The stars above didn't just shimmer—they pulsed. A ripple of energy, faint and invisible to the world below, surged through the space between Nico and Lexanna. Time, for a heartbeat, bent around them. Even the city noise faded as though the universe was holding its breath.
Lexanna's grip on his hand tightened. "Nico… do you feel that?"
He nodded slowly. It was more than just emotion. His chest felt full—too full. Like something ancient was stirring, awakened by the sincerity of his words. His skin buzzed. Not like static. Like something… alive.
Then it hit him.
A sudden, sharp burning sensation flared on the inside of his left wrist. He yanked up his sleeve and gasped.
A glowing mark—circular, intricate like a celestial diagram—etched itself into his skin in golden lines. The pain was white-hot, but it wasn't agony. It was like his body was being rewritten. Awakened.
"Nico!" Lexanna cried.
He turned and saw her stumble back. She clutched her chest, eyes wide, gasping for air. The same symbol burned through her skin just above her heart, visible through the thin fabric of her blouse. Her back arched, and for a terrifying moment, Nico thought she might collapse.
He caught her in his arms.
"Lex! Stay with me!"
"It hurts…" she whispered. Her fingers clung to his shirt, eyes glazed with tears. "It's burning…"
"I know. I feel it too."
Their marks pulsed in sync.
And then, above them, the sky cracked.
Not thunder. Not lightning. A literal fracture tore through the firmament like shattered glass. The stars bent around it, warping light and space. Nico shielded Lexanna, heart pounding.
From the crack descended a figure.
He floated down as if gravity were an afterthought. His robes were white with silver trim, embroidered with star-maps and ancient glyphs that shimmered as he moved. His hair was long, tied with threads of blue crystal, and his eyes—glowing with pale silver light—settled on the two of them like he had been searching for eternity and finally found them.
He landed soundlessly, standing atop the rooftop with an impossible calm.
"Nico Solari. Lexanna Rae," the figure spoke, voice like wind through a bell. "The Aether Flame has chosen you."
They stared at him, stunned.
Nico stepped forward first, instinctively shielding Lexanna behind him. "Who… are you?"
The man nodded, as if expecting the question. "I am Zhaorin. Master of the Celestial Bridge. Guardian of the First Realm. And you two—" his eyes narrowed slightly, "—carry the Soulmark."
Lexanna touched her chest again, still trembling. "This mark… it's not from Earth, is it?"
"No." Zhaorin's voice softened. "It is far older than your planet. It awakens once every ten thousand years… in only those whose love is pure enough to endure what is to come."
A low hum filled the air. The rooftop beneath them glowed faintly. Then Zhaorin raised his hand and opened his palm. A lotus of light blossomed in the air, petals turning like tiny galaxies.
Images formed above the lotus: a broken planet, a man standing alone against a sea of darkness, two souls bound by flame, fighting across stars.
Lexanna reached toward it in awe. "That man… he looks like…"
Nico.
It was him—years older, dressed in armor etched with starlight, wielding a blade of cosmic fire. Lexanna stood beside him in the vision, her body surrounded by an aura of wings and roses made from energy.
"You are the bonded pair," Zhaorin said. "The Soulmark links your fate. Your emotions, your pain, your growth. Together, you may rise to heights unimaginable. But if the bond is broken…" He let the lotus dim. "One will rise. The other… will be lost."
The silence that followed was heavy. Final.
Lexanna looked at Nico. "This can't be real."
"It's real," Nico said, voice low. "I feel it. I feel you. More than ever."
He turned to Zhaorin. "What happens now?"
"You enter the First Realm," the master said. "The Lotus Academy, where all soulbonded cultivators begin. There, you will learn to harness your aetheric potential, master astral techniques, and awaken your true forms. Trials will test your will, your strength—and your love."
Lexanna swallowed. "And if we fail?"
Zhaorin's eyes turned cold. "The universe does not offer second chances."
The rooftop lit up again as the sky above them peeled apart like fabric. Through it, a tunnel of stars spiraled downward, beckoning.
Nico took Lexanna's hand. She looked at him, eyes wide with fear and wonder.
"We don't have to do this," she whispered.
He shook his head. "We do. I don't know what any of this means yet. But I know one thing."
He reached up and touched her face, gently brushing her hair behind her ear.
"I'll follow you through any sky. I'll fall through galaxies if it means protecting what we have."
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Then let's fall together."
They stepped into the light—and the world vanished.
They landed in starlight.
It wasn't just a realm—it was a living sky.
Vast bridges of transparent crystal arched over nebulae. Buildings floated in mid-air, spires twisting like glass sculptures suspended in space. Below them, an endless ocean of stars reflected every movement, and overhead, massive celestial beasts soared through constellations.
Lexanna gasped. "Is this… heaven?"
Zhaorin stood beside them, arms behind his back. "No. This is the First Realm. One of nine planes where cultivators train to become immortals."
A stone archway rose ahead, engraved with radiant silver letters: LOTUS ACADEMY.
They passed through it and arrived at a massive open plaza surrounded by floating platforms, training towers, and fields filled with students meditating, sparring, or channeling energy from the sky.
Nico and Lexanna looked like strangers here—Earth clothes, wide eyes, no idea where to begin.
Zhaorin handed them each a folded robe. Midnight blue with silver trim, stitched with the Soulmark on the back.
"You begin as Novices. In time, you may rise through the ranks: Disciple, Adept, Luminary… and beyond. But your bond will always be tested."
He paused. "The other students will envy your mark. They will challenge you. Some may try to break you apart."
Lexanna frowned. "Why would they do that?"
"Because the Soulmark is rare," Zhaorin said. "And power here… is everything."
He turned and walked away, leaving them alone on the plaza.
Almost instantly, eyes turned toward them. Whispers spread like wildfire.
"Are those the bonded ones?"
"From Earth? Seriously?"
"I heard their mark was radiant. That means a high resonance."
A girl with icy white hair and violet eyes approached. She wore an elite-level badge and moved with precise, almost mechanical grace.
"You'll want to stay out of the training halls until you can defend yourselves," she said coldly. "This place has no patience for romance."
Nico frowned. "We didn't ask for this."
"But you were chosen," she replied. "That's more dangerous than asking."
She turned and vanished into a pillar of wind.
Lexanna exhaled slowly. "This is… a lot."
Nico nodded. "Yeah. But it's still us."
She smiled faintly. "Yeah. Still us."
They entered their dorm—an elegant floating chamber wrapped in flowering vines made of crystal. One room, one bed, one soulmark glowing on the wall. Nico paused, awkwardly standing by the door.
"I can sleep on the floor—"
Lexanna pulled him down beside her. "Don't be stupid. We just got soul-bonded by space gods. We're not doing the awkward sleepover routine."
He chuckled, and for a moment, the world felt like home again.
The next day began their training.
Master Tianlan, their instructor, was a celestial being made of starlight, her voice like harp strings. She guided them to the Floating Lake—where they were to learn Energy Rooting, the first step in cultivation.
"The universe flows through you," she said. "But only those who are still can receive it. Root your breath in the cosmos."
Lexanna struggled. Her energy kept fluctuating, unstable. Every time she tried to draw in aether, her body trembled.
"I can't… it won't stay in me…"
Nico moved beside her. "Breathe with me."
She looked at him, embarrassed, but nodded.
They sat together, knees touching. Nico closed his eyes and matched his breathing with hers, gently placing his hand over her heart. Her pulse was frantic—but slowly, slowly, it began to match his.
Together, they inhaled—and a soft light formed between them. Her body glowed faintly.
Master Tianlan smiled. "The bond strengthens both."
By the end of the session, Lexanna had surpassed even some senior students.
Not because she was the strongest.But because he made her feel safe enough to rise.
But not all attention was good.
A student named Kael, tall and broad with a sharp jaw and cruel eyes, stopped them on their way back from training.
"You two think you're special?" he scoffed. "That soulmark doesn't make you gods. It makes you targets."
"We didn't come here to be special," Nico replied coolly.
Kael stepped closer. "Then go back to your weak little planet. This place is for warriors, not lovebirds."
He shoved Nico's shoulder.
In an instant, Lexanna moved—flames rising around her fingertips.
"Touch him again," she said, voice deadly calm, "and I'll show you how Earth girls fight."
Kael grinned. "That fire won't last. It never does. Not when the trials begin."
He turned and walked away, laughing with his clique.
Nico looked at Lexanna. "Thanks for not letting me get roasted."
She rolled her eyes. "Next time, I let you get hit once. For humility."
They laughed, the tension easing. But a shadow lingered in the back of Nico's mind.
Kael wasn't wrong.
This wasn't Earth. This was war—disguised as school. And the stronger their bond became, the more enemies they would make.
That night, as they lay beneath a simulated sky—one filled with their own constellation—Lexanna whispered:
"Do you ever miss home?"
Nico stared at the ceiling. "Sometimes. But not as much as I miss us."
She turned on her side, touching his face. "We're still us."
"But how long will we be?" he whispered. "When trials begin… what if something tries to change you?"
She leaned in, forehead touching his. "Then hold onto me. Remind me who I am."
"I'll never let go."
"I know."
Outside their window, the stars shifted again.
And the Soulmark glowed brighter.
A storm was coming. But for now… they had each other.
And sometimes, love is the strongest cultivation of all.