Three days had passed since Erza Black clashed with Kaerax, the Void-Chained Archer.
The Archer's Gate had receded—unstable, but no longer bleeding monsters into the realm. Word of Erza's survival had already begun to ripple across constellations.
But in the places where stars whispered louder than men, power was shifting.
⭓ Dominion Council – Fractures Among Thrones
In the Citadel of Celestial Dominion, the nine thrones trembled with tension.
The news had arrived: Kaerax failed.
"A Second Gate. Conquered."
"By him again."
House Capricorn's General Virell leaned forward. "That makes two. He controls Leo. Wounded Kaerax. We can't keep him unacknowledged."
The Virgo Matron's voice was colder than the moons of Etherra. "And yet… he still lacks legitimacy. Leo's throne remains unclaimed by rite."
A diplomat of House Gemini sneered. "And who would dare stop him now? He has a following, a squad, momentum. Even the Gates bend."
Capricorn's voice rang again, eyes on the others.
"Then we force his hand. Either he joins us—or we name him a Constellation Rogue."
Whispers stirred like shadows.
⭓ In the Hollow Void – Noctyros Moves
Far beyond the reach of any council chamber, beneath a collapsed constellation field, a throne of black stars pulsed with ancient dread.
Noctyros, the Shattered King of Inversion, stood before a mirror of star-glass. Around him knelt his lieutenants—each cloaked in constellations that no longer existed.
Beside him, a figure emerged from the Gate of Cancer, newly awakened—her body wrapped in void coral, her breath reeking of poison and regret.
"The Womb of Rot is open," she said. "The Dream-Lich stirs."
Noctyros's many voices echoed.
"Good. The Archer showed weakness. The Leo-boy bleeds light—but can he bleed shadow?"
He raised his skeletal hand, wrapped in inverted starlight.
"Unseal the Twilight Gate of Orion."
His followers gasped.
"But Lord—Orion's monsters are hunted gods. Not even Kaerax could command them—"
Noctyros's grin split across three jaws.
"Exactly."
⭓ Erza's Camp – Wounds and Warning
Erza leaned against a stone altar, shirtless, fresh scars stitched across his ribs. Lysra tended to him silently, the healing sigils slowly tracing his skin with celestial light.
"You nearly died," she said plainly.
Erza nodded. "So did he."
Auren entered, holding a report crystal. "We've got contact. The Cancer Gate's opened. Not fully inverted yet—but creatures are leaking out. Dream-beasts. Echo spirits."
Korr followed. "And... Dominion agents are moving near us."
Erza sat upright. "Which House?"
Auren frowned. "Gemini and Aries. Not attacking—but circling. Watching. Like they're waiting."
Seris strode in. "They'll make you choose: their leash, or exile."
Erza stood.
His hand clenched the air—and Leo's flame flickered along his skin like a heartbeat.
"Then I'll forge a third path."
⭓ Meanwhile – The Prince Who Shouldn't Exist
In a forgotten starhold near the ruins of House Leo, a child was being held.
Blindfolded. Branded.
A clone.
A failed attempt at recreating Erza using astral echoes and constellation fragments. Created by a splinter cult inside the Dominion itself.
But tonight, he stirred.
And opened his eyes.
One eye was crimson. The other, pure white.
"I see you, Erza," the clone whispered. "And I will become what you were too afraid to."
⭓ Closing: A Sky Splits
As Erza's squad moved east toward the growing Cancer Gate, the sky cracked like ice under pressure.
Stars rearranged.
Orion dimmed.
And from the darkness came a howl—not animal, not divine. A cry of something once worshiped... now turned hunter again.
Erza stopped walking. Turned his gaze upward.
The Leo constellation trembled slightly.
So did Sagittarius.
"The sky's breaking," Korr whispered.
"No," Erza said. "It's waking up."
End of Chapter 20