CHAPTER 86: THE LAST PROMISE OF TIME

[: 3rd POV :]

Eventually, the decision was made—there was no other choice.

They would seek the Overseer.

The very name carried weight across the continents: Empress Sylvene Luminara, the ruler of Spirits, the Arbiter of Balance, and one of the few beings capable of peering through the veils between realms.

On the other hand, Caelira and Melira stood on the deck of a gleaming, rune-engraved airship, its silver hull humming with Spirit Essence.

The vessel soared above endless seas of clouds, cutting through the sky like a living creature.

Melira clutched the railing, her gaze fixed on the horizon.

Though she had travelled across kingdoms, this journey felt different—more daunting, more desperate.

This isn’t just a visit.

This is a plea...

Caelira, standing beside her, spoke softly, her expression calm yet determined.

"Sylvene Luminara agreed to see us. That alone is a miracle. Few are granted her audience."

Melira nodded, swallowing hard. "I know... I just hope she listens."

The airship descended through a veil of shimmering mist, revealing a breathtaking sight—the Spirit Continent.

Vast forests of crystalline trees glowed in hues of azure and violet, their branches whispering with ethereal light.

Floating rivers of Spirit Essence weaved between luminous mountains, and ancient citadels hovered like islands suspended in midair.

At the heart of it all stood the grand palace—Celestia Aeterna Sanctum, the Imperial Seat of the Spirit Empress.

A structure of alabaster stone and spiritglass, it rose like a monument carved from moonlight, its spires reaching into the heavens.

Radiant wards shimmered around it, casting rainbow-like arcs across the sky.

Melira exhaled softly, the softness of her breath easing her tension. "It’s... magnificent."

Caelira allowed a small smile. "Fit for the Overseer of all Spiritkind."

As the airship glided to a landing upon the sanctum’s grand platform, they were met by a host of spirit knights clad in silver and pearl armour, their helms crowned with crystal plumes.

But at their forefront stood a figure of elegance and poise—Seraphina Luminara, one of the Spirit Empress’s daughters.

Her hair was a cascade of luminous silver-gold, her gown woven with threads of starlight.

A faint glow surrounded her, as though the very air embraced her presence.

"Welcome," Seraphina spoke, her voice melodic yet firm.

"I am Seraphina Luminara, daughter of Her Radiance, Empress Sylvene. Empress Melira and Empress Caelira, my mother has agreed to receive."

Melira bowed lightly out of respect, though her heart raced.

"Thank you for welcoming us, Lady Seraphina. We... come with a request that means everything to me."

Seraphina’s eyes softened as if sensing Melira’s turmoil.

"Then you have come to the right place. Follow me. My mother awaits in the Sanctum of Spirit Stars."

Seraphina guided them through Celestia Aeterna Sanctum, its vast corridors shimmering with soft luminescence from spirit-crystals embedded in marble walls.

Celestial murals depicted the history of Spiritkind, and melodic whispers—like faint hymns—drifted through the air, carried by unseen currents of Essence.

Melira’s footsteps echoed faintly, her heart pounding louder than the silence.

’This place feels alive... watching... listening’

Caelira, though composed, shared the same thought.

Finally, they reached a set of colossal doors wrought from spiritglass and starsteel, towering as if meant to separate mortal realms from divine.

Intricate sigils pulsed faintly upon its surface, radiating a subtle hum of authority.

Seraphina stopped before it and turned, her expression serene yet solemn.

"My mother awaits inside," she said softly, though there was a note of reverence in her tone.

"Be mindful. Her sight pierces deeper than what words may hold."

Melira nodded, swallowing the tension building in her throat.

Caelira offered her a brief glance—steady, reassuring—before they both stepped forward.

As the doors opened with a low, resonant hum, a wave of soft radiance spilt outward, washing over them like a moonlit tide.

The chamber beyond was vast, its dome-like ceiling painted with constellations that shimmered and shifted as though alive.

At its centre, seated upon a throne of crystal and silver vines, was Empress Sylvene Luminara.

She was... beyond mortal beauty—tall, ethereal, draped in flowing robes of opalescent silk that glimmered like starlight over rippling water.

Her silver hair cascaded in luminous waves, crowned with a circlet of living crystal.

But it was her eyes—iridescent, shifting like nebulae—that held them still.

"Melira. Caelira." Her voice was calm, melodic, yet carried an undertone that resonated in their bones.

"To see both of you here... was not unexpected."

Her words sent a ripple of unease through them.

Melira, startled, could not hold back.

"You... expected us?"

Empress Sylvene’s lips curved into a faint, enigmatic smile.

"There are currents in fate that even I do not disturb. But I see their approach long before their arrival."

Caelira exchanged a glance with Melira.

That sense of mystifying weirdness settled heavily upon them. Neither had known much of the Spirit Empress beyond her authority... but now, standing before her, it felt as though they were gazing upon someone who walked between destiny and eternity itself.

Though Empress Sylvene Luminara did not exude the overwhelming might of a warlord or sovereign, her presence was something else entirely.

It was subtle, elusive, almost dreamlike.

Power did not radiate from her in crushing waves; instead, it lingered like a timeless mist, a reminder that she had witnessed eras long buried by history.

One truth was undeniable—she had lived since the First Generation, a living witness to the dawn of civilisations, the rise and fall of empires, and the countless cycles of destiny.

Her calm smile was that of someone who had seen all things and judged none.

Melira felt her throat tighten.

She had been ready to explain their reason for coming, but before she could utter a word, Sylvene’s soft, melodic voice broke the silence.

"You are here to search for him... for Daniel."

The certainty in her tone cut through the chamber like a whisper of inevitability.

Melira’s lips parted, but no sound came.

There was no point in denying it—nothing escaped those eyes.

Not secrets.

Not emotions.

Not even the faintest tremor of a mother’s hope.

Caelira stepped forward, her posture composed yet carrying an undertone of reverence.

"I... wish to use my last promise of time," she said firmly. "With you, Empress."

The words echoed softly in the crystal chamber, yet their weight was immense.

A promise of time was no trivial matter—it was a covenant that could bend fate itself, earned through deeds so great that even the Spirit Empress acknowledged them.

Sylvene’s gaze lingered on Caelira for a long, silent moment, as though reading her not with sight, but with something deeper.

Finally, she inclined her head ever so slightly.

"You would spend what little remains of your bond with me... for another?"

Her voice was soft, not in judgment, but curiosity.

Caelira’s eyes softened, yet her tone was resolute.

"Yes. For Daniel. And for her," she said, nodding toward Melira.

"Because he deserves to be found... and because it is what I wish to do, not out of debt, but out of choice."

Melira’s eyes welled, her hands trembling against her sides.

She wanted to speak—to tell Caelira not to waste such a gift—but the words wouldn’t come.

Only gratitude, heavy and unspoken.

Empress Sylvene leaned back in her throne, studying them both with an expression both knowing and unreadable.

Though Empress Sylvene Luminara did not question the reason they wished to use their promise of time, there was a subtle weight in her voice as she inquired, almost gently.

"Tell me... do you truly wish to use your bond with me to search for Daniel? Or would you prefer another path?"

The question hung in the air like a delicate, almost imperceptible current.

It was not meant to challenge, but to give pause—a moment to reflect on the gravity of what a promise of time could accomplish.

Without even a flicker of hesitation, Caelira’s voice rang out, calm yet unwavering, filled with certainty and a trace of fierce maternal resolve.

"Yes," she said simply. "There is no other purpose for it. I want to find him."

Sylvene studied her for a long, inscrutable moment.

Her eyes, ancient and knowing, seemed to peer past the present, beyond even the span of lifetimes.

Then, finally, she inclined her head ever so slightly.

"Very well," she said softly, almost as if acknowledging an inevitability. "I will not question your choice further."

A pause lingered, heavy with unspoken anticipation, before Sylvene continued, her tone shifting to one of quiet instruction.

"To trace him with precision, I will need a drop of blood from you, Empress Melira," she said, her gaze meeting Melira’s.

"Through your bloodline, the connection is far stronger. It will allow me to sense him, to locate even the faintest whisper of his presence."

Melira’s violet eyes narrowed slightly, but there was no doubt in her mind.

Her hand trembled ever so slightly as she extended her palm.

With care, she offered a drop of her blood to Sylvene, letting it fall into a delicate crystal vial that shimmered as if aware of the power it now contained.

"Here," Melira said softly, her voice threaded with determination and a mother’s desperate hope.

"Find him... my son."

Sylvene accepted the vial, her fingers brushing against Melira’s just long enough to convey an almost imperceptible reassurance.

Her lips curved in the faintest of smiles, enigmatic yet comforting.

"This will allow us to find him," Sylvene murmured, her voice carrying a resonance that seemed to echo across time itself.

"And we will not fail."

For a brief moment, Melira felt something unfamiliar yet welcome—a fragile calm, a sense that perhaps, at last, the storm of uncertainty surrounding her son’s fate might be navigated.

Yet even in that moment, her heart remained taut with vigilance, her mind sharpening with the knowledge that the journey ahead would demand every ounce of her resolve.