The radiant doorway born from the Mirror's shattering carried them into a place unlike any they had seen before.
They stepped out onto a vast platform suspended in the night sky. Above, stars shimmered in countless constellations, swirling as though alive. Below, no earth or sea could be seen—only an endless ocean of light.
At the platform's center rose a tower of crystal and silver, its spire stretching endlessly upward, crowned with a star brighter than the rest. The Heart Key at Prava's side pulsed in rhythm with its glow.
Rafael whispered, awe softening his usually sharp voice.
"The Tower of Stars… the place of endings and beginnings."
Allara tightened her grip on her staff. "Legends say it was built not by dragons, not by wolves, nor even humans… but by the first flame of the cosmos."
Prava stepped forward, her heart pounding. Each step she took toward the Tower resonated like a chime, echoing across the starlit sea. The closer they came, the more the constellations shifted, arranging themselves into shapes—wolves, dragons, and figures of humans, all connected in a single radiant pattern.
"The stars…" Prava breathed. "They're showing us… unity."
But as they drew nearer, shadows rippled across the light. A cold wind swept the platform, and the shining constellations twisted into darker forms. A voice, low and echoing, slithered through the air:
"You seek the Tower… yet are you ready to pay its price?"
The Tower shuddered, and the star above flared—half light, half darkness. The final trial had begun.