The memories came rushing back.
Kael stood motionless before the opening Door as fragments of his forgotten life flooded his mind.
A dying star.
A battlefield.
Seven Thrones burning across the heavens.
And himself...
Standing at the center of it all.
The Star Eater.
Kael opened his eyes.
The darkness surrounding his body had grown stronger.
Black energy flowed across his arms, mixing with the white light of the Last Core.
For the first time, the two powers existed together.
Aetherion's voice was barely a whisper.
"Kael..."
"You remember."
Kael looked toward the ancient being beyond the Door.
"Not everything."
"But enough."
The figure smiled.
"Then you remember what you did."
Kael's expression hardened.
"I remember saving a dying world."
"You remember the first one."
The figure stepped closer.
"You saved thousands."
"Then millions."
"Then entire galaxies."
Kael's memories continued.
He saw himself reaching toward dying stars.
His body absorbed their fading light.
The stars collapsed.
And Kael grew stronger.
But there was something else.
A memory he didn't want to see.
A planet.
Millions of people.
Kael standing above them.
His eyes glowing with darkness.
The planet's star disappeared.
The entire world fell into darkness.
Kael whispered,
"I destroyed them."
The figure nodded.
"You consumed their star."
"Not because you wanted to."
"Because you lost control."
Kael's fists tightened.
The Architects watched from a distance.
Their leader finally spoke.
"That is why we erased his existence."
Kael turned toward them.
"You erased me?"
"We erased the memory of you."
"Because the universe could not survive another Star Eater."
A deep silence followed.
Then Nox appeared above the battlefield.
His crimson eyes rested on Kael.
"They lied."
Kael looked up.
"What did they lie about?"
Nox answered.
"You didn't lose control."
The Architects immediately raised their weapons.
"Silence, Devourer."
Nox ignored them.
"You chose to destroy that world."
Kael's heart sank.
"Why?"
Nox's voice became quieter.
"Because that world had already been infected."
Kael froze.
"Infected with what?"
Nox looked toward the opening Door.
"The same thing that is coming through now."
The darkness beyond the Door moved.
Something enormous shifted behind it.
Kael felt the Last Core tremble.
Aetherion suddenly shouted.
"Kael!"
The Door began opening completely.
The mysterious figure beyond it vanished into the darkness.
Then a hand emerged.
The same unnatural hand Kael had seen before.
But this time...
It was followed by a second hand.
Then a head.
Then an enormous body.
Reality bent around it.
The creature stepped through.
Every star in the surrounding galaxy went dark.
The being looked at Kael.
And smiled.
"You finally remembered me."
Kael stared at it.
A forgotten name appeared in his mind.
One he had buried deeper than any memory.
One even Aetherion had refused to speak.
"Eclipse."
The creature smiled wider.
"Yes."
"You remember."
The Last Core screamed.
And Kael understood the truth.
The Star Eater had never been the greatest threat.
He had been created to fight something far worse.
And Eclipse...
Had finally returned.