Chapter 8 The Hall of Stars

Nyxira POV

The stars under my feet didn't feel real.

They didn't feel cold or warm.

They just... were.

Like walking on nothing. But somehow, I didn't fall.

Zeryn was behind me, holding my arm to help me stay steady. Darian walked ahead, quiet, his coat moving slow behind him like it was underwater.

The hallway had no walls. Just light. Gold, white, soft blue. It stretched forever.

No end.

No sound.

Only my heartbeat.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

I looked down. The stars moved under us, like water, like clouds. I saw shapes in them.

Wings. Swords. Eyes.

Memories. Maybe.

Mine?

I didn't know.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The Archive," Darian said, not looking back. "The oldest one. The last one."

"What does it keep?"

He stopped walking. Turned to face us.

"Truth."

That word made my chest feel tight.

I wasn't ready for truth.

But I kept walking.

Because the world behind us was burning.

And I didn't want to run anymore.

Zeryn POV

I didn't like this place.

Too quiet.

Too still.

Nyx was trying to be strong, but I could tell she was shaking. Her body still glowed a little, like warm coal. But the glow was weaker now.

I wanted to carry her.

But I knew she wouldn't let me.

So I stayed close.

Watched her.

Watched Darian too.

He looked different here. Not cold. Not cruel. Just... heavy. Like he remembered too much.

We came to a wide circle of light. The air felt thicker here. Not hot. Not cold. Just heavy.

In the middle of the circle stood something strange.

A tall shape.

Made of stone. Or maybe glass.

It looked like a mirror. But not one that showed your face.

It showed pieces of light. Colors. Fire. Wings.

Nyx stepped closer.

The mirror glowed.

And showed her.

Not as she was now.

But as something else.

Older. Taller. Wings like suns. Eyes full of stars.

She gasped.

I reached for her, but she didn't fall.

She stood.

And stared.

Nyxira POV

That girl in the mirror...

She looked like me.

But not me.

She was fierce. Bright. Her hair floated like fire in wind. Her hands glowed. Her face looked like someone who knew who she was.

I didn't know her.

But I wanted to.

I wanted to be her.

I stepped closer. The mirror rippled like water.

I didn't touch it.

But it pulled me in.

Suddenly I wasn't standing anymore.

I was falling.

No-flying.

Through time. Through light.

I saw pieces.

A mountain of ash.

A sky with two suns.

A war of wings.

A voice shouting my name-Rayn.

My name.

But not just mine.

A title.

A warning.

I saw a man with black fire in his eyes. He touched the rift. Opened it.

I saw the Herald rise.

And me-Rayn-standing in front of it, sword of flame in hand.

And then...

I let go.

I fell.

By choice.

To save someone.

To stop something.

The stars exploded.

Then all went dark.

Darian POV

Nyx's body was glowing bright.

She didn't scream.

Didn't cry.

But light poured out of her eyes, her mouth, her skin.

Zeryn stepped forward. "What's happening to her?"

"She's remembering," I said. "And the Archive is showing her everything."

Zeryn growled. "What if it's too much?"

"Then she'll break."

I didn't say it gently. I said it plain.

Because it was true.

But I didn't want her to break.

Not now.

Not after we made it this far.

Suddenly the light faded.

She dropped to her knees.

Her hands were shaking.

But she wasn't crying.

She looked up.

And her eyes-

They weren't just blue anymore.

They were deep. Like stars behind glass.

She whispered, "I remember."

Nyxira POV

I remembered the first fall.

The war. The seal.

The promise I made before I gave it all up.

And I remembered my name.

Not Nyxira. Not just.

Rayn.

Flame of the End.

Protector of the Rift.

But I didn't feel powerful.

I felt tired.

Zeryn helped me stand. His hands were warm. Steady.

I looked at Darian.

"There's more, isn't there?" I asked.

He nodded.

"The Archive shows pieces. But truth lives deeper."

"Where?"

He pointed ahead.

Beyond the mirror, the stars bent. Formed stairs. Floating ones.

"Down there," he said. "In the Core."

I didn't want to go deeper.

But I had to.

Zeryn POV

We went down the stairs. Slowly.

Each step glowed under our feet.

Below, I saw a circle of crystal.

In the middle was something floating.

A book.

No covers. No pages.

Just light.

Darian said, "This is the Book of Flame."

Nyx stepped forward.

The book opened.

And the light poured into her hands.

She didn't scream.

Didn't fall.

This time, she stood strong.

And spoke.

"I know what the Herald wants."

We all looked at her.

"It's not just breaking the rift," she said. "It's trying to steal the flame. Me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I sealed it last time," she said. "Only I can do it again. But if it takes my power..."

Darian finished for her. "Then no one can stop it."

The truth felt like ice in my chest.

Nyx turned to us.

"We can't run anymore."

"Then what?" I asked.

"We fight."

Darian POV

I didn't believe in fate.

Not before.

But now, standing in the Core of the Archive, watching Nyx glow like a star, I believed in her.

She was still scared.

Still unsure.

But she wasn't running.

She was choosing.

And that meant everything.

I walked to the edge of the platform.

The stars below shifted.

I saw shadows moving in them.

Faster. Closer.

Nyx saw it too.

"They found us."

Zeryn drew his blade.

"They followed us into the Archive?"

"No," I said. "The Archive is waking. It's calling everything back."

Even the dark things.

Even the dead.

Nyxira POV

The stars turned red.

One by one.

A loud sound echoed through the space.

A heartbeat.

But not mine.

Something bigger.

Older.

Then I saw them.

Rising from the stars.

Figures.

Wearing armor from the old war.

Some glowing. Some cracked.

Not alive.

Not fully dead.

Guardians.

Lost ones.

Their eyes glowed gold.

And they knelt.

To me.

One spoke.

"Flame reborn. We are yours."

Zeryn stared. "They were waiting for you."

I nodded.

"They heard the Archive's call."

Darian stepped forward. "Then we use them."

"For what?" I asked.

"To stop what's coming next."

I turned.

Saw the stairs behind us crack.

The rift was opening again.

Here.

Inside the Archive.

The sky above us tore.

And the Herald stepped through.

Broken. Bleeding.

But smiling.

Beside it-

A shadow.

Taller.

Darker.

Not the Herald.

Something worse.

Something I knew.

From the old war.

From the fall.

"Is that-" Zeryn began.

I nodded.

"Yes. That's the one I tried to stop."

The shadow opened its eyes.

And they were made of fire.

Not warm.

Not kind.

Hungry.

And it spoke.

"Rayn. You should have stayed dead."