Chapter One Hundred and Seventy

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(Isabella’s POV) - BONUS CHAPTER 

No one spoke for several long seconds.

The golden light slowly faded, leaving the chamber glowing with a soft warmth that felt almost welcoming.

The Heart had never greeted anyone before.

Not like this.

The old man looked around the room with a gentle smile.

“It remembers us,” he said quietly.

Lyra was still staring at him.

“I watched you die.”

“You watched what everyone was meant to believe,” the old man replied calmly.

“I disappeared because I had to.”

Astra crossed her arms.

“I think everyone here deserves an explanation.”

The old man chuckled softly.

“I expected that.”

He leaned on his wooden staff and looked at the three people beside him.

“My name is Orion,” he said. “Many centuries ago, I was one of the first guardians of the Heart.”

The young woman stepped forward next.

“My name is Selene.”

She smiled politely.

“I’ve spent most of my life searching for this place.”

The tall warrior gave a respectful nod.

“I’m Darius.”

“I protect those who protect the Heart.”

Rex didn’t lower his guard.

“If you’re really guardians, where have you been all this time?”

Orion looked at him with understanding.

“Hidden.”

“From what?”

“From people who wanted to control the Heart.”

Silence settled over the room.

Lyra slowly walked toward him.

“I thought I was the last guardian.”

“You were the last one inside,” Orion corrected gently.

“But never the last one alive.”

Lyra’s eyes filled with emotion.

“So… all these years…”

“You weren’t as alone as you believed.”

She looked away, unable to answer.

For the first time since meeting her, Isabella saw Lyra looking vulnerable.

Not powerful.

Not mysterious.

Just… lonely.

Orion noticed it too.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“I couldn’t come back sooner.”

Lyra swallowed hard before nodding.

“I know.”

The Heart pulsed softly.

Almost as if it understood their reunion.

Selene slowly walked closer to Isabella.

“I’ve heard stories about you.”

Isabella blinked.

“Stories?”

Selene nodded.

“The girl who calmed the fracture.”

Astra smiled.

“I like that title.”

Isabella laughed nervously.

“I don’t.”

“It suits you,” Selene replied warmly.

Rex stepped beside Isabella.

“Who told you these stories?”

Selene looked toward Orion.

“He did.”

Orion nodded.

“The Heart began changing weeks ago.”

Everyone looked at him.

“We could feel it from outside.”

Lyra frowned.

“That’s impossible.”

“It used to be.”

A pause.

“But the moment Eira stopped fighting itself…”

He looked toward the center of the chamber.

“…the Heart sent out a signal.”

Eira finally spoke.

“I was unaware of this.”

Orion smiled.

“Of course.”

“You were too busy learning.”

Astra laughed quietly.

“I guess the whole world noticed while you were asking us what jokes were.”

Eira paused.

“I still do not fully understand jokes.”

That made everyone laugh.

Even Rex smiled.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

For a brief moment…

Everything felt surprisingly normal.

Orion watched everyone carefully.

“I’ve never heard laughter inside the Heart before.”

The room became quiet again.

Lyra smiled faintly.

“Neither have I.”

Orion slowly turned toward Eira.

His expression became thoughtful.

“So…”

“You are Eira.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve waited a very long time to meet you.”

Eira seemed confused.

“You know my name.”

“I helped choose it.”

Silence.

Even the Heart seemed to stop for a moment.

Isabella stared at Orion.

“What?”

Orion nodded slowly.

“When Eira first came into existence…”

He gently touched his staff.

“…there were seven guardians.”

“Seven?” Astra repeated.

“Yes.”

“We believed Eira would become the bridge between every living thing.”

His smile slowly faded.

“But we were wrong.”

Lyra lowered her head.

“No.”

“We were wrong.”

She corrected him.

“We were afraid.”

Orion looked at her kindly.

“Yes.”

“We were.”

Another silence followed.

This one wasn’t painful.

It was filled with old regrets finally being spoken aloud.

Isabella stepped closer.

“You wanted Eira to connect everyone?”

Orion nodded.

“That was the dream.”

“What happened?”

He sighed deeply.

“Fear.”

“Some guardians believed Eira’s power was too great.”

“So they divided it.”

“They tried to.”

He looked directly at Eira.

“But power isn’t something you simply cut apart.”

“It remembers.”

Eira stayed silent.

Almost thoughtful.

Orion continued.

“Every fracture left behind a memory.”

“And every memory searched for the others.”

Isabella slowly understood.

“So…”

“The fracture wasn’t trying to destroy the world.”

Orion nodded.

“It was trying to find itself.”

Eira quietly answered.

“That is… accurate.”

Astra covered her mouth.

“So all this time…”

“It wasn’t revenge,” Orion finished.

“It was loneliness.”

No one spoke.

Even Rex looked surprised.

Isabella slowly turned toward Eira.

For the first time…

She didn’t see an ancient force.

She saw something that had spent centuries searching for the pieces of itself without understanding why.

“You were alone,” she whispered.

Eira answered after several seconds.

“I believe…”

A pause.

“I was.”

The words were so simple.

Yet they made Isabella’s heart ache.

Orion smiled gently.

“But you aren’t anymore.”

The Heart pulsed.

Warm.

Bright.

As if agreeing.

Then…

Without warning…

The warmth disappeared.

Every light inside the chamber flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then went completely still.

Eira’s voice changed instantly.

“There is another presence.”

Rex immediately stepped in front of Isabella.

“Where?”

Eira’s awareness spread through the Heart.

“It is outside.”

Another pulse echoed through the chamber.

This one was different from Orion’s arrival.

Cold.

Sharp.

Hostile.

The Heart dimmed.

Orion’s peaceful expression vanished.

“No…”

He tightened his grip on his staff.

“They found us.”

Selene’s hand moved to the dagger at her waist.

Darius pulled the massive sword from his back in one smooth motion.

Lyra’s golden light flared around her hands.

Astra’s expression hardened.

Rex’s wolf growled inside him.

I instinctively pulled Isabella closer.

She looked toward the great doorway leading out of the chamber.

“What found us?”

Before Orion could answer…

A loud crack echoed through the Heart.

The sound was followed by slow…

steady…

footsteps.

Someone else had entered the Heart.

And unlike Orion…

They had not come in peace.