Orion awoke to the scent of burning ether and the weight of unseen chains. Darkness surrounded him, but it was not the endless void of space—it was a prison between realities. He was trapped.
A whisper curled around his ear, chilling him to his core. "You cannot escape fate, Orion. You never could."
The voice belonged to Seraphina.
He turned, and there she stood, her violet eyes dim with sorrow. She wasn't the same warrior from his visions. Here, she was something else—something lost.
"Why?" Orion's voice was raw with betrayal. "Why did you help the Veiled Queen?"
Seraphina hesitated, then placed a trembling hand on his chest. "Because I remember everything. And so will you—soon."
A surge of light consumed him, forcing memories into his mind, unraveling layers of truth buried beneath centuries of lies.
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Chapter 29: The First Cycle
Orion's past life played out before him, each memory sharper than the last.
He saw himself standing in the celestial stronghold, standing beside Seraphina and—
Lyra.
But it wasn't the Lyra he knew. This Lyra was different—her aura pulsed with cosmic energy, her golden eyes burned with divine power. She wasn't just another warrior in the war against the Veiled Queen.
She was its catalyst.
"You were never meant to choose between us, Orion," Seraphina's voice wove through the memories. "You were meant to break the cycle. But each time, you failed. Each time, you fell into the same paradox."
The images shattered, and Orion was back in the prison realm. His breath came in sharp gasps as the weight of his choices—past and present—threatened to crush him.
Seraphina stepped back. "I did what I had to do. And now, you must decide."
Orion's fists clenched. The Veiled Queen had been right about one thing: the Astral Paradox was more than a war. It was a repeating nightmare.
This time, he would end it.