The translucent figure hovered above the plateau, her eyes twin galaxies of shifting gold, ancient and ageless all at once. Her presence was neither spectral nor fully divine, yet it pressed against the very fabric of Adrian's soul, stirring something deep within the Bound Star.
She raised a single hand. Twin motes of starlight spun into being—one silver, one gold—and danced around her fingers like fireflies.
"You have awakened the Core," she said. "But the Bound Star holds more than strength. It carries memory—and memory is a double-edged sword."
Adrian remained kneeling, one palm pressed to the stone beneath him, breathing steady. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled faintly. "I was called Ilyana, once. First daughter of Aurelia Mistshroud. Twin to the one who betrayed her."
Adrian's breath caught. "Aurelia had children?"
