✦ THE CRYSTAL HEART ✦
Night holds its breath; a hush before dawn.
Light gathers and loosens like a chest rising.
"All light breathes. Even Heaven."
When I opened my eyes again, the storm was gone — but its echo still throbbed beneath the clouds.
A low thrum threaded the air, steady as a heartbeat resurfacing from deep water.
The first thing you need to know about Heaven?
It breathes.
At the center of everything pulsed the Eternal Crystal Heart — a sphere of living light the size of a palace, beating like a giant, glowing lung.
Every thrum pushed Ryvane through towers, rivers, and even the tiniest blade of celestial grass.
The city floated — not on clouds, but on light.
Whole districts drifted in gentle orbit around the Heart, their foundations woven from glass and prayer.
Homes bloomed from stone and melody, rising and falling with every divine breath.
Silver walkways coiled between them like ribbons of wind,
and waterfalls poured upward before dissolving into halos.
From above, it looked less like architecture
and more like a constellation that decided to live.
I once thought it was just a pretty night-light for the gods.
Then, one day, I leaned too close over a balcony —warmth crawled through my bones like sunlight under skin.
My chest hummed in answer — not fear, but a small, terrible recognition.
The pulse lingered.
Balconies and bridges glowed in time,
as if the whole city was breathing with me.
✦ THE MORNING OF MY INTRODUCTION ✦
Age: Three.
The day Heaven met its heir.
Morning poured gold through Aurelion's towers — banners catching the first light of the Crystal Heart.
Every street, every balcony, every floating terrace
hummed in rhythm with the great pulse above.
The city was awake for one reason — to witness the son of the God King.
✦ The Arena of Dawn ✦
The Grand Arena of Aurelion stretched like a halo carved into light itself.
Tiered rings of marble and cloud surrounded a radiant platform.
Where a single throne balcony gleamed.
The Crown Oath banners of all Ten Celestial Legions fluttered along the terraces.
Tens of thousands filled the stands —
Archangels, Higher & Lower gods, angels, and mortals alike — faces turned upward, waiting.
When my father stepped forward,
the sky itself bowed.
Tenjin — the God King.
Every movement of his hand sent waves through the air, bending banners in reverence.
Yumi — the Queen of Heaven.
Silver hair, radiant calm — when she smiled, every flower in the terraces bloomed in response.
High above the arena, seven radiant figures stood in a ring of light encircling the Crystal Heart — the Seven Surviving Archangels, Heaven's oldest protectors.
Seraphiel (light shimmering): "His light stirs early."
Mikael (war-scarred calm): "A dawn like this… does not come twice."
Azrael (quiet, neutral): "Let the Heart judge him."
Remiel (soft harmony): "Harmony follows him."
Sariel of Fate (eyes glowing silver threads): "His threads weave strangely… beyond my sight."
Uriel of Flame (aura crackling): "Then he must forge his own path."
Their presence alone silenced even the Legions.
Seraphiel of Light.
Azrael of Death's Passage.
Mikael of War.
Sariel of Fate.
Uriel of Flame.
Remiel of Harmony.
And once among them — Yumi of Serenity, now the Queen of Heaven.
They did not speak, but their combined radiance formed a vast halo over Aurelion — a silent blessing upon the heir.
"The Archangels watch," someone whispered.
"Heaven remembers."
And in that moment, the Crystal Heart pulsed brighter — as if bowing back to them.
Beyond the royal balcony stood the Archons of Concord — seven divine regents draped in cloaks woven from the Heart's light itself.
They weren't just advisers; they were Heaven's decision-makers, the voices that interpreted the God King's will when his silence became law.
Each bore a symbol on their chest —
Balance, Memory, Harmony, Order, Dream, Echo, and Fracture — the seven laws that kept creation in rhythm.
When they bowed, even the clouds followed.
And me — the child between them, draped in white and gold,
unsure whether to wave or panic.
Yumi (soft whisper to Haise): "Just breathe, little one."
Tenjin (low, steady): "Stand proud."
✦ The Archon's Blessing ✦
One of the Archons lifted his hand — the sigil of Order burned across his palm,
Archon of Order (ritual tone): "Harmonize. Stabilize.", radiant and geometric.
A ripple surged outward, bending color itself — the sky shifted in hues of silver and blue, every sound harmonizing like a single, endless note.
The Crystal Heart flared brighter, pulsing in perfect sync with the Archon's gesture.
Across the arena, every soldier's halo flickered in unison — gold, white, flame — before steadying again.
"The Archons keep the Heart's rhythm steady," someone whispered near the balcony,
Without them, Ryvane floods or fades. They are Heaven's pulse regulators."
Another ripple passed — softer now — a wave of divine equilibrium washing through the crowd.
Petals hung midair, unmoving. Even the wind obeyed the rhythm.
For a moment, Heaven itself seemed to breathe.
Even as a child, I felt it — how power here didn't just shine.
It obeyed.
✦ The Crowd's Reactions ✦
The crowd gasped as the light caught me.
A million whispers rose like the sound of wings:
"That's the prince?"
"He looks just like Her Majesty…"
"No, look — the eyes. The same stormlight as the King!"
"Three years old and the Heart already hums near him."
"He's glowing! His aura's synchronizing!"
High above, priests of the Chorus Sanctum began to chant — low, harmonic tones that made the air shimmer.
"The Heart has given breath anew —
a child born beneath Heaven's vow.
Light becomes lineage, lineage becomes dawn."
The sound reverberated through the crystal seats, sending ripples of gold through the air.
Children of gods threw handfuls of starlight petals that turned to silver dust before touching the floor.
Mortals kneeled, some in awe, others in trembling disbelief.
"The prince of Heaven… he breathes with the Heart!"
"Can even gods be born twice?"
Even the wind itself slowed,
like Heaven was afraid to interrupt.
✦ The God King Speaks ✦
Father raised his hand once more.
The light bowed.
Every voice fell silent.
"My son," his voice rolled like thunder wrapped in reverence,
"the one whom Heaven itself chose — may the Heart guide your pulse, and your pulse guide the worlds."
The crowd rose as one, a tidal wave of voices answering him:
Random Angel (awed): "His aura's growing—look!"
Mortal Child (whispering): "He shines like the Heart…"
Veteran Soldier (trembling): "The next era… begins today."
"Glory to the King!"
"Glory to the Queen!"
"Light to the Prince!"
The chants folded over each other,
a thousand tones becoming one —
a prayer strong enough to make even the air vibrate.
A faint vibration passed through the marble beneath my feet —
the Crystal Heart's pulse answering him.
Mother smiled through tears she wouldn't let fall.
Her voice was softer, but somehow louder than his.
"Be kind before you are strong, my son. The world remembers both."
Baby Haise (tiny whisper): "…Kind…?"
Then came the sound —
a distant, rising chorus —
the march of the Legions.
✦ The Arrival of the Ten Celestial Legions ✦
Ten radiant gates unfolded across the horizon,
spilling color into the dawn.
Through them marched the Ten Celestial Legions, their banners blazing like the first sunrise.
Each banner carried its Legion's sigil —
the Sun's Shield, the Crimson Law, the Lifesong Chalice, and more —symbols that didn't just flutter, but glowed with the color of their Relic's soul.
The air shimmered in gold, crimson, azure, and violet — like Heaven's emotions made visible.
Every step hit in rhythm with the Crystal Heart.
The sound wasn't just heard — it was felt.
Gold armor reflected fire.
Silver robes rippled like water.
Wings of wind, flame, and lightning blurred the air.
And at their head — the Crownkeepers.
They carried their Relics like gods carried truth — each one humming a distinct chord that joined into the song of Heaven itself.
The moment they entered the arena, the crowd erupted again.
"The Crownkeepers themselves!"
"Heaven's Ten Suns — they came for him!"
✦ The Crownkeepers' Oath ✦
The ten stopped before the throne balcony and knelt as one.
Crownkeeper of Sentinels of Flame (War) (deep voice): "The heir stands before us."
Their auras painted the clouds —
ten halos forming a circle that framed the rising sun.
"By our crowns and relics, we salute the King of Heaven & Heaven Queen — and his heir."
I blinked.
Me?
A tremor of awe ran through the crowd —
half joy, half fear.
✦ End of Chapter 3 — Aurelion's Dawn: The Breath of Heaven ✦