Morning came slowly, as if the world was afraid to disturb the two figures still lying in the middle of the lake. The water had now turned into clear silver, reflecting the softly swirling sky. Every subtle movement on its surface left a shimmer like fragments of stars that were still reluctant to leave.
Erian opened his eyes slowly. For a moment, he didn't know where he was. The air felt light, too calm, and his body felt like it was floating. When his vision focused, he saw Aster beside him—lying down, his face pale but peaceful.
"Aster..." his voice was barely audible.
He tried to sit up, but his body was still weak. Every time he tried to move his hand, a faint light followed the trace of his fingers, like an unstable current of magic. He stared at his hand for a long time, then turned to look at Aster, who was beginning to open his eyes.
"Don't move too fast," Erian said softly. "The star energy hasn't completely disappeared."
Aster smiled thinly. "I think I'm the one who should be saying that to you."
He got up slowly, sitting with his back against a flat rock near the edge of the lake. His blue eyes still glowed softly, but not like before—warmer, more human. The light on his skin also subsided, leaving a faint star pattern on the back of his hand.
Erian watched this carefully. "Is it... over?"
Aster looked at the sky, then closed his eyes for a moment. "Our bond is stable. I can feel it. No longer pulling, no longer hurting."
Erian touched his chest, feeling the gentle pulse that merged with Aster's rhythm. "But there's still something connected."
"Yes," Aster replied softly. "We still share one star. But now, it only listens, doesn't force."
For the first time in days, Erian felt peace. He looked at the lake water, seeing his reflection that looked slightly different. His eyes reflected a faint blue color, like a reflection of Aster's light left there. "I feel... alive again."
"So do I," Aster replied. He turned and looked at Erian with an almost imperceptible smile. "You managed to hold it until the end. I thought we were both going to disappear."
Erian looked down. "I thought so too. But there was something inside me that kept saying not to give up."
Aster nodded softly. "That's because the stars choose with the heart, not power."
Silence surrounded them. The sound of water dripping from the rocks and the wind passing through the grass became the only music in that place. The world felt like it had just been reborn, gentler and more peaceful.
But beneath that calm, Erian could feel something different. Like a subtle pulse underground, a rhythm that vibrated with their breath. He looked at Aster. "Do you feel it too?"
Aster looked back at him, his expression turning serious. "Yes. This world... is listening to us."
"The world?"
"When the balance of the stars is restored, the world's magic currents shift as well. Like a heart that has just started beating after a long stop."
Erian closed his eyes, trying to feel deeper. He could hear faint whispers in the air—ancient voices that he once thought were just myths. And among all of that, one note sounded the clearest: a gentle echo that came from within himself.
"It's as if something is calling me," Erian said softly. "Not from the sky, but from below."
Aster looked at him with sharp eyes. "You may be right. The Cradle of the First Star is not only the birthplace of light, but also a door to what is hidden beneath."
Erian looked at him. "You know something?"
Aster nodded slowly. "My teachers used to call it The Heart Below—the source where fallen stars return. If that's true, then our ritual may have awakened it."
The sound of the wind intensified, bringing flashes of light in the air. The surface of the lake trembled slightly. Beneath it, a dark blue light began to form a spiral pattern, slowly opening a vortex of light like a portal that wasn't fully conscious.
Erian took a step back. "Is this part of the balance we restored?"
"No," Aster replied firmly. "This is the remnant of old energy waiting for a chance to rise. And we opened it."
A low voice echoed from the water. Not a human voice, but an echo that spoke directly to their minds. The heart awakens… two lights bound as one…
Erian looked at Aster with wide eyes. "You hear it too?"
Aster nodded. "That's not human language. It's the language of the stars."
They both stood at the edge of the lake, staring at the vortex of light that was growing larger. Aster raised his hand, trying to close it again, but the energy from within was too strong. The same magic they used to unite now refused to be controlled.
"Can't," he murmured. "The source is too deep."
Erian took a step forward. "Let me try."
He closed his eyes, letting the current of magic flow through his body. His left hand glowed softly, then pierced the air. The starlight on his chest trembled, then resonated with the vortex beneath the lake.
The light suddenly softened, turning into a steady stream. And for a moment, Erian saw something behind the vortex—a faint shape like an ancient city sleeping beneath the surface of the world.
"What is that?" he whispered.
Aster stood beside him, his gaze full of vigilance. "The remnants of the first star civilization. A world that disappeared before this empire even existed."
Erian looked down, fascinated but also afraid. "And now we're waking it up."
Aster stared at him for a long time, then said in a soft but firm tone, "Maybe it's time."
Silence returned. The vortex closed slowly, leaving the lake in the same calm as before. But something had changed. The world now pulsed softly, as if following the rhythm of two hearts that had just united.
Aster sighed, then looked at Erian. "We need to get back to the surface before nightfall. This place won't be safe anymore."
Erian nodded. "But I want to come back here. There's something down there that's calling me."
Aster smiled faintly. "And I will accompany you."
The sun was high when they left the edge of the lake. The mist began to thin, revealing a path that led to the pine forest in the north. The morning air carried the fresh scent of wet earth mixed with the starlight that still lingered.
Their steps were slow. No words were spoken, only the sound of leaves being trampled and the faint whisper of the wind. Although the world around them seemed peaceful again, Erian knew something had changed.
"It feels strange," he said finally. "As if every step I take vibrates with the world."
Aster turned his head. "That's because you've now become part of its balance. The stars recognize you."
Erian chuckled, without really smiling. "Sounds scary."
Aster looked at him gently. "Scary, but also beautiful. The world is finally starting to remember who lit its light for the first time."
Erian sighed, looking at the blue sky above. "You talk like a poet."
"And you," Aster replied, "talk like someone who is trying to reject their destiny."
Erian looked down, kicking a small stone on the road. "Maybe I am rejecting it. Because every time I accept something called 'destiny,' there's always a part of me that gets lost."
Aster slowed his pace. "What's lost this time?"
Erian was silent. He thought for a long time before answering. "I don't know. But it feels like... something in me that used to be quiet is now noisy. As if I can hear the world talking, but I can't close my ears anymore."
Aster looked at him attentively. "That's the price of becoming a star keeper. The world is no longer silent for you, Erian."
"And what does that mean for you?"
Aster stopped. "For me? It means I no longer have to walk alone."
Those words were simple, but they echoed far into Erian's heart. He stopped walking, looking at the man in front of him who was now standing in the soft sunlight. There was a calmness in Aster's eyes, but also an old wound that hadn't healed.
"Have you ever been afraid?" Erian asked softly. "Not because of war, not because of death... but because you might finally find something that could make you want to live?"
Aster looked at him in silence. Then, slowly, he reached out and touched Erian's face. The touch was light, almost like the morning sun touching the skin after a long night.
"Every day," he answered. "And every time I see you, that fear increases."
Erian froze. The world around him seemed to stop moving. He could hear his own heartbeat, fast and irregular. "Why are you afraid of me?"
"Because I know I would do anything to protect you," Aster replied without hesitation. "And that's the most dangerous thing someone can feel in this world."
Erian looked at him for a long time, then looked down. "You shouldn't talk like that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to be the reason someone forgets themselves."
Aster smiled slightly, but behind that smile there was a faint sadness. "Too late, Erian. Since that night, when the stars first united us, I've stopped being the old me."
Silence returned. The wind passed through the trees, carrying small fragments of light that danced in the air.
Erian finally said softly, "I don't know how to deal with something like this."
"You don't need to know," Aster replied gently. "You just need to walk with me."
They continued their journey. Step by step, the sound of the forest replaced the silence between them. But in each other's hearts, something changed. No longer fear or confusion, but a soothing presence, like two stars that had finally found the same orbit.
Towards evening, they arrived at the edge of a small valley where white flowers grew wild. Erian stopped, staring at the ocean of petals that trembled in the wind. "You know?" he said softly. "I once dreamed about a place like this."
Aster turned his head. "In your old life?"
Erian nodded. "Yes. But at that time, I was standing alone."
Aster came closer, standing beside him. "And now?"
"Now I don't know if the dream is still the same."
Aster stared at him for a long time, then said, "Dreams will always change when you start letting someone into them."
Erian looked at him, his lips moved but no words came out. Between the two of them, there was only soft light and the sound of the world breathing softly.
Then suddenly, the light above the valley trembled. The sky seemed to pulse, like a heart beating behind the clouds. Aster immediately looked up, his expression changing.
"Impossible," he murmured. "The balance hasn't fully recovered."
Erian also looked at the sky. "Is that a sign from the Heart Below?"
Aster nodded slowly. "Most likely. The world is trying to adjust to us, but the star currents are too strong."
Flashes of light crossed the sky, followed by a low sound like an echo. In the distance, birds flew frantically from their nests. Erian looked at Aster anxiously. "What will happen if the Heart Below really rises?"
Aster answered without turning his head. "Then the world will choose again who is worthy of carrying the starlight. And I'm not sure humans are ready for that."
The wind blew hard, making the flowers around them sway wildly. But Aster stood calmly in the middle of that small storm. He turned to Erian, looking at him with conviction. "We have to find it before anyone else does."
Erian looked back, his eyes showing the same determination. "Then we will find it. Together."
Aster nodded, then looked at the sky once again. "Together."
And among the fading afternoon light, the two figures stood side by side—no longer as two opposing poles, but as two lights that complemented each other.
But far underground, in a place beyond the reach of light, something began to tremble. A soft echo resonated in the depths, as if the world was waking from its long sleep.
The Heart Below stirs.