Ashes of the Forgotten Star
Chapter 11 — Weightless Above the World
The sky was too quiet.
Above the clouds, the floating ruins of Aetherius hovered like the remnants of a dream. Wisps of arcane mist clung to its fragmented spires, while a chain of floating platforms—linked by bridges of condensed light—guided our path like stepping stones across the heavens.
As I stepped onto the first platform, the mana in the air thickened—older, richer, and untamed. The kind of energy that remembered the Age of Dawn.
"Lioren," Vera's voice cut through the silence behind me. "Is it normal to feel like I'm standing in the middle of a thunderstorm?"
"That's the ambient mana density," I said, stepping aside so she could join me. "It's volatile. The ruins don't like intruders."
"Well," she muttered, looking at the next light-bridge. "Good thing we're so charming."
Instructor Serin addressed our team from the center of the transit platform. "This mission is classified Tier-3," she said. "Our objective is the Sapphire Fragment, located within the Celestium Watchtower—a relic believed to predate the First Accord."
My attention sharpened. That name again. The Watchtower. Something about it itched in my memory, like a half-remembered dream from a life I hadn't yet lived.
"Due to mana instability, each of you must regulate your cores while traversing the bridges," Serin continued. "Let the mana flow too freely, and you'll destabilize the path. Overcorrect, and it will collapse beneath you."
Kaelon scoffed. "No pressure."
Across the Light-Bridge
The first bridge shimmered beneath our feet, forming only when we fed mana into the sigils at our soles. Most of the students hesitated, but I stepped forward confidently, letting my core release just enough energy to stabilize the path.
Vera followed after me, grumbling under her breath. "You act like you were born for this."
I didn't reply. Because I was.
We crossed to the next isle—a jagged chunk of stone and crystal with an ancient spire rising in the center. The Celestium Watchtower. Vines of glowing silver curled around its foundation, and starlight runes flickered across its surface.
As soon as we set foot inside, I felt it—a pulse, deep underground, like a heartbeat echoing from the past.
"Something's alive in here," I murmured.
Descent into Echoes
The tower had no staircase. Instead, a glyph disc activated at our presence, carrying us downward into a cylindrical shaft lined with murals of celestial beings. My mana flared involuntarily, reacting to the paintings—each one showing figures with glowing eyes and fragmented auras… like me.
At the bottom, we found it.
The Sapphire Fragment hovered over an hourglass-shaped pedestal, held aloft by bands of crystalized mana. It pulsed with energy—liquid one moment, solid the next.
"Lioren," Elyra said from behind me. "You're resonating with it. You should be the one to extract it."
I nodded, stepping toward the runes etched in the floor.
But the moment I crossed the boundary, the chamber shuddered.
Then the walls split open—and the guardians emerged.
The Fight Begins
They formed from the mana itself—Echo Wraiths, shadowy entities born of fractured memories. Each one was different: one bore a spear of light, another had blade-wings, and the third floated with arms of shifting stone.
"They're constructs!" Elyra shouted. "Guardians of the fragment!"
Kaelon surged forward, wind swirling around him. "Then let's break them."
He launched himself at the first wraith, blades of compressed wind in both hands. The construct raised its spear, but Kaelon twisted mid-air, his blades slicing across its arm before rebounding off its dense core.
I didn't have time to watch. My eyes locked on the pedestal, and I reached out with my mana.
The fragment resisted.
Not physically—but emotionally. It pushed back with memories that weren't mine. Fear. Desperation. A star breaking apart.
Behind me, Vera shouted.
"Duck!"
I dropped instantly as a shard of obsidian mana tore through the air above me, slamming into the wall with a sound like thunder. Vera spun past, wielding dual daggers forged from frost, and stabbed upward into a descending shadow wraith.
The creature shrieked, its form destabilizing—but not breaking.
"They're reforming!" she shouted. "We need to hit them with synchronized elemental output!"
"On it!" Kaelon yelled, leaping back beside her.
I tuned them out. My hands hovered inches from the fragment now. I closed my eyes—and pulled.
"Vel'esa," I whispered. The word rose from my past life, not from memory, but instinct.
The fragment responded.
Light exploded outward, knocking the wraiths into the far walls. In that moment, I saw visions—stars dying, skies burning, and a man with wings of fire tearing through armies.
Then I was back.
And everything was silent.
The guardians were gone. The fragment hovered in my hand, humming.
"What the hell did you just do?" Vera whispered.
"Claimed it," I replied.
The Sky Darkens
We emerged from the tower, triumphant—but not unscathed.
Elyra's robes were torn. Kaelon's gauntlet was cracked. My mana reserves were… strained.
But then, the sky darkened.
Above us, a rift tore open in the clouds—and from it descended a figure wreathed in obsidian mana. His mask covered his face, and wings of black flame flared from his back.
"Return the fragment," he said, voice low and echoing, "and I will let you live."
Elyra stepped forward. "Name yourself."
"I am called many things. But you may call me The Veiled One."
Mana erupted around him—dense, suffocating. The air shook.
"I'll hold him off," Elyra said. "Lioren—get the others out."
"No," I said, stepping forward. "He's here for me."
The Veiled One's eyes narrowed. "You remember, don't you?"
I didn't reply. I just drew the mana into my body, letting it surge through my limbs until my skin shimmered with arcane light.
"Then show me what remains of the Architect."
He struck.
His first blow was a blade of void energy, thrown like a spear. I sidestepped, launching a counter-blast of compressed kinetic force. It dispersed harmlessly against his shield.
Kaelon and Vera rushed in—flanking him. Vera went low, frost daggers seeking weak points, while Kaelon launched a burst of slicing wind. The Veiled One spun mid-air, wings deflecting Kaelon's blast, and kicked Vera back with explosive force.
Elyra chanted from behind us. "Lunareth vo'tali!"
A column of moonlight slammed into the Veiled One—finally forcing him to retreat a few steps.
I channeled the fragment, focusing its energy into my palm. A sphere of unstable mana began to form—dense and volatile.
"You want the Architect?" I shouted.
The Veiled One charged again.
"Then take him!"
I unleashed the blast.
The sphere hit him dead center, exploding in a shockwave that shattered the platform beneath us.
He was thrown into the sky—disappearing through the rift.
Silence followed.
Then, the light-bridge collapsed.
"Get to the portal!" Serin shouted.
We ran.
Aftermath
Back at the Academy, Cyrian himself took our report. The Veiled One's arrival sent shockwaves through the upper council.
"He knew you," Cyrian said quietly.
"He knew the Architect," I corrected.
"Same thing, isn't it?"
I didn't answer.
Because I wasn't sure.