Celeste landed hard on the grass. She had escaped. But as she lay there and couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
The entity was gone. And yet…
The air still trembled.
She sat up , her body aching from the battle. Her hands still glowed faintly, silver-blue energy coiling around her fingertips like it had taken on a life of its own.
"What did I…?" she whispered.
She could still feel it. The power she had tapped into—it wasn't just Aether. It was something else.
Celeste clenched her fists, trying to still the pulsing energy within her. She had spent her whole life running, and fighting
This wasn't just the matter of running and fighting.
This was something awakening inside her.
She forced herself to stand, scanning around.
Then
Turning away, she pushed forward into the dark forest. Every instinct told her to keep moving. The Enclave would be searching for her. The Pantheon wouldn't ignore what just happened.
Somewhere in the depths of Eidolon…
A figure knelt in the dim glow of a floating sigil. Golden Aether shimmered around them, forming symbols in the air. The sigil pulsed once—twice—before fracturing apart.
The message was clear.
Aether disturbance detected. Unidentified force awakened.
The figure rose, turning toward the grand temple behind them. Towering statues of the gods loomed overhead, their expressions angry. But the figure knew better.
The gods were not serene.
The gods were watching.
they would not ignore this.
Back in the forest…
Celeste moved swiftly, The deeper she went, the more her mind raced.
The Pantheon's entire rule was built on control. Control of fate, control of Aether, control of existence itself.
She had done something impossible.
she had just broken that control.
She let Aether go.
Celeste exhaled
The gods were going to come for her.
The Enclave was going to hunt her.
But for the first time in her life… she wasn't afraid.
She didn't know what was for her at the end of this path.
But she would find out.
And when she did—the gods would finally have something to fear.