Kael didn't have to send word. The Crimson Lotus came to him.
He found them at the edge of the Frostfang Pass three days later—Lyra wrapped in furs, Bastian hauling a sled of weapons, Elara scanning the treeline with hawk-like focus, Garrick leading a dozen freed Blades now sworn to the Lotus. Even Lord Arion was there, his face grim beneath a wolf-pelt hood, flanked by Blackwood rangers.
"You didn't think we'd let you face the stars alone, did you?" Lyra said, her breath fogging in the air. She handed him a sealed map. "Arion's scouts tracked the children's march. They're heading for the **Sky-Sunder Peak**—where the bleeding star is brightest."
Bastian grunted, unloading the sled. "Made new gear. Starlight-resistant." He held up a dagger—the blade black as void, but etched with constellations that seemed to drink the aurora's glow. "Tempered in Lena's tears. She said… it remembers warmth."
Elara mimicked the wind's howl, then shifted to a child's whisper: *"It promised stars…"* She shuddered. "The Star-Eater isn't just taking them. He's **rewriting** them. Their voices… they're hollow."
Garrick placed a hand on Kael's shoulder. His **Soul-Thread** ability pulsed—calm, steady, unbroken. "We're with you. All the way to the sky."
That night, in a cave warmed by Bastian's portable forge, they planned.
Lyra unrolled Arion's map. "The Sky-Sunder Peak has no paths. Only a sheer cliff face—and a cave system beneath the summit." She pointed to a symbol. "This is old Aethelian. It means 'Door of Stars.' The Sky-Rift is there."
Kael traced the route. "The Star-Eater's using the children as anchors—tying the rift to this world through their innocence." He looked at his guild. "We don't kill the children. We **free** them."
Bastian forged new weapons through the night—daggers, garrotes, even arrowheads—all infused with **Void-Forged Starsteel**, a metal that absorbed celestial energy. Elara practiced mimicking the Star-Eater's voice, but it hurt her throat—*true light burned lies*. Garrick trained the freed Blades in silent takedowns, emphasizing restraint: *"They're victims, not enemies."*
Lyra worked on a **Soul-Balm**—a tincture of Blackwood herbs and void-essence to shield their minds from the Star-Eater's whispers.
At dawn, Arion approached Kael. "My rangers will hold the pass. If you don't return by the next full moon…" He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
Kael nodded. "We'll be back before the snow stops."
As they began the ascent, Kael activated **Void Sovereign**, weaving a **Soul-Shroud** around the entire team. The aurora's light dimmed above them. The wind's scream softened.
For the first time, the Crimson Lotus moved as one—not just a guild, but a **constellation of will**.
> **[QUEST: ASCEND SKY-SUNDER PEAK.]**
> **[WARNING: STARLIGHT EXPOSURE INCREASES WITH ALTITUDE.]**
> **[NEW STATUS (TEAM): ALL MEMBERS +3 VOD (SYNERGY BONUS), VOID RESISTANCE +15%.]**
> **[BASTIAN: FORGED STARSTEEL WEAPONS — LIGHT-ABSORBING, PSYCHIC DAMPENING.]**
The mountain loomed ahead, its peak bleeding silver light into the sky.
The children's footprints led upward, silent and relentless.
The Crimson Lotus followed—not to destroy, but to **remember**.