The city of Elarin was no longer dreaming.
Its skies were clear. The Heartspire had crumbled. And yet… a strange stillness lingered in the air, as if the Cancer Gate had left more than just scars on the ground—it had left them in people's minds.
Erza stood on the outskirts of the ruins, watching refugees gather under makeshift shelters. Many of them still stared blankly at the horizon. Some had awakened screaming. Others hadn't awakened at all.
"They said this was a Dominion victory," Lysra said behind him, arms crossed. "Doesn't feel like it."
Erza didn't answer immediately. His Leo flame no longer burned visibly—but it pulsed quietly beneath his skin, a reminder of what he'd become inside the Gate. A reminder of what he'd seen.
Noctharion is watching.
And the Gates are far from done.
He turned to Lysra. "Where are the others?"
"Seris is helping the medics. Auren's briefing the Dominion Council's envoy. Korr… is trying to fix a streetlamp because a kid asked him to."
Erza gave a faint smile. "That sounds like Korr."
Lysra looked him over. "You're quiet. Is it about the Dream Lich?"
"No," he said. "It's about what it guarded."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a shard of pale, star-veined crystal—the Dream Lich's broken core. It no longer pulsed with psychic energy, but it hummed faintly. Like a tuning fork waiting for a new song.
"This isn't just a monster's remains," Erza whispered. "It's a key."
✦ Elsewhere – In the Dominion Citadel
The Dominion Council met beneath the Sapphire Dome, surrounded by swirling constellations and Astral Runes.
Aries, Virgo, Capricorn, Gemini, and Scorpio stood in formation. Their visages were projected into astral flames. And at the center, now given temporary authority:
Leo.
Or rather, the throne of Leo—reactivated for the first time in over a decade.
"Erza Black is no longer a rogue," said Lord Virell of Capricorn. "He has reclaimed the Leo Flame and proven his mythic resonance."
"A trial still awaits him," said Scorpio coolly. "But the Gate was closed. The people whisper his name. He bled for the stars."
"Then let him rise," said Vel Saelis of Gemini. "For now."
A silent vote was cast across celestial sigils.
The results came in: unanimous.
The Throne of Leo was to be restored.
And Erza Black would be its bearer.
✦ Three Days Later – A New Threat
In the upper orbit of the Elarin region, inside a floating star-lens observatory, Seris stared at a swirling rift captured on the Dominion's Astral Grid.
It was faint. Slow-moving. But unnatural.
A Gate signature—this time aligned not with Cancer, but something more violent. More precise.
"Sagittarius," she muttered.
She turned to Erza as he entered.
"The Dominion spotted it near the Orbital Fringe, just outside the Silver Ring colonies. This Gate doesn't open in dreams. It opens in motion. Kinetic distortion. Hypervelocity tears."
Lysra added from the side, "This isn't a mind war. This is a sniper's Gate."
Erza narrowed his eyes. "The Sagittarius Gate…"
"Dominion codenamed it: Warp Piercer."
✦ In Noctyros
Noctharion sat upon a throne of fractured starstone, the inverted constellations swirling behind him like bleeding symbols. The Cancer Gate had failed. But he had seen what he needed to.
Leo burns again.
He watched a floating soul fragment flicker—what remained of the Dream Lich's memory. It whimpered as it dissolved, whispering Erza's name.
He turned to his gathered generals.
"Summon the next bearer," he said. "Let Sagittaros loose. The stars are shifting."
✦ Back on Elarin – Final Moments
That night, Erza stood atop the ruined Heartspire, alone again.
The wind was cold. The stars were quiet.
But not silent.
Leo glimmered above him—steadier than before.
He closed his eyes.
"You gave me a flame," he whispered. "I'll give you a war."
From behind, Auren spoke: "We leave in two days."
"To the Fringe?" Erza asked.
"To wherever the stars shake."
End of Chapter 26