The sky of Heaven glowed with the soft warmth of Arhaan's new star-form.
Its golden light washed over the realm like a blessing — gentle, steady, eternal.
Every angel who looked up felt peace.
Every jinn felt their chains truly gone.
Every mortal who glimpsed the star from the world below whispered his name in gratitude.
And in the middle of this new dawn…
Kael stood alone on the balcony of the reconstructed Citadel, staring at the radiant sun that used to be his brother.
---
THE WEIGHT OF HEAVEN
Selara approached quietly, her wings folded behind her.
"He's still watching you," she said softly.
"Even now."
Kael didn't take his eyes off the star.
"I know. That's what scares me."
She frowned. "Scares you?"
Kael finally turned.
His armor gleamed with newly forged celestial metal, decorated with runes of choice — Arhaan's final gift before he ascended.
A crimson cloak fell behind his shoulders.
He looked like a commander.
But his eyes… held doubt.
"Arhaan isn't here to fix things anymore," Kael said.
"He left them to me."
Selara placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not to carry his burden.
To share it."
Kael took a breath.
Then another.
"Right."
He straightened.
"We have work to do."
---
THE FIRST COUNCIL OF FREE HEAVEN
For the first time in history, Heaven's Citadel wasn't a throne room.
It wasn't a place where a god judged creation.
It was… a hall.
Open.
Bright.
Welcoming.
Angels gathered on floating platforms.
Jinn sat among them.
Even mortals — souls who had passed on — were given a voice.
Kael stood at the center, not above them.
There was no throne behind him.
Only a wide window showing Arhaan's star glowing serenely in the sky.
A young angel rose.
"Commander Kael… what is Heaven now?"
Kael folded his arms, thinking.
Finally, he said:
"Heaven is a place where no one gives orders.
Where no one owns your destiny.
Where no one tells you who to be."
Murmurs spread — thoughtful, uncertain, hopeful.
Kael continued:
"We're not soldiers anymore.
We're guardians.
Protectors of mortals.
Protectors of each other."
A jinn elder nodded.
"And what of law?"
Kael looked up at Arhaan's star.
"Law isn't a cage anymore.
It's a promise."
The hall brightened with approval.
---
THE FIRST TEST
But peace never lasts forever.
Midway through the council, a panicked angel burst through the doors.
"Commander Kael! There's a surge in the western sky—"
A tremor shook the Citadel.
Light rippled across Heaven.
Wings fluttered nervously.
Kael squared his shoulders.
"Everyone stay calm."
He walked out onto the balcony, Selara beside him.
The western horizon writhed with swirling silver clouds — the remnants of the old Throne's energy.
Selara gasped.
"The Throne's fragments are reacting…"
Kael's voice hardened.
"Because the Arbiter's control is gone."
He summoned his new celestial spear —
a weapon shaped from both mortal forge and divine essence, gifted by Arhaan himself.
Crimson and gold energy flowed along its length.
Selara whispered, "What are you going to do?"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Exactly what Arhaan left me here to do."
He stepped forward.
"Protect this Heaven."
His spear lit up like a comet.
Angels rose behind him, wings spread, forming a shimmering formation.
Jinn cloaked themselves in flame and shadow.
Mortals-turned-spirits prepared their spells and sigils.
Kael pointed his spear at the storm.
"Guardians of Heaven—
with me!"
They launched into the sky.
Wings thundered.
Magic flared.
The new Heaven moved as one.
---
THE GUARDIAN OF DAWN
As Kael flew, the star above brightened.
Arhaan pulsed once, as if giving silent approval.
Kael's heart steadied.
Strength surged through him.
Not divine power —
the courage Arhaan had always given him.
He whispered toward the star:
"I'll protect what you built.
I swear it."
Arhaan's star flared gently in response.
Kael smiled.
Not as a soldier.
Not as a follower.
But as a friend.
As a brother.
And then he plunged into the storm —
the first Guardian of the new Heaven.