The Gathering Storm
The ruins of Solara still carried the weight of their battle. Scorched earth, broken stone, and the lingering traces of Solarius’ corrupted power told a tale of struggle and triumph. But Tranquility knew better than to believe this was an end.
It was only the beginning.
The moment he had mastered the Sun Peridot, he had felt it—the shift in the world, the ripple of something vast stirring beyond the veil of reality. Whatever lay sealed in the depths of history was waking up.
And they had little time before it fully emerged.
---
The Echoes Continue
“We need to move,” Reiko said, her voice clipped as she examined the charred ruins. “Whatever force was bound here… it wasn’t destroyed. Just scattered.”
Syaoran knelt, pressing his hand to the blackened soil. “The Fallen Sun’s influence is still alive. I can feel it crawling beneath the surface. Like something is still trying to break free.”
Endymion nodded grimly. “Then we can’t stay here.” He glanced toward Tranquility. “Where do we go next?”
Tranquility inhaled, feeling the pulse of the Sun Peridot warm against his chest. It beat like a second heart—guiding, warning. “We’ve already seen the Forgotten Records… but we didn’t understand everything they were trying to tell us.”
Yue spoke, his voice soft but firm. “There was more hidden between the lines. Something even the Records couldn’t speak plainly.”
“Then where?” Zoisite asked from behind, arms folded tightly. “If we’re not returning to the temple, where do we find the answers?”
Before Tranquility could speak, Clow stepped forward. His usually amused expression had turned serious, sharp with focus. A sphere of light flickered to life in his palm—shimmering gold laced with swirling shadow.
“There’s a place beyond the reach of history,” Clow said. “It was only hinted at in the Forgotten Records—buried under seals and metaphors. But when the barrier at Solara broke, I felt it.”
He expanded the sphere, revealing a shifting map of light and darkness. “A fragment of the Fallen Sun slipped free… and it’s moving toward something hidden. Something even the Sun Kingdom tried to erase.”
A silence settled over the group.
Reiko’s fists clenched. “Then we’re already behind.”
“Not for long,” Tranquility said, eyes blazing. “We follow the trail—and we finish what was started.”
---
Helios' Decision
Before their departure, Tranquility stood once more before his father in the heart of Solara’s ruins. Though the space was broken, littered with ash and fragments of past glory, Helios stood tall—still the Sun King.
“You’re leaving,” Helios said, not as a question but as a truth he had already accepted.
Tranquility nodded. “We need to stop this before it spreads. The Fallen Sun is moving, and we don’t know how much longer the balance will hold.”
Helios studied him quietly. Then he turned toward the edge of the ruins.
A figure stepped forward from the shadows—a warrior clad in golden armor, the sun insignia still gleaming proudly on his chest despite the battle-worn plates. His gaze met Tranquility’s with measured calm, a strength forged from countless forgotten battles.
“This is Captain Caelum,” Helios said. “One of the last of the old guard—trained in the lost traditions of Sol Invictus. If you’re chasing the truth, you’ll need someone who remembers it.”
Tranquility turned to Caelum, assessing him silently.
Kunzite raised a brow. “Convenient.”
Clow hummed. “A guide from the past to walk beside the future… poetic symmetry.”
Caelum raised an eyebrow at Clow. “You must be the sorcerer.”
Clow inclined his head. “Among other things.”
Reiko crossed her arms. “As long as he doesn’t slow us down.”
Caelum’s lips curled slightly. “Try to keep up.”
Tranquility smirked, just a little. Then nodded. “We move at dawn. Follow the trail Clow found.”
They turned to face the horizon, where gold met shadow.
The past had already begun to stir.
And the storm was far from over.