Time stopped.
The forest, the drones, the rain — all froze mid-motion, caught in the silent pull of something ancient awakening. Aren couldn't breathe. The Verdant Howl loomed before him, its chest glowing with veins of molten sap, its roar still trembling through the world.
His body burned.
Not from heat — but from within. Every heartbeat struck like a hammer. Every breath tore through his chest like fire trying to escape a cage. The veins in his arms shone with pale gold light, pulsing brighter, faster, until his skin itself began to hum.
"What… what's happening to me?" he gasped, collapsing to his knees.
Behind him, the Vanguard drones reoriented, plasma barrels charging.
One officer barked, "Contain the anomaly!"
The first shot fired.
A bolt of plasma screamed through the rain — but it never hit. It melted midair, dissolving into golden mist before reaching him.
Aren raised his head. His eyes weren't amethyst anymore.
They blazed like twin suns.
The Howl hesitated, massive vines quivering as if sensing a greater predator.
Aren's vision blurred — but the world around him sharpened. He could see the lines of energy that made up everything: the flow of Astralis through air, metal, even the beating hearts of the soldiers.
And he understood.
Astralis wasn't just light. It was balance — creation and destruction sharing one breath.
The warmth in his chest surged, bursting past his limits.
A low hum filled the air. The puddles at his feet began to ripple, glowing faintly with his reflection — golden flame dancing across the surface.
Then, it happened.
A blinding flash.
The explosion wasn't sound — it was a wave of light. Pale gold with amethyst edges, spreading in a perfect circle.
The rain evaporated midfall. The ground cracked beneath him. Drones dissolved into vapor before their screams even finished.
Aren stood in the storm of his own power, body trembling, hair whipping in the wind. The light didn't burn him — it belonged to him.
His flame wasn't wild or crimson. It was calm, radiant, and endless.
A light that didn't destroy — it purified.
The Verdant Howl lowered its head, vines retreating. Its roar softened into something almost reverent.
For the first time, Aren heard words within the flame's hum:
> "The Stellar Flame… lives again."
Then, darkness claimed him.
As he fell, the forest bowed. The Howl melted into the mist, its voice fading like thunder rolling away into distance.
> "Survive, child of stars. The world will not forgive you for existing."
---