The chamber beneath the mountain was silent.
Aren held the final Star Shard in his hand as its silver light spread across the ancient walls. Strange symbols glowed around him, revealing a forgotten truth.
The Skyforge was not a weapon.
It was a prison.
Lyra stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the stone altar at the center of the room.
"What is this place?" she whispered.
Before Aren could answer, the voice of the old guardian echoed through the darkness.
"Long ago, the first kings chained the Shadow Star here. If the prison breaks, the sky itself will fall."
The ground shook.
Cracks raced across the altar, and black light poured through them like smoke. From the darkness rose a figure wrapped in broken stars.
It had no face.
Only two glowing eyes.
"The last heir has finally come," the creature said. "Give me the shards, and I will restore what your world has lost."
Aren felt the memories of his father, his village, and every friend he had lost pulling at his heart.
For one moment, he wanted to believe.
But Lyra grabbed his arm.
"Don't listen. It feeds on regret."
The creature laughed.
"And what do you know, child of the moon?"
Suddenly, Kael appeared from the shadows, wounded but alive. In his hand was the ancient blade they had thought destroyed.
"I know one thing," Kael said. "Monsters always promise hope before they bring ruin."
He charged.
The blade struck the creature, sending a wave of light through the chamber. The Shadow Star screamed, but the prison walls began to collapse.
The guardian's voice returned.
"The Skyforge can only be sealed by the blood of the Star King."
Aren looked at the glowing shard in his hand.
If he used its power, the prison would close.
But the magic inside him would vanish forever.
The mountain trembled harder.
Outside, the stars above the kingdom were already beginning to fall.
Aren closed his eyes and stepped toward the altar.
"I know what I have to do."
And in the darkness, someone unseen whispered—
"You are too late."
**To be continued part -39...**