Chapter 7: Secrets Beneath the Ruins

The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"...You are under arrest for treason."

Liana stared at Commander Rylan, convinced she had misheard him.

"Treason?" she repeated. "There has to be some mistake."

The commander's expression remained unreadable, though there was sorrow in his eyes.

"I wish there were."

Kael took a slow step forward, placing himself between Liana and the Royal Guards.

"I have never betrayed my kingdom."

His calm voice echoed through the abandoned churchyard.

"I left the Celestial Kingdom under my father's direct orders."

Commander Rylan lowered his gaze.

"I know."

Kael frowned.

"You know?"

"I was there when His Majesty entrusted you with the mission."

"Then why are you here?"

The commander looked genuinely conflicted.

"Because everything changed after you crossed the portal."

The wind picked up, rustling the dead leaves around the ruined church.

"The king collapsed shortly after your departure," Rylan continued. "He has not awakened since."

Liana's heart sank.

Kael's face lost its usual composure.

"My father..."

"The Royal Council declared him incapable of ruling."

Kael clenched his fists.

"And my uncle?"

"He was appointed Regent."

The answer was exactly what Kael had feared.

Lord Malachar had wasted no time.

"So this was his plan all along," Kael murmured.

"He waited until I left."

Commander Rylan nodded.

"The council believes you fled to avoid your responsibilities."

"They believe you stole the Celestial Heart."

Liana couldn't stay silent any longer.

"That's ridiculous!"

Everyone turned toward her.

"You all know Kael," she said, her voice shaking with anger. "You trained him. You served beside him. How could you believe he'd betray his own father?"

Several guards exchanged uncomfortable glances.

No one answered.

Commander Rylan sighed.

"Because evidence was presented."

"What evidence?" Kael demanded.

"A royal decree bearing the king's seal."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"My father would never sign such an order."

"That is why I came myself."

Rylan reached into his cloak and removed an old parchment.

"I wanted to see the truth with my own eyes."

He handed it to Kael.

The prince examined the document carefully.

The seal was genuine.

The signature looked identical to his father's.

Yet something wasn't right.

Kael touched the parchment.

A faint trace of dark magic lingered on its surface.

"This seal was forged."

The commander looked shocked.

"Forged?"

"Someone used shadow enchantment."

"Only a handful of people know that magic."

Both men spoke at the same time.

"Malachar."

Silence fell again.

If the document had been forged, then the entire kingdom had been deceived.

Commander Rylan slowly sheathed his sword.

"I owe you an apology, Your Highness."

Kael shook his head.

"No."

"You owe the kingdom the truth."

The commander nodded.

"Then help me expose it."

Before Kael could answer, the silver pendant around his neck suddenly blazed with light.

Not blue.

Not red.

Gold.

Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.

"What is happening?" Liana asked.

Kael stared at the pendant.

"I've never seen it react like this."

The glowing crystal lifted itself into the air.

A narrow beam of golden light shot toward the abandoned church.

It passed through the broken doorway and disappeared into the darkness inside.

Commander Rylan frowned.

"The relic is guiding you."

Kael slowly looked toward the ruined church.

"The Celestial Heart..."

"It's inside."

Liana swallowed nervously.

"Inside that place?"

The old church had stood abandoned for nearly a century.

Children often dared one another to enter.

No one ever stayed long.

People claimed strange whispers echoed through its halls after sunset.

Kael took a cautious step toward the entrance.

"We have to see what's inside."

"I'll come with you," Liana said.

"No."

She folded her arms.

"You already know I'm not listening."

Commander Rylan smiled faintly.

"She reminds me of someone."

Kael sighed.

"My mother."

The commander laughed quietly.

"Exactly."

Despite the danger, the brief moment of humor eased the tension.

The group entered the church together.

Dust covered every surface.

Broken pews lay scattered across the stone floor.

Moonlight filtered through shattered stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns across the ruins.

The air felt unnaturally cold.

Kael's pendant continued floating ahead.

Its golden light illuminated a narrow staircase hidden behind the old altar.

"I've never seen that before," Liana whispered.

Commander Rylan frowned.

"The church records never mentioned an underground chamber."

The staircase descended deep beneath the building.

Each step echoed loudly in the silence.

The farther they walked, the warmer the air became.

Ancient symbols began appearing on the walls.

Liana ran her fingers lightly across one of them.

"They're beautiful."

"They're ancient Celestial runes," Kael explained.

"They shouldn't exist in the Human Realm."

At the bottom of the staircase stood an enormous circular door made of silver stone.

Its surface was covered with glowing symbols.

The golden light from Kael's pendant disappeared into the center of the door.

A deep rumbling filled the chamber.

The ancient door slowly opened.

Everyone held their breath.

Beyond it stretched a magnificent underground sanctuary untouched by time.

Crystal pillars rose toward the ceiling.

A river of glowing blue water flowed silently through the chamber.

Countless floating lights drifted through the air like stars.

At the center stood a stone pedestal.

Resting upon it was a crystal no larger than a human heart.

It pulsed gently with golden light.

Liana felt an overwhelming warmth spread through her chest.

Kael stared in amazement.

"The Celestial Heart..."

He had searched for it across worlds.

Yet here it was.

Hidden beneath an ordinary church.

As he slowly approached the pedestal, the crystal began shining brighter.

Then something unexpected happened.

It wasn't responding to Kael.

It was responding to Liana.

The Light of Aether awakened once more.

Golden and blue light swirled around her, filling the sanctuary.

The Celestial Heart lifted itself from the pedestal.

It floated past Kael...

Past Commander Rylan...

Until it stopped directly in front of Liana.

Everyone watched in stunned silence.

The crystal gently settled into her outstretched hands.

The moment her fingers touched it, a brilliant wave of light swept through the sanctuary.

Ancient voices echoed through the chamber.

Then a single sentence rang out clearly.

"The Guardian has finally returned."

Liana's eyes widened.

"I... don't understand."

Neither did Kael.

Because according to every legend in the Celestial Kingdom, only one person could awaken the Celestial Heart.

And that person had vanished a thousand years ago.