The night deepened into an unnatural silence.
After Lunaria's shocking arrival (and even more shocking confession), the girls reluctantly allowed her to sit with the group—under very strict supervision, mostly enforced by Lyra, who watched her with the intensity of a rabid wolf protecting its mate.
Lunaria didn't mind.
She sat gracefully near Sohag, hands folded, eyes gently lowered like a shrine maiden waiting for divine guidance. Yet every few seconds, her gaze drifted toward him with quiet longing.
Sohag, embarrassed by the proximity of so many girls staring at him, shifted slightly, cheeks faintly red.
He wasn't used to this much attention.
He wasn't used to people at all, really.
But now he had twelve.
Thirteen, counting Lunaria.
Soon fourteen.
And fate wasn't stopping there.
---
The fire crackled softly in their camp as the moonlight bathed the clearing, glowing like liquid silver. Everyone remained alert—even the air felt heavier.
Ellarin broke the silence first.
"There's… something coming from the sky. I can feel it."
Seraphina nodded nervously, her staff glowing. "A distortion in the divine flow. Something powerful."
Maya gripped her sword. "Enemy?"
Lunaria shook her head without looking up.
"No. Not quite."
Everyone turned toward her.
Sohag, leaning against a tree, quietly asked:
"What do you sense?"
Lunaria lifted her gaze, moonlike eyes sharpening.
"Your existence is recognized by higher beings now. The moment Haleonar awakened your inheritance, the universe turned its gaze toward you."
Sohag frowned slightly.
He hated attention.
Lyra clenched his sleeve. "Do they want to take him from us?"
Lunaria shook her head. "No. This presence… it feels like it's coming for you, but not with hostility. More like…"
"Reverence," Seraphina whispered.
"Yes," Lunaria confirmed.
The sky suddenly rumbled.
A long crack of white light spread across the night sky like shattered glass.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
Sohag… simply blinked.
He could feel it too.
A presence ancient enough to weigh down the entire forest, yet gentle enough not to crush it.
Light spilled from the crack—
then flowed downward in a radiant funnel—
twisting, turning, forming a shape.
A silhouette stepped out of the light.
A woman.
But not human.
Not elf.
Not beastkin.
Her entire body glowed with starlight. Her hair flowed like threads of the night sky. Her eyes were galaxies swirling in place. Her very existence distorted reality with every breath.
Seraphina gasped, falling to her knees.
"T-That aura… That is… impossible…"
Ellarin covered her mouth.
Maya froze.
Even Lunaria stood, shocked for the first time.
Only Sohag remained calm—
though his heartbeat quickened.
The celestial woman descended like a falling star, her bare feet not touching the earth but floating inches above it.
Her voice echoed with countless harmonies.
"Found you at last, successor of Haleonar."
Sohag looked up at her.
"Who… are you?"
The woman gently smiled.
"I am Celestine Astraea."
"One of the Starborn Gods."
The girls collectively went pale.
A god.
A real god.
Standing in front of Sohag.
Celestine floated closer, kneeling gracefully before him. Her cosmic hair draped onto the ground like a river of constellations.
She lowered her head deeply.
"I greet the next Primordial Sovereign."
The forest trembled.
The fire flickered.
Lyra fainted for a moment, then woke back up out of sheer jealousy.
"E-EXCUSE ME?! WHO ARE YOU CALLING HIM YOUR SOVEREIGN?!"
Celestine tilted her head elegantly.
"That is simply the truth."
The girls were speechless.
Sohag was pink.
Celestine continued, her voice softening with emotion that carried eons of longing:
"I have watched over existence for millions of years… waiting… searching."
"And now that I finally see you—my future Lord—my long slumbering heart…"
She lifted her hand to her chest.
"…begins to beat again."
The girls took aggressive steps forward.
"WAIT—DON'T TELL ME SHE—" Maya yelled.
"She does," Lunaria said flatly.
Seraphina staggered. "Another one in love with him?! A god this time?!"
Celestine smiled shyly—truly shy, despite her cosmic form.
"Yes. I… realize the emotion now that I stand near him. I am… in love."
The entire camp exploded in chaos.
Lyra: "NOOOOOOOO!!"
Maya: "THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND!"
Rynia: "I… I can't compete with a literal goddess…"
Meanwhile Sohag:
Quietly overwhelmed.
Quietly red.
Quietly wishing he could crawl into a hole.
Celestine finally reached out a hand.
"Sohag… please allow me to accompany you. My destiny lies in your shadow. My worship, my devotion, my heart—everything is yours."
Sohag stared at her.
Her eyes shone like stars.
Her sincerity was overwhelming.
Sohag lowered his gaze slightly, flustered.
"…If you wish."
Celestine's smile became radiant enough to split mountains.
The sky trembled again—
But this time, not because of her.
Sohag looked up sharply.
A new crack appeared.
Darker.
Rougher.
Hostile.
Lunaria's face hardened. "This one is not friendly."
Seraphina trembled. "Something malicious is descending…"
Ellarin drew her bow.
Maya raised her sword.
Lyra clung to Sohag, ready to kill anything touching him.
Even Celestine's expression darkened.
"The first enemy has arrived."
A claw pushed through the crack—
Dripping black flames.
And a voice echoed:
"Successor of Haleonar… your existence ends tonight."
Sohag's eyes narrowed.
Quiet.
Calm.
No fear.
But inside—
A new power stirred.
The next chapter of fate had begun.
---