The Crimson Gate opened only a few inches.
But the effect was immediate.
A violent shockwave burst from the arch, sweeping across the chamber and slamming into the surrounding pillars. Several guards were thrown backward as the force rolled through the room like a storm.
Cairis didn't move.
His demonic aura expanded instantly, forming a dark barrier in front of Liora.
The wave shattered against it.
Stone cracked beneath his boots, but he held his ground.
"Close it!" one of the commanders shouted.
But no one moved.
No one knew how.
The gate had not been opened in a thousand years.
And right now it wasn't obeying anyone.
The narrow gap between the doors glowed with deep crimson light. The swirling energy inside looked thicker now, heavier like something immense was pressing against the other side.
The shadowy figure behind the light stepped closer.
Not fully visible.
Just a silhouette moving slowly through the storm of energy.
Liora could feel it watching her.
Not with hatred.
Not even anger.
Recognition.
Her breathing grew shallow.
"…I don't like this."
Cairis didn't look back at her.
"Stay behind me."
The figure inside the gate tilted its head.
The ancient voice echoed again.
"You truly do not remember."
Liora swallowed.
"No."
The answer came quietly.
"…I don't."
The voice seemed almost disappointed.
"Then the cycle begins again."
The gate pulsed violently.
The light surged outward.
And suddenly
Liora's world shattered.
Cold wind whipped across a massive stone balcony.
The sky above was black, filled with endless stars.
But they were wrong.
Too bright.
Too close.
Like they were hanging just above the world.
Liora blinked.
Except it wasn't Liora.
Her body felt different.
Taller.
Stronger.
Magic flowed through her veins like fire.
She looked down.
Her hands were glowing.
Silver light spiraled around her fingers.
A voice spoke behind her.
"You should rest."
She turned slowly.
A man stood several steps away.
Tall.
Dressed in armor darker than night.
Crimson eyes.
Dark wings folded behind his back.
Her breath caught.
It was Cairis.
But not the Cairis she knew.
His face was younger.
Sharper.
Less controlled.
But those eyes were unmistakable.
"Rest?" she repeated.
Her voice sounded older.
Wiser.
And filled with a quiet authority she didn't recognize.
"There will be no rest if the gate breaks tonight."
The younger Cairis stepped closer.
"You've already used too much magic."
"Not enough."
She turned back toward the sky.
In the distance, something enormous stirred beyond the mountains.
A dark storm twisting across the horizon.
"…Azhrael is waking."
Cairis's jaw tightened.
"Then we should seal the gate permanently."
Her eyes softened slightly.
"You know that would destroy the Spirit Realm."
"I care about this realm."
His voice lowered.
"…But I care about you more."
Silence passed between them.
A thousand emotions hidden in a single moment.
Then she stepped closer to him.
Her hand touched his chest lightly.
"Cairis."
His name sounded different when she said it.
Older.
Intimate.
"If I fail tonight… promise me something."
His wings shifted uneasily.
"…Don't say that."
"Promise me."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…What?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Find me again."
The stars above them flickered.
Magic surged across the sky.
The massive gate far below the palace began to crack.
She smiled sadly.
"I don't want the next life to be lonely."
Liora gasped.
The vision shattered.
She staggered backward.
The chamber of the Crimson Gate rushed back into focus.
The cold stone floor.
The guards.
The roaring crimson light.
Cairis grabbed her shoulders instantly.
"Liora."
His voice sounded tight.
"What did you see?"
She stared at him.
Her heart pounded wildly.
"I…"
Her voice shook.
"…I think I knew you."
Cairis froze.
"What?"
"In another life."
The words felt unreal even as she spoke them.
But the memory still lingered.
The balcony.
The stars.
The promise.
Cairis's expression hardened slightly.
"That's impossible."
The ancient voice behind the gate laughed softly.
"Is it?"
The chamber trembled again.
The opening in the gate widened another inch.
The figure inside stepped closer.
Its presence now filled the entire room with crushing pressure.
"The Star Witch Queen remembers."
The soldiers fell to their knees.
Even some of the pillars cracked under the strain.
Cairis stepped forward again, his aura flaring darker.
"You will not come through."
The figure tilted its head.
"I do not need to."
Its golden eyes flickered toward Liora.
"She will open the way herself."
The gate pulsed violently again.
And this time
Another chain shattered.
Liora's chest tightened painfully.
The magic inside her surged uncontrollably.
The ancient power she had sealed away in another life was beginning to wake.
And the worst part?
A small piece of her now remembered the truth.
She had sealed the gate before.
But next time
She might have to destroy it completely.
Or let something terrible escape.