
Aren gasped for air.
Liora helped him stand.
"What did you see?"
He looked toward the northern mountains.
"The enemy knows where we're going."
Three days later, the companions reached the ancient cliffs.
There, hidden between waterfalls and black stone, stood a massive gate taller than any castle wall.
No lock.
No handle.
Only countless names carved into its surface.
As Aren stepped closer, one of the names began to glow.
AREN VALE.
The ground trembled.
The gate slowly opened.
Inside was not a hall or a cave.
It was an endless sky filled with floating stars.
An old guardian, covered in silver armor, appeared from the light.
For a long moment, he stared at Aren.
Then he knelt.
"We have waited a thousand years," the guardian said.
"The last Star Keeper has finally returned."
Before Aren could answer, a terrible roar shook the heavens.
Far above them, the shadow with the broken crown appeared in the sky.
And behind it...
an entire army of fallen stars was coming.
**To be continued part-28.....**