Far beyond the lower realms.

Far beyond mortal worlds.

Far beyond the reach of gods.

There existed a domain where even cosmic emperors lowered their heads.

The Star Dominion.

The eternal territory of the Wargrave lineage.

An empire spanning countless universes.

A bloodline so ancient that even history struggled to remember its beginning.

Within the deepest region of the Star Dominion stood a structure known throughout the cosmos.

The Celestial Observatory.

An immense palace suspended amidst an ocean of stars.

Galaxies revolved around it.

Nebulas drifted through its halls.

Entire worlds orbited its foundations.

At the center of the observatory rested a single artifact.

The Star Compass.

An object forged before countless universes had even been born.

A treasure that never pointed north.

Never pointed south.

Never pointed toward any physical location.

Instead-

It pointed toward blood.

Toward destiny.

Toward members of the Wargrave lineage.

For ten years.

The compass had remained motionless.

Silent.

Still.

Its needle had never moved.

Because one member of the lineage had disappeared.

Completely.

Not dead.

Not hidden.

Gone.

As though she had stepped outside destiny itself.

Then suddenly-

Clang.

The entire observatory shook.

The needle moved.

Once.

Twice.

Then violently spun.

The stars surrounding the palace trembled.

Ancient formations activated.

Sleeping guardians awoke.

Across the observatory, countless experts abruptly turned toward the compass.

Shock filled their faces.

Because they understood what this meant.

The missing princess had been found.

The needle spun faster.

Faster.

Faster.

Until-

It stopped.

Pointing toward a distant location.

A location beyond countless realms.

A lower world.

Silence descended.

Then-

An elderly man sitting cross-legged beside the compass slowly opened his eyes.

Within those eyes were stars.

Galaxies.

Entire universes.

He stared at the compass for a long moment.

Then spoke.

"The Young Mistress has awakened."

His voice spread throughout the observatory.

Immediately.

The atmosphere changed.

Dozens of terrifying presences appeared.

One after another.

Ancient beings.

Elders.

Monsters who could casually destroy worlds.

Their expressions varied.

There was a mixture of shock, disbelief, excitement, and anger.

One elder frowned slightly, glancing at the Divine Compass.

"What could possibly force someone like her into revealing herself?"

They knew that Kayla had completely abandoned everything.

Nobody answered.

Because they couldn’t imagine it.

The old man beside the compass remained silent.

Then he slowly raised his hand.

The stars above the observatory shifted, and a projection appeared.

It was a blurry image, and there was only a brief glimpse.

Yet it was enough.

White hair.

Ancient eyes.

A star-shaped sigil.

The image vanished.

The observatory erupted.

"She’s alive."

"The princess is alive."

"Ten years..."

"After ten years..."

Meanwhile.

Far above them all.

At the highest level of the observatory.

A young woman sat upon a throne made entirely of crystallized starlight.

She had been silent from the beginning.

Watching.

Listening.

Waiting.

Her beauty was breathtaking.

Almost identical to Kayla’s.

The resemblance was impossible to miss.

Silver-white hair.

Golden eyes.

Elegant features.

Yet unlike Kayla, her presence carried overwhelming authority.

As though she had spent her entire life ruling.

As though command itself obeyed her.

The moment the projection appeared-

Her eyes narrowed.

A complicated emotion surfaced.

Relief.

Anger.

Joy.

Frustration.

All at once.

Her younger sister.

The idiot who had abandoned everything.

The idiot who had vanished without a word.

The idiot who had made the entire family search for ten years.

The woman slowly rose from her throne.

The movement alone caused entire constellations to tremble.

Every elder immediately fell silent.

Because they knew who she was.

The First Princess.

The current heir of the Wargrave lineage.

The elder beside the compass lowered his head.

"Your Highness."

She ignored him.

Her gaze remained fixed upon the compass.

Upon the direction it pointed.

Then she smiled.

A beautiful smile.

One filled with danger.

"Found you."

The temperature throughout the observatory suddenly dropped.

Several elders exchanged nervous glances.

Because they knew that smile.

Someone was about to suffer.

Most likely the missing princess.

The First Princess slowly descended from her throne.

"Prepare a vessel."

The elders blinked.

Then their expressions changed.

One immediately spoke.

"Your Highness."

"You’re going personally?"

She glanced toward him.

The elder instantly lowered his head.

Her answer came calmly.

"So she can run again?"

Silence.

Nobody argued.

Because they all knew the truth.

If someone else went...

There was a decent chance Kayla would disappear before they arrived.

Again.

The First Princess looked toward the compass.

Then softly spoke.

"This time."

"She’s coming home."

The observatory trembled.

Three ancient figures emerged from the darkness behind her.

The moment they appeared—

The surrounding stars dimmed.

Not because their aura was violent.

But because existence instinctively recognized beings of a higher order.

The Three Star Elders.

Protectors of the royal lineage.

Monsters whose names were recorded across countless cosmic eras.

Each one capable of ruling a universe.

Each one powerful enough to make lesser gods kneel.

The First Princess glanced toward them.

"You’ll accompany me."

The three elders bowed simultaneously.

"As you command."

The compass continued pointing toward the distant lower world.

Toward Cold Moon District.

Toward Kayla.

Toward the family she had built.

Toward the life she had chosen.

And as countless cosmic gates began opening throughout the Star Dominion-

Nobody noticed one thing. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The compass wasn’t only pointing toward Kayla.

Deep within the needle.

A second resonance had appeared.

Faint.

Almost imperceptible.

A foreign presence.

A presence connected to her destiny.

Connected to her awakening.

Connected to the reason she had finally broken her seal.

The Star Compass had noticed it.

The First Princess had not.

The seal within Kayla had returned to its place; however, her existence had already been sensed.

There was no going back.

Amon still couldn’t pinpoint who the mysterious lady was.

The loving family was completely oblivious to the fact that some of the most terrifying beings in existence had just begun their journey toward him.

...

Author’s note: What are your thoughts on this Chapter? Please comment on them below and let me know if you enjoy the progress of the novel so far.