Chapter 46: The One He Couldn't Save
The Trial of Stars was not yet finished.
The guardians said nothing as Andrew stood once more in the circle. His pulse was still heavy from the fight with his darker self, but this next trial—it felt heavier.
"You will now face the one who broke you," said the silver-eyed woman.
"And the part of you that never healed."
Ashren trembled in its sheath, not with violence—but with grief.
And then the light returned.
- A Garden from Another Time -
Andrew stood in a vast field beneath twin moons. Silver lilies bloomed around him, brushing against his legs like memories. A soft breeze stirred, and for a moment—peace.
Then he saw her.
Standing by a white tree, back turned, humming an old lullaby only he should've known. Her dark hair drifted in the wind, and when she turned, Andrew felt the world collapse inward.
Elira.
His queen. His light. The one he had loved more than the world he conquered.
And the one he had killed.
- Unforgiven -
Her eyes met his.
No hatred. No fear.
Only sadness.
"You came back," she whispered.
Andrew stepped forward, unsure whether to speak or fall to his knees.
"I tried to save you," he said.
"You tried to save the world," she replied, stepping closer. "But forgot who made it worth saving."
Her fingers grazed his chest—right over where his heart still ached.
"You burned continents. Reshaped fate. For what? To be alone in the end?"
Andrew closed his eyes.
"I can't undo it. But I can still protect what's left."
"Then you must protect it without becoming the thing I died fearing."
- A Gift of Memory-
Elira stepped back and raised her hand.
From it glowed a single white flame—the memory of a night long buried. One he had locked away. The night he ended her life to stop her transformation into something else… something corrupted.
"You didn't kill me," she said.
"You saved me from what they turned me into."
Tears welled in Andrew's eyes.
She smiled.
"So stop carrying the guilt. Carry the love."
She placed the flame in his chest.
It didn't burn—it healed.
- Awakening, Part II -
Back in the circle, Andrew's head snapped up.
He was crying.
Mihai stepped forward but didn't speak.
The silver-eyed woman finally bowed her head.
"You have faced your rage. And now your sorrow. Only one trial remains."
Andrew stood slowly, heart lighter than it had been in lifetimes.
"What is it?" he asked.
Her silver eyes narrowed.
"Faith. You must face the world's judgment… and accept that you cannot control how they see you."
He nodded.
"Then let them see all of me."