Chapter 59

The stars above the sanctum cracked like glass. Hoshi descended, not walking, but unfolding downward in ribbons of light, the weight of their divine presence distorting the sky around Alto. Their staff—Lueur d’Aube—glowed with layered runes, brighter than a sun and softer than moonlight.

Hoshi
You’ve come seeking truth, Alto Mezzanine. But truth demands sacrifice. Your name, your title, even your sanity—are you willing to risk them?

Alto
(firmly)
I’m not afraid. I want to know what I am when everything is stripped away.

Hoshi
Then let me strip it.

They raised their hand—and the sanctum howled.

Light surged forward like a tidal wave, crashing down in radiant cascades that forced Alto to teleport, evade, counter. He unleashed his stellar affinity, shaping constellations into spears and sigils—but every blow Hoshi returned unraveled his very mana.

Hoshi
Stars are beautiful, but they die. Show me something eternal.

Alto’s eyes widened. He recognized the feeling crawling up his spine, gnawing at his composure.

Blood.
It whispered.
It called.

His hands trembled. The glyphs on his arms, sealed since birth, began to pulse red.

Alto
(voice shaking)
No... not here. Not again...

Hoshi
(calmly)
You inherited more than starlight. You are more than starlight. Embrace the name inside your blood.

The moment shattered.

From his heart, red runes burst—spiraling across his limbs like wildfire. A halo of crimson blades formed behind his back, and a spiral crest—a bleeding star—appeared on his forehead.

Sang d’étoile.
The Blood God Form.

His hair frayed into twin layers of scarlet and gold, his pupils turned to stellar irises dripping blood, and the sky trembled at the raw convergence of Blood and Star.

Alto screamed—not in pain, but in release.

He lunged forward, striking faster than even Hoshi could anticipate. Stellar chains bound Hoshi’s limbs, while razor-thin blood threads sought to dissect their aura.

For a moment, Alto was untouchable.

Unhinged.
Godlike.
Beautiful and terrifying.

But as the final blow neared Hoshi’s neck, they whispered a single word:

“Reflect.”

A mirror of pure light burst forward, showing Alto his own eyes—lost, uncontrolled, afraid.

He stopped.

His body trembled as the blood halo collapsed and the stellar crest dimmed. Alto collapsed onto one knee, breathing heavily, tears mixing with sweat and blood.

Alto
(panting)
I... I nearly killed you.

Hoshi
(walking toward him)
And you would have. But you didn't. Control isn't about resisting what you are—it’s about accepting it. You are the child of blood and stars, Alto Mezzanine.

They touched his shoulder, and in that moment, Alto felt warmth—not light, but peace.

Your final test… is passed.