Light swallowed them whole.
Cold, radiant, blinding—then suddenly…
Silence.
The kind of silence that felt alive, as if the air itself was listening.
Kael landed lightly, still holding Amelia in his arms. The moment his feet touched the ground, the world around them shifted into focus:
A vast courtyard of pale stone.Water flowing upward instead of down.Lanterns suspended in midair without strings.Symbols glowing faintly along the walls.
The Hidden Sanctuary.
A place that existed between worlds—neither mortal nor celestial.
Amelia's breath came in shallow bursts. Her body trembled violently, her chest glowing faintly beneath her skin—as if something inside was struggling to break free.
Master Xuan materialized behind them, staff in hand.
"Lay her on the astral platform. Now!"
Kael moved instantly.
The platform was a circular slab of silver-white stone, etched with ancient inscriptions that pulsed in rhythm with Amelia's unstable qi.
He placed her gently onto it.
The moment her back touched the stone—
WHOOM—
A ring of celestial light ignited around her.
Amelia gasped.Her fingers curled into the platform.
Kael dropped to his knees beside her, grabbing her hand.
"I'm here. Stay with me, Amelia."
Her eyes flickered open—gold shimmering under the surface like trapped sunlight.
"I—I can't… it's pulling… everything feels like it's tearing…"
Her voice broke.
Kael squeezed her hand harder, his own voice shaking.
"Fight it. I've got you. I won't let anything take you."
Master Xuan raised both hands, chanting ancient words that made the Sanctuary walls vibrate.
A celestial barrier formed above Amelia—a dome of light, swirling like a gentle storm.
The celestial stepped forward, wings dimmed.
"The Devourer has locked onto her essence. The chains breaking are responding to the power inside her… the power she once possessed."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then seal it! Seal whatever the hell it's reacting to!"
Xuan didn't look away from the barrier.
"If we seal it improperly, she will die."
Kael's breath stopped.
Amelia opened her eyes again—this time fully gold.
"Kael…"
Her voice echoed unnaturally.A double-tone.Celestial layered with something much older.
It sent a chill through him.
Kael leaned close, brushing her hair back.
"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Her gaze softened—just for a moment.
Then—she convulsed.
Her back arched violently off the platform.
Kael caught her shoulders, panic striking through him like lightning.
"Xuan!"
"Hold her steady!" Master Xuan barked.
The Sanctuary lights flickered as Amelia's qi surged outward, blasting wind through the chamber.
Her scream wasn't human this time.
It was ancient.World-splitting.A forgotten language tearing itself through her throat.
Cracks formed along the platform.
The celestial's eyes widened.
"It's happening—her first life's power is trying to surface!"
Kael's heart hammered painfully.
"What does that mean?!"
Master Xuan spoke through clenched teeth.
"It means if we fail—we lose her."
Amelia's eyes flew open—gold blazing, tears streaming down her temples.
"I don't… want… to break…" she whispered.
Kael bent over her, forehead touching hers.
"Then don't. I'll hold you together if I have to—just don't leave me."
Her grip tightened weakly around his fingers.
"I won't."
For a moment—the light around her steadied.
But then the Devourer's voice slithered into the Sanctuary:
"Little Dawn…You cannot hide from me…"
Amelia's heartbeat spiked.
Kael snarled, looking around. "GET OUT OF HERE!"
But the voice only laughed.
"You carried my mark long before this life.I will reclaim what is mine."
Master Xuan slammed his staff into the ground.
A shockwave of light cut the voice off instantly.
The Sanctuary steadied.
The pressure in the air lifted.
But Amelia lay limp on the platform—breathing, but barely.
Kael touched her cheek with trembling fingers.
"Amelia… talk to me…"
She blinked weakly, golden light fading slowly from her eyes.
"I… saw something."
Kael leaned closer.
"What did you see?"
Her voice trembled with both fear and truth.
"A throne room… burning.Chains made of starlight.A Devourer kneeling before me.And… and someone standing beside me."
She looked at Kael—as if seeing two versions of him at once.
"You."
Kael froze.
Not breathing. Not blinking.
Master Xuan exhaled sharply.
"It has begun.Her soul is remembering."
The Sanctuary lights dimmed ominously.
The celestial turned toward them.
"You have until the third chain breaks.After that… nothing on Earth or Heaven will be able to stop it from reaching her."
Kael squeezed Amelia's hand.
His voice was no longer just protective—
It was a vow carved from a thousand lifetimes.
"Then we won't let it break."