Susan's mechanical arm plunged into the crystal core, and Aetherlyn's memories engulfed her:
• In the Age of Darkness, Leiner stole a kiss from Aetherlyn. His ring scratched her skin, letting the first drop of starlight seep into Black Rock's core.
• Hakon led the Steel Warriors to burn the Eldar sanctum, unknowingly driving the divine remains' wrath deeper into the planet's veins.
• A three-year-old Carlisle touched the crystal in his father's arms, his pupils briefly reflecting Aetherlyn's starlight.
"So we're all just puppets on strings…" Susan's tears crystallized inside her mask. Her mechanical arm, under an unseen force, carved Eldar sealing runes into the crystal core—a move that brought Hakon to his knees in the northern mining pit.
At that moment, the aurora storm reached its climax. Carlisle saw countless beams of light rise to the sky, each containing the embraced forms of Eldar lovers. Their collective sigh reverberated like thunder:
"Love is both shackle and blade!"