The twin suns of Halburn burned gold that morning. Their light washed across the marble spires and floating citadels, turning the sky into molten amber. The capital shimmered like a dream carved from starlight and steel — the crown of a race once kissed by divinity itself.
At the heart of it stood Kaleo Halburn, sixteen years old, dressed in ceremonial armor etched with dormant runes. Today was his Coming of Ascension, the rite where every High Human awakened their first divine affinity. His hands trembled as he adjusted his chestplate.
From the balcony above, the bells of the Astral Cathedral tolled, deep and resonant — the same bells that once announced the birth of kings.
"Relax," his mother's voice soothed, melodic and warm.
Seraphine Halburn entered the chamber, her long silver hair flowing like liquid light. The runes across her skin glowed faintly — symbols of the old covenant between Halburn and the Celestials. Her presence alone quieted the air, bending even the dust motes toward reverence.
"You carry both your father's fire and my light," she said, touching his cheek. "The stars themselves envy you."
Kaleo smiled nervously. "I just… I don't want to fail."
Seraphine's eyes softened. "Then don't. Failing isn't the Halburn way."
Outside, the sky shimmered with silver vessels — fleets preparing for another border war against the Nyx'var, the Dark Elves. It had been generations since Halburn had known peace.
And today, amidst all the ritual and ceremony, the war was about to come home.
High above the planet, a Titan-Class Starship broke through the clouds — a vessel so massive that its shadow covered the capital. Its hull was black steel laced with crimson sigils. The air cracked, and lightning spiraled down its edges.
The Halburn defense grids activated instantly. Golden barriers rose from the spires, forming radiant domes.
"That's… not one of ours," Kaleo whispered, eyes wide.
In the throne hall, the alarms blared — sacred hymns turned into war sirens.
Arden Halburn, King of Halburn, appeared at the window, his armor forming around him in a storm of light and nanite halos. The air hummed with power — divine reactors igniting in his spine, wings of plasma unfurling from his back.
"They dare…" Arden's voice was a growl, shaking the chamber.
Kaleo's heart thundered. "Father—"
"Stay with your mother," Arden commanded, his gaze softening for just a second. "Whatever happens, protect her light."
He vanished in a streak of radiance, joining the legions above.
Moments later, the heavens split open.
Thousands of divine suits took flight — silver, gold, crimson — clashing with endless swarms of dark ships. The skies bled brilliance and shadow. From orbit, it must have looked like gods waging war across a dying sun.
But it wasn't the Nyx'var leading the assault.
Through the smoke and fire, a single figure descended — draped in black and silver armor, eyes burning with betrayal.
Valen Halburn.
Arden's brother. Kaleo's uncle.
He who once stood beside the King as the Guardian of the Frontline — now wielding the darkness he once swore to destroy.
Arden's voice thundered through the battle channel:
"Valen! You stand with the elves?"
Valen's laughter echoed like breaking glass.
"You think the Celestials care for your people, brother? They've already abandoned us. I'm only hastening what they began."
Down below, Seraphine's face turned pale. She could feel the betrayal through the magic that linked the royal bloodline. The runes on her skin pulsed — faintly warning of something greater.
"Kaleo," she whispered, kneeling before him. "Listen to me. You must go."
"What? No— I can fight! I can—"
"You are not ready," she interrupted gently, hands trembling as she summoned a crystalline orb — an ancient relic pulsing with cosmic rhythm.
[The Aether Core.]
Golden fractal lines unfolded around it, humming with divine power. It was alive, whispering in tongues older than stars.
"They came for this," Seraphine said. "And they will not stop until it is theirs."
Kaleo's breath caught. "Then we can hide it—"
"No," she whispered. "We merge it."
Before he could protest, she pressed the orb against his chest. Runes exploded across his body — divine circuits searing through his veins. He screamed, light bursting from his eyes.
"Mother!"
"Forgive me, my son. One day… you will understand."
The castle trembled. Outside, Arden's last shout echoed through the clouds — a name, drowned in thunder. Then the sky collapsed.
A beam from the Titan ship annihilated the citadel's upper spires. Fire and energy tore through the halls.
Seraphine raised her arms, casting a seal of shimmering gold — The Covenant of Veils, her ultimate spell. The explosion froze mid-air, light folding in on itself.
"Live, Kaleo," she whispered as the spell enveloped him. "Carry the dawn forward."
The seal shattered — and Kaleo vanished in a flash of blue light.
Silence.
Only the echo of collapsing towers and burning skies.
When Kaleo opened his eyes again, he lay in the Ruined Frontier, hundreds of miles away. The sky was red and cracked, the once-lush plains turned to glass. The Aether Core pulsed faintly within his chest, whispering in a language he could not understand.
He was alone.
The Halburn Empire — his home, his family, his world — was gone.
Somewhere in the void above, Valen Halburn stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes reflecting both sorrow and madness.
"Forgive me, brother," he murmured. "But the old order must burn for the new dawn to rise."
And far beyond even his sight, in the cold halls of the Celestials, something stirred. A single eye — vast, golden, and ancient — blinked open for the first time in twelve billion years.