Celestial Guardians: Uniting Dimensions (Celestial Guardians Series, #1)

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nel's POV

The night was eerily quiet after the battle in the courtyard. The sky still rippled with the remnants of dark energy, a faint green shimmer dancing across the stars like a malicious aurora. I walked the university halls alone, each step echoing in the vast emptiness. The air felt heavier than usual, with the tension of unanswered questions.

My grip tightened around the hilt of my celestial blade, still humming faintly with energy. The thought of that robed man—the sheer power he wielded—sent a shiver down my spine. He hadn't just been an enemy but a harbinger, a living reminder of the Destroyer's growing reach.

I rounded a corner and pushed open the door to the small library at the campus's far end. It was dark, save for the faint glow of moonlight filtering through the tall, arched windows. The scent of old books filled the air, a comforting familiarity amidst the chaos.

I wasn't here for comfort, though. I was here for answers.

Sliding into a chair at the nearest table, I unrolled the parchment Jamaica had given me earlier. It was a fragment of an ancient prophecy, something the Celestial Mother had left behind centuries ago. The words were faded, written in a swirling script that seemed to shift and shimmer in the moonlight.

"The guardian of light shall face the shadow of despair. But beware—when the heart falters, the world falls with it."

The guardian of light. Was it me? Jamaica? Or Kevin? The words played on a loop in my mind, like a puzzle with missing pieces.

"Faltering heart," I muttered under my breath. "What does that even mean?"

The faintest creak of a floorboard broke my concentration. My hand shot to the blade at my side, my muscles tensing as I scanned the shadows.

"Relax," a voice drawled from the corner.

Kevin stepped into the light, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. He looked as worn as I felt, his usual cocky demeanor dimmed by the events of the day.

"Could've said something," I grumbled, sliding the parchment back into my bag. "Nearly took your head off."

"You'd miss," he said with a smirk, but it lacked its usual bite. He pulled up a chair and dropped into it, his eyes fixed on the table.

Silence settled between us, heavy and unspoken. For once, Kevin didn't seem to have a sarcastic remark or a joke to break the tension. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glowing orb.

"What's that?" I asked, leaning forward.

"It fell out of the guy's staff," he said, rolling it between his fingers. The orb pulsed faintly, a deep crimson light that seemed almost alive. "Figured it might be important."

I frowned, my instincts screaming that the orb was more dangerous than it appeared. "You didn't think to mention this earlier?"

Kevin shrugged. "Didn't exactly have a moment to chat in the middle of a death vortex."

He placed the orb on the table, and we both stared at it silently. The light within seemed to shift, forming fleeting patterns that vanished as quickly as they appeared.

"Does it feel... familiar to you?" Kevin asked after a moment.

I nodded slowly. It did. The energy radiating from the orb was dark and cold, yet there was something oddly recognizable about it, like a distant memory I couldn't quite grasp.

Before I could respond, the orb flickered violently, its glow intensifying. Kevin and I both jumped, the chairs screeching against the floor.

"What the—"