The ancient chamber remained quiet long after the truth was spoken.
Luke stood beneath falling streams of starlight with Astrael resting gently in his hands while the others struggled silently with the weight of what they had learned.
The sword had known him before birth.
Time itself had bent around his existence.
And somehow… Celestia may have sensed it long before anyone else.
Lucien looked away first.
Not because he feared the truth.
But because hearing Celestia spoken of like that still hurt in ways centuries of power could never heal.
He slowly walked toward one of the ancient murals lining the chamber walls.
It depicted the First Guardian of Balance standing against primordial darkness with Astrael raised toward the dawn.
Lucien stared at it quietly.
Then muttered under his breath:
"My wife carried catastrophe before breakfast and still somehow remained graceful."
Luke blinked.
The Father of All sighed tiredly.
"That is perhaps the worst way you could describe prophecy."
"I meant what I said."
Aurelion made a deep sound resembling ancient amusement.
Luke slowly lowered his gaze toward Astrael again.
The blade's glow had softened now, no longer erupting with overwhelming light.
Instead it pulsed gently against his hands.
Comforting. Almost affectionate.
One Luminal floated carefully toward the sword before chirping happily and curling around the hilt like a tiny sleeping star.
Luke smiled faintly.
Then finally asked the question lingering inside him.
"What exactly is Astrael supposed to do?"
The chamber became still again.
Aurelion answered first.
"IT IS NOT A WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION."
Lucien folded his arms immediately.
"It is literally a sword."
"AND YOU ARE LITERALLY A DEMON PRINCE YET HERE WE ARE."
Luke quickly looked away to hide laughter.
The Spirit Guide's wings trembled suspiciously.
The Father of All coughed into his sleeve to hide his own amusement.
Lucien looked betrayed by everyone equally.
Aurelion slowly approached Luke afterward.
The enormous dragon lowered its head beside Astrael carefully.
"LONG AGO, BEFORE THE FIRST WAR…"
Its voice echoed softly through the chamber.
"…CREATION BEGAN BREAKING."
Ancient murals along the walls slowly awakened around them.
Luke watched as glowing images moved across the stone:
shattered realms,
dying stars,
corrupted worlds abandoned by the heavens,
entire civilizations lost to imbalance.
The dragon continued quietly.
"THE HEART COULD NOT SAVE EVERYTHING."
The murals shifted again.
Now they showed the First Guardian carrying Astrael not across battlefields…
but through ruined lands.
Healing broken places.
Purifying corruption.
Restoring forgotten life.
Luke stared quietly.
Aurelion's ancient eyes met his.
"ASTRAEL WAS CREATED TO MEND WHAT CREATION ABANDONED."
Silence filled the chamber afterward.
Then softly, almost to himself, Luke whispered:
"…Not to destroy."
The sword glowed warmly.
Aurelion nodded once.
"YES."
The Father of All stepped closer slowly.
"For ages," he murmured thoughtfully, "many believed Balance existed to maintain order through force."
The ancient creator looked toward Luke carefully.
"But perhaps we misunderstood the Heart from the beginning."
Lucien frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
The old creator's gaze drifted toward the murals showing ruined worlds being restored.
"Balance may not exist to punish darkness."
The chamber lights dimmed softly around them.
"It may exist to heal suffering before darkness is born."
The words settled heavily inside everyone present.
Especially Luke.
Because suddenly… everything began making sense.
Why he spared Vaelthoros.
Why the Heart responded strongest to compassion.
Why Astrael awakened not through rage… but understanding.
The Balance was never trying to create a conqueror.
It was trying to create a protector capable of healing what others feared touching.
Then unexpectedly, Astrael pulsed brightly again.
Luke stiffened instantly.
A vision exploded through his mind.
He saw:
endless broken landscapes,
wounded realms drifting in darkness,
forgotten creatures crying softly beneath corruption,
and a massive golden gate standing at the edge of existence itself.
Then one final image appeared.
A child.
Himself.
Standing before the gate with Astrael in hand while countless wounded beings watched from the shadows behind him.
And beyond the gate…
the void waited.
The vision vanished abruptly.
Luke gasped softly.
Lucien moved instantly.
"What happened?"
Luke stared at Astrael shakily.
"I saw…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"…a place outside the realms."
Aurelion became very still.
The Father of All's expression darkened immediately.
"Describe it."
Luke swallowed hard.
"There was a gate."
The sanctuary winds stopped completely.
"And behind it…"
His grip tightened around Astrael instinctively.
"…were broken worlds."
Silence crushed the chamber.
Aurelion slowly closed its eyes.
The Spirit Guide lowered its head uneasily.
And for the first time since arriving at the sanctuary…
fear crossed the Father of All's face.
Luke noticed immediately.
"What?"
The old creator looked toward him carefully.
Then spoke words that made the chamber feel colder instantly.
"There are places even the heavens abandoned."
The Luminals dimmed uneasily around the room.
Lucien's expression hardened.
"What places?"
The Father of All answered softly:
"The Wounded Realms."
Aurelion opened its glowing eyes again afterward.
"AND THEY ARE DYING."