The rest of them approached and gave him their gifts.
Then by channeling mana into the ring he'd received from Durmund, he placed all the gifts into the ring's special storage.
⸻
Now… only two remained.
Nyx'Zari.
And Vaerokh.
Raelus turned slowly toward them.
His mothers.
His fathers.
His beginnings.
They approached side by side—one scaled in royal sapphire and gold, the other wrapped in sleek obsidian coils that shimmered with starlight and demonic grace.
Nyx'Zari spoke first.
"You were born of fire and shadow. Of impossible love. Of sacrifice, and prophecy."
"You were raised not to destroy," Vaerokh said, "but to save."
"You may be destined for greatness," Nyx'Zari whispered. "But you are loved for the small things."
"For the way you smile," Vaerokh added. "The way you make even gods laugh."
"The way you make gods cry," Kael'sari muttered in the background.
Raelus choked a laugh through the tears forming in his eyes.
Nyx'Zari unfurled a robe—black silk, lined with gold and infernal red, stitched with celestial thread, dragonhide armor, and shadowlight charm runes.
"This is your mantle," she said. "The world will see a warrior. A prince. A king. But you'll always be our baby."
Raelus wrapped it around his shoulders and stepped into their embrace.
The beasts surrounded him one final time—pressing in, coiling, kneeling, lowering heads.
And above them, the sky broke once more.
It wept.
But with light.
Stars fell in silent streaks—like blessings cast from the Astral Realm itself.
Raelus stood tall at the center of it all.
Wrapped in divine gifts.
Wrapped in love.
He looked at each of them.
Eyes wet.
Lips curved in a trembling smile.
"I'm gonna make you all proud," he said.
"I promise."
⸻
The Final Gift
⸻
Silence lingered after Raelus's promise.
Even the stars paused.
Even time, it seemed, hesitated—for just one more moment to let him stay.
But then Nyx'Zari and Vaerokh stepped aside.
And something shifted in the air.
Magic stirred.
Old magic.
A love filled magic.
All sixteen Divine Beasts encircled Raelus again—closer now, forming not just a ring, but a circle of creation. A sacred rite. Each beast's aura shimmered in a different color—
elemental lights coiling upward and joining in the air above Raelus's head like a galaxy of threads.
Kael'sari's fire licked upward in brilliant
orange-red.
Sylvarion's vines twined in luminous green.
Mirelya's tides pulsed in shifting blues.
Durmund's earth thudded like a heartbeat.
Xylara's swarm scattered golden sparks.
Altairn's winds curled in sky-silver loops.
Zarakul's death-mana stirred with silent shadowlight.
Eiravelle's divine glow shimmered like moonstone.
Even Xan'thuul's darkness wrapped itself around the edges like a loving silhouette.
⸻
Each beast added a piece of themselves.
Not just power.
Intention.
"This is our last gift," Nyx'Zari said softly.
"A weave made not of cloth," Vaerokh added, "but of us."
Above Raelus, the energies twisted tighter, faster—magic condensing, solidifying—until at last, it coalesced into form:
A long black coat, regal and sharp, trimmed in ember-gold, lined in threads of elemental silver and voidlight. Runes faintly shimmered across the sleeves and hem, barely visible to the untrained eye. The inner layers rippled like wind over a lake—fluid, flexible, alive.
And beneath it, a dark tunic formed—stitched with wind-thread and stardust. Pants formed from living fabric that adapted instantly to the temperature around it. Boots of quiet-stride hide sealed at his feet, soft as shadow, light as air. Then the robe,cloak, and scarf that he'd received earlier infused themselves into the clothes. Becoming one with them.
The ensemble radiated magic.
Not just protective.
Not just adaptable.
Personal.
"This outfit," said Sylvarion, "will never tear."
"Never stain," added Mirelya.
"Never wrinkle," grunted Durmund.
"It will fit your needs, shift to your desires," Kael'sari said.
"And grow with you," whispered Eiravelle. "Until the end of your journey."
Raelus reached toward it.
The outfit descended.
And wrapped around him like memory.
No struggle. No need to adjust.
It knew him.
It had always known him.
And when he opened his eyes again… he looked complete.
⸻
The Divine Beasts stepped back one by one.
Kael'sari turned first, flames already rising around her as she prepared to leap back into her dominion.
"Come find me when the world makes you too serious again," she said. "I'll kick your tail back into laughter."
Sylvarion faded into the roots of the sanctuary with a warm smile.
"I've marked the forest near the Greenwood Kingdom. Whisper my name… and I'll come."
Mirelya slipped into a column of water that shimmered like a mirror.
"When you see the sea… you'll see me."
Korr clapped Raelus on the back one final time.
"Where there's a beast in need of taming, you'll find me not far."
Durmund grunted and turned toward a tunnel of stone that split the earth.
"I'll leave the mountain open for you, kid. Don't forget to visit, not just train."
Xylara's swarm rose into the air like a cloud of shimmering light.
"I'll be where things are delicate. Where life needs a whisper."
Altairn rose on a gust of wind, ascending toward the skies.
"If you ever fall, Raelus… fall toward the clouds. I'll catch you."
Eiravelle faded into particles of silver light.
"I'll be wherever the stars shine softest. And you'll shine brighter."
Zarakul vanished in a swirl of bone-dust and silence.
But a single word echoed from the void:
"Live."
⸻
One by one…
They left.
Back to their roles.
Back to their realms.
Not with pride alone.
But with ache.
With love.
And with hope.
⸻
Now only Nyx'Zari and Vaerokh remained.
Raelus turned toward them, breathing quietly.
No words yet.
Only heartbeat.
Then, Nyx'Zari slithered close and wrapped him in a gentle coil.
"I will always see the boy who once tried to fly by flapping his arms and screaming."
Raelus laughed, eyes stinging.
"I almost made it."
"You've already soared farther than I ever dreamed."
Vaerokh placed a clawed hand on his shoulder.
"You will be watched by enemies. Idolized by strangers. Feared by many."
"But loved," Nyx'Zari said, pressing her forehead to his.
"Always loved."
Raelus closed his eyes.
And let the tears fall.
"I love you both," he whispered. "So much it hurts."
Nyx'Zari smiled.
"Then go, little god."
"And make it beautiful."
⸻
The sun rose higher.
Raelus turned toward the sanctuary's open gate.
For the first time.
Ever.
And with his head held high, his coat fluttering behind him, blades on his back and magic under his skin—
He walked forward.
Into the world.
And behind him…
The Beasts wept
End of Chapter 11 – "When the Sky Wept Stars"