Chapter 24

The moment the Ark docked into the hovering station of Universal Guard HQ, the rumble of ancient mechanisms echoed through the hangar. Shizuku stood tall, arms crossed, his dark emperor cloak shifting gently with the sudden pressure equalization.

Shizuku (stepping out first):
We're home.

The captains followed behind, their boots tapping onto the polished obsidian of the hangar floor. Technicians and attendants bowed, saluting as the most elite of the cosmos returned bearing yet another fragment of power.

They moved swiftly to the central chamber.

—

Around the crystalline war table, shimmering with a soft constellation-like map of Meeresboden, the captains gathered one more time before dispersal.

Shizuku (addressing all):
Darkness has been secured. Kifo’s world remains intact. Lily, monitor your gift. Asche, Berwick—double up on psychological evaluations for our next encounter. We’re heading into the Starsea Sanctum next.

Eris (raising an eyebrow):
You’re referring to the Sigil Fragment of Luminosity?

Shizuku (nods):
Yes. But first… we complete what we started.

He stepped back, voice lowering slightly.

Shizuku (glancing at Asche):
Asche. Come with me.

—

The vault-like doors parted with a rumble, revealing a circular chamber of impossibly ancient stone and astral steel. In the center, the altar where the fragments converged glowed softly—a beacon of stabilized essence.

The fragments already inserted pulsed in sync: Emrys’s Law, Kei’s Earth.

Shizuku removed the newly secured fragment—black as void, swirling faintly like a dying star—and handed it to Asche with surprising gentleness.

Shizuku (quietly):
You know the sequence. Let it resonate. Kifo entrusted it to us.

Asche stepped forward, eyes narrowing with both reverence and tension. The weight of darkness—controlled, focused, obedient to balance—throbbed in his hand.

With a nod, he placed the Sigil Fragment of Caliginosity into the chamber’s nexus.

A pulse shot outward like a wave of velvet smoke.

The lights flickered, then steadied. The runes along the chamber walls danced for a moment, then harmonized.

Shizuku (low voice):
Three down.

The Emperor looked up at the vast constellation engraved into the ceiling—one cluster now glowing slightly brighter.

Shizuku (turning to Asche):
We’re not slowing down. We don’t have time to.

Asche (bowing slightly):
I’ll be ready.

They stood in silence for a moment longer, as the sigils thrummed like a heartbeat. The universe had shifted once again.