The station had become silent.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The weight of the revelations hung heavily in the air.
Lyra carried two timelines.
The First King had awakened.
Three Throne Holders were already coming.
And somewhere beyond all of it…
Orion was smiling.
Kael hated that.
He hated mysteries.
He hated secrets.
And most of all…
He hated feeling powerless.
“Explain.”
His voice echoed through the station.
The First King looked at him.
Expressionless.
Cold.
Ancient.
“You are asking the wrong question.”
Kael clenched his fists.
“Then tell me the right one.”
The First King slowly turned toward Lyra.
“The question isn’t who she is.”
Silence.
“It’s when she is.”
The station froze.
Even Draven narrowed his eyes.
Kael felt his heartbeat slow.
“When?”
The First King nodded.
“Not who.”
“Not what.”
“When.”
A chill crawled down Kael’s spine.
The old king’s silver eyes glowed faintly.
Then—
He touched Lyra’s forehead.
Instantly the world shattered.
Kael found himself standing in darkness.
An endless void.
Stars filled the sky.
But they were wrong.
Broken.
Dead.
Entire galaxies burned in the distance.
Planets drifted lifelessly through space.
Everything was dying.
Everything.
Then Kael saw her.
Lyra.
Standing alone at the edge of reality.
Older.
Much older.
Not a child anymore.
Her silver eyes glowed brighter than suns.
Time itself flowed around her.
Millions of clocks floated across the darkness.
Some broken.
Some frozen.
Some moving backward.
The older Lyra looked toward him.
Sadness filled her eyes.
The kind of sadness that only came from losing everything.
Then she spoke.
Three words.
“You’re too late.”
The vision exploded.
Kael stumbled backward.
Reality returned.
The station returned.
The First King stood before him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kael’s breathing became uneven.
“What was that?”
The answer came instantly.
“A possible future.”
The station became silent.
Nobody liked that answer.
Not even Draven.
The War Throne Holder folded his arms.
“So that’s why Time chose her.”
The First King nodded.
“She shouldn’t exist.”
“Yet she does.”
Draven cursed under his breath.
For the first time…
The legendary conqueror looked worried.
Actually worried.
Suddenly—
A loud crack echoed through reality.
Not through the tunnel.
Not through the earth.
Reality itself.
Everyone looked upward.
A giant crack appeared in the air.
Like glass breaking.
Impossible.
The station fell silent.
Then—
A hand emerged.
A pale hand.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
The crack widened.
A young woman stepped through.
Long black hair.
Silver eyes.
Dark dress.
No aura.
No pressure.
No visible power.
Yet the moment she appeared—
Every Throne Holder present reacted.
Draven’s hand instantly moved to his sword.
The First King’s eyes narrowed.
Even the undead army stepped back.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Kael had never seen them afraid before.
The woman looked around calmly.
As if she had expected this exact scene.
Then her gaze landed on Kael.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
“A little earlier than expected.”
Silence.
Kael frowned.
“Who are you?”
The woman tilted her head.
As if considering whether the question mattered.
Then she answered.
“Astra.”
She paused. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Astra Noire.”
The name meant nothing to Kael.
The reaction around him said otherwise.
The priest collapsed to his knees.
The dead knight lowered his head.
Even Draven looked irritated.
Kael’s heart sank.
Another monster.
Great.
Astra glanced toward Lyra.
Then toward the First King.
Then toward Kael.
Finally she sighed.
“Everything is happening faster than predicted.”
Nobody understood what she meant.
Then Astra looked directly into Kael’s eyes.
For a moment…
The world disappeared.
Only those silver eyes remained.
Ancient.
Endless.
Terrifying.
Eyes that had witnessed countless futures.
Countless endings.
Countless deaths.
Then she spoke.
One sentence.
One sentence that changed everything.
“The world ends in three years.”
Silence.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Kael stared at her.
Waiting for the joke.
The laugh.
The explanation.
None came.
Astra remained completely serious.
Draven closed his eyes.
The First King looked away.
Neither argued.
Neither denied it.
Because they already knew.
The worst part?
Astra wasn’t predicting the future.
She was stating a fact.
As certain as sunrise.
As certain as death.
The world would end.
In three years.
Far beyond the continent.
Far beyond the oceans.
In a forgotten temple buried beneath the stars—
A gigantic throne stood empty.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Ancient chains snapped one by one.
And deep within the darkness…
Something opened its eyes.
Not a god.
Not a human.
Something older.
Something that should never have awakened.
And for the first time in ten thousand years…
It smiled.
End of Prologue Arc
End of Chapter 10