A blinding light streaked toward the temple, illuminating the night like a second sun. Red reacted instantly, expanding the barrier to encompass the entire structure. In less than a second, he layered thirteen different protective spells over it, each one more intricate than the last. His body trembled from the sheer exertion—it had been a thousand years since he had pushed himself this hard.
The other followers sprang into action, weaving their own barriers across key points around the temple, reinforcing its defenses.
"Everyone! Follow me—NOW!" Red's voice boomed through the chaos, raw with urgency. As they rushed past Aria, his gaze met hers for a fleeting moment, but there was no time for hesitation. They sprinted toward the underground chambers, desperate for shelter.
Just as they reached the heavy doors, Aria turned, raising a hand. With a forceful slam, the doors shut in front of them, glowing as an intricate web of runes carved themselves into the surface, sealing it shut.
A voice, deep and resonant, echoed in their minds.
"For the price of lying to the one who holds the Principles, death is the only result."
Red's breath hitched as he rushed to the glass window, his heart pounding. Above them, the falling light had grown even larger—no, not light. A star. A celestial body, wreathed in an ominous white glow, was plummeting straight toward them.
Desperation overtook him. He thrust a hand forward, casting a binding spell at Aria, but the moment it neared her, her barrier flared to life, shattering his magic effortlessly.
Red exhaled sharply, his frustration mounting. His jaw clenched as he layered even more barriers around the temple, his mind racing for a solution.
"Hand me the potion!" he commanded.
A follower tossed him a small vial. Catching it, Red tore off his mask, revealing a face riddled with burn scars, a deep gash running over both eyes. Without hesitation, he downed the potion in one gulp, ignoring the bitter taste. Holy energy surged through him, and he pushed himself past his limits, creating thirteen more layers of divine protection.
The final barrier flickered into place—then Aria grinned and put her hand out towards Red. Dark serpents came from the floor and swallowed his body in a single strike. His body collapsed onto the cold floor.
The followers, seeing their leader fall, rushed toward a massive tome resting on a pedestal—TheBook of the Forbidden. With frantic hands, they attempted to cast a spell meant to return the dead to their graves.
Before they could finish, the book vanished.
It reappeared in Aria's hands. Her fingers tightened around its ancient cover. Then, with a simple snap of her fingers, it disintegrated into nothingness.
"You don't need such a petty thing in this era," she murmured.
As her gaze swept across the room, something in her shifted. Her pupils dilated, her irises turning a striking emerald green. A second later, her body wavered—then she collapsed, unconscious.
"Commander!"
Halstein turned at the urgency in Stiles' voice.
"What is i—" His words died as his eyes locked onto the sky.
A star, engulfed in a divine radiance, was descending upon Stern.
There was no time to think. Without hesitation, Halstein shattered the jet's window and leapt out, plummeting toward the earth. He landed effortlessly, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust. Without missing a beat, he bolted forward, tearing across the landscape at inhuman speeds.
"I need to evacuate as many civilians as possible... What the hell is happening in Stern?" he muttered under his breath. His velocity was so great that blades of grass were severed in his wake, buildings sliced clean as he passed.
The city was deserted—except for one man.
An old man, standing alone in the empty streets, a smile tugging at his lips.
Halstein skidded to a stop, eyes narrowing. "Was this your doing?"
The old man chuckled. "No, you fool. It's not mine. It's falling above the old temple in the south."
Before Halstein could say another word, the man vanished into thin air.
Tension coiled in his chest. He didn't have time to question it. He turned and sprinted toward the temple.
By the time he arrived, Stiles, SteelArm, and Kiera were already there. His eyes widened at the sight—twenty-six layers of barriers encased the temple, each pulsating with raw energy.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded.
Stiles shook his head, his voice grim. "I don't know, Commander… But this level of magic is beyond anything I can comprehend."
Halstein clenched his fists as they all looked skyward. The star was almost upon them now.
"Shit," he muttered. "There's nothing we can do against that. We're getting out of here—now."
None of them argued. They turned and ran, abandoning the temple to its fate as the heavens themselves prepared to strike.
The moment the star was about to make contact, Halstein and his team had already put as much distance as they could between themselves and the temple. The sheer magnitude of the incoming impact made it clear—there was no saving anyone inside.
A deafening explosion ripped through the air as the star collided with the temple. The earth shook violently, sending shockwaves through the surrounding landscape. A blinding white light consumed the night, and for a moment, the entire sky looked as if it had been set aflame.
Then—silence.
Thick, dark smoke billowed into the air as the fire raged. The temple, once a grand structure fortified with layers of magic, was gone. Hours passed before Halstein gave the order to check the destroyed lands.
They all walked over to the site and began to check everything once they arrive after running for fifteen minutes.
Burnt bodies, shattered stone, and remnants of arcane energy lingered in the air. The aftermath of the destruction was absolute—there was no sign of life anywhere.
Until Kiera spotted something.
"Over here!" she called, her voice cutting through the eerie silence.
The team hurried over, their boots crunching against the charred remains of what had once been an ancient structure.
There, on a small intact section of the temple floor, a girl laid unconscious.
Unlike the rest of the site, this one fragment of the floor remained untouched. No burns, no cracks—only her. The protective barrier that had once surrounded Aria was now gone, leaving only her motionless form in its place.
Kiera knelt beside her, pressing two fingers against her neck. "She's alive."
Halstein's brows furrowed. "How the hell did she survive this?"
Stiles scanned the area. "I don't sense any residual energy from a barrier anymore… Whatever protected her Is not here... that's for sure."
"That means someone put it there," SteelArm muttered, crossing his arms. "And if that's the case, this girl isn't just some random survivor."
Kiera activated her detection abilities, sweeping the ruins for any lingering life signatures, magical traces, or hidden threats. After a few minutes, she stood up and shook her head.
"No other survivors. No active magic. Whatever happened here… it's over without a trace of it."
Halstein glanced at the girl. She was young—perhaps in her early twenties—with dark purple hair stained with soot and dust. Her breathing was steady, but she showed no signs of waking up.
"Fine. We're taking her," he decided. "If she survived this, she's important."
Kiera nodded and carefully lifted the girl, and they made their way back to the jet, which had landed at a safe distance.