Aki sat in silence, his mind struggling to grasp the weight of his mother's words.
Not even the stars can hold you.
The sentence echoed in his mind, reverberating with a power he didn't understand.
Hoshikiri studied him carefully, sensing the shift in his energy. "Aki," she murmured, "you're shaking."
He clenched his fists, barely noticing the tremor in his hands. "…I saw her."
Hoshikiri's expression darkened. "Who?"
"My mother."
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, but it was quickly masked. "…What did she say?"
Aki hesitated. Telling Hoshikiri meant admitting what he had just realized—that he wasn't just a chosen one.
He was something else entirely.
"She said my fate isn't bound to the gods." He swallowed hard. "That even the stars have no control over me."
Hoshikiri's breath caught. Her glowing eyes widened, her usual composure breaking for the first time.
"…Impossible," she whispered.
Aki shook his head. "That's what I thought, too."
But the truth was undeniable. The gods feared him. The stars whispered his name. And now, his mother—someone who should not have been able to reach him—had spoken to him from beyond.
Something was changing.
And he was at the center of it.
---
The Celestial Realm – A Fracture in Destiny
Far above the mortal world, the celestial gods gathered once more in the Hall of Eternity.
The Mirror of Fate, a relic that had guided destiny since the dawn of time, stood at the center of the assembly. But tonight, it did not glow with its usual clarity.
It flickered.
It cracked.
And for the first time in history—
It failed to show the future.
The gods stood in tense silence, their divine forms flickering as they gazed upon the broken mirror.
"This is beyond a mere anomaly," Amaterasu murmured. "The threads of fate are unraveling."
Takemikazuchi narrowed his storm-filled eyes. "Is this because of the boy?"
All eyes turned to Tsukihikari-no-Kami, who had remained silent, his golden gaze locked onto the fractured mirror.
"…Yes," he finally admitted.
Murmurs rippled through the divine assembly. Some spoke in concern, others in fear.
"But how?" one god demanded. "Even mortals with great destinies are bound by the stars."
"The boy is not bound." Tsukihikari-no-Kami's voice was quiet, yet it carried through the chamber like a decree. "He is beyond us."
A heavy silence fell.
For gods who had shaped the course of human history, the idea of something—someone—beyond their reach was unthinkable.
Unacceptable.
Takemikazuchi's eyes flashed with divine energy. "Then we must act."
Tsukihikari-no-Kami's expression darkened. "And do what?"
"Contain him. Before it is too late."
The Mirror of Fate flickered once more. Aki's reflection wavered—
And then, for the first time in history—
It disappeared.
---
Back in the Mortal Realm
Aki jolted upright, his chest tight with an unshakable sense of dread.
Hoshikiri was already standing, her gaze locked onto something outside the window.
"Aki," she said, her voice unusually tense. "We have to move. Now."
He turned, confused—
And then, through the darkness of the night, he saw them.
Figures.
Glowing with celestial energy, descending from the sky like falling stars.
Aki's blood ran cold.
"…The gods," he whispered.
Hoshikiri nodded, gripping his wrist. "They're coming for you."
The heavens had made their decision.
And now, there was no turning back.
---
To be continued…