The dust from the shattered obelisk swirled around them, carried by an unseen force. Orion steadied himself, his heart still racing from the battle. The air had changed—lighter yet charged with an undeniable tension. They had won this fight, but the journey ahead felt even more perilous.
Lyra stepped closer to him, her golden eyes searching his face. "You're hurt."
"It's nothing," Orion replied, brushing off the faint gash on his arm. But Lyra wasn't convinced. She reached out, her fingers barely grazing his skin, sending a strange warmth through him. A soft glow emanated from her touch, and the wound sealed before his eyes.
Astra observed them with an unreadable expression. "We should move. The destruction of the obelisk has shifted the balance of this place."
Orion nodded, shaking off the moment of connection. Kael, ever the warrior, was already scouting ahead, his blade drawn. The landscape around them was changing—shifting ruins replaced by a shimmering bridge of stardust leading into a towering structure in the distance.
A grand palace, suspended in the void.
"The Palace of Forgotten Echoes," Astra whispered. "That's where the next clue lies."
As they stepped onto the bridge, Orion felt an eerie sensation, as if unseen eyes were watching. Lyra hesitated beside him, gripping his hand instinctively. A shock ran through him, but he didn't let go.
"Something's not right," she murmured.
Before Orion could respond, the palace doors creaked open on their own.
And then, they heard the whisper.
Chapter 19: The Veiled Queen's Invitation
The voice was neither male nor female, yet it echoed through their minds like a forgotten melody. Welcome, travelers of fate. Step forward, and let the past reveal itself.
Astra's face darkened. "This is a trap."
Kael smirked. "Aren't they all?"
Orion took a deep breath and led the way, stepping into the grand hall. The palace was bathed in silver-blue light, lined with mirrors that reflected distorted versions of themselves—twisted, lost, and broken. The whispers intensified, and suddenly, the mirrors began to shift, revealing glimpses of memories that didn't belong to them.
Orion froze as he saw himself standing in another time, another place. Beside him stood a woman with deep violet eyes and an aura of cosmic power. She was speaking to him—no, pleading.
"You must remember, Orion. The Astral Paradox is more than just a cycle—it is a choice."
His heart pounded. He had never seen her before, yet something about her felt... familiar.
Lyra gasped beside him. She was staring at her own reflection, but instead of her usual self, she saw a version of her clad in dark celestial armor, standing over a battlefield of fallen warriors.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Enough of these games!" He raised his sword to shatter the mirrors, but before he could, a gust of ethereal wind blew through the room.
A figure emerged from the mist. A woman draped in robes woven from galaxies, her face veiled yet radiating an undeniable power.
"The Veiled Queen," Astra whispered, her tone laced with both awe and fear.
The Queen's voice was like silk. "You seek the truth, yet you fear it. The Paradox does not bind you—you bind yourselves."
Orion stepped forward, his mind racing with questions. "Who are you to speak of the Paradox?"
The Queen let out a soft laugh. "Because, Orion, I am the one who set it in motion."