The night wind in Silhouette Valley carried the scent of ash from dead stars and frost from a forgotten world. Atop a hundred-foot obsidian altar, Vespera stood with her silver cloak whipping wildly in the wind. In her right hand, a dagger forged from soul crystal pulsed with a faint blue glow—a sign that the gate between the mortal world and The Void would soon open.
As the sole Aethelgard—a dimensional guardian cursed to live forever without any memories of her past—she had only one duty: to ensure that no dark entity escaped. But tonight, fate had brought an exception.
BOOM!
An explosion of golden light illuminated the night sky, collapsing part of the altar’s stone pillars. From within the cloud of smoke and shards of pure magic, a figure came hurtling down and crashed right in front of Vespera.
Vespera raised her dagger, ready to cut down whatever threat had arrived. “Who are you? Your identity isn’t registered in the fate seal!”
The smoke slowly thinned. The figure was a man in a tattered nobleman’s robe, drenched in glowing golden blood. He slowly opened his eyes—not the color of ordinary human eyes, but a brilliant turquoise that reflected swirling constellations.
The man was Caelen, a rebel prince of the Aethelgard Sky Kingdom accused of betraying his own people to steal The Primordial Heart, the source of all time magic.
Caelen coughed, fresh blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Yet instead of looking afraid, he merely offered a faint smile as he gazed at the dagger’s tip, now hovering just an inch from his chest.
“You... don’t look like the executioner my uncle sent,” Caelen whispered in a husky, alluring voice. “Are guardians of dimensional gates really this beautiful now?”
Vespera’s heart pounded—a strange sensation she hadn’t felt in thousands of years. An invisible pull existed between them, like a cosmic magnet drawing together two souls separated since the dawn of creation.
“Watch your tongue, trespasser,” Vespera growled, though her grip on the dagger loosened slightly. “You’ve violated the laws of eternity. Give me one reason I shouldn’t send your head into The Void right now.”
Caelen slowly rose, ignoring the wound in his shoulder. He stepped closer, deliberately disregarding the dagger’s threat until his skin touched its cold blade. Blue and gold sparks of magic erupted between them, creating a flash of light bright enough to blind.
“Because,” Caelen whispered directly into Vespera’s ear, his warm breath brushing against the guardian’s neck, “I crossed thousands of dimensions and collapsing timelines... just to find someone who could kill me. Or... save me. The choice is in your hands, Vespera.”