The words hung in the air, suffocating and unrelenting: "Erebus doesn’t just want control. He wants the stars to fall." Astraeus locked eyes with the hooded man, her gaze as sharp as the tip of her Starforged Spear.

"What does that mean?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous. The faint hum of the spear echoed in the sterile interrogation room.

The man smirked, but the confidence in his demeanor cracked ever so slightly. "You’ll find out soon enough, Starborn. The pieces are already in motion."

Foster, observing from behind the one-way mirror, clenched his jaw. He turned to the tech agent standing nearby. "Run a full trace on this guy—fingerprints, DNA, everything. I want to know who he is, where he’s been, and what he’s connected to."

"Yes, sir," the agent replied, typing furiously on the console.

Inside the room, Astraeus leaned back in her chair, her posture deceptively relaxed. "You think Erebus is going to win? He’s just another shadow clinging to the edges of power."

The man’s laughter was hollow. "Erebus is more than a shadow. He’s the darkness that consumes even the brightest lights. And you? You’re just the first star he’ll extinguish."

Astraeus rose, her spear materializing in her hand with a burst of light. The room seemed to tremble under the intensity of its glow. "Let him try," she said coldly before turning and exiting the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

Back in the operations room, Foster handed her a steaming cup of coffee. "He’s not going to break easily," he said. "But we’ll keep digging."

Astraeus accepted the cup, her brow furrowed in thought. "He’s a pawn," she said. "Whoever is pulling the strings won’t stay hidden for long."

Foster nodded, but his expression remained grim. "If Erebus really is targeting the stars... what does that mean for you?"

Astraeus took a sip of her coffee, the warmth doing little to ease the chill settling in her chest. "It means he’s coming for me," she said quietly. "And anyone else tied to the constellations."

The room fell silent as the weight of her words sank in. The stars themselves were in the crosshairs, and Astraeus was their first line of defense.

Hours later, Astraeus stood on the rooftop of the NSB building, the city sprawling beneath her in a sea of lights. She gripped the Starforged Spear tightly, its glow pulsating faintly in rhythm with her heartbeat. She could feel the stars above her, their light both a comfort and a burden.

Foster joined her, his coat billowing slightly in the breeze. "You don’t have to do this alone," he said, his tone softer than usual.

She glanced at him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I’ve been alone for a long time, Foster. I’m used to it."

"That doesn’t mean it has to stay that way," he replied, his gaze steady. "We’re in this together now."

Astraeus didn’t respond, but she appreciated the sentiment. For the first time in years, she felt a glimmer of something unfamiliar: hope.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the city, a figure clad in obsidian armor knelt before a massive, pulsating shadow. The air around them was thick with malice, the darkness almost tangible.

"The Starlight Sentinel grows stronger," the figure said, their voice echoing unnaturally. "But she is still vulnerable."

The shadow pulsed, a deep, guttural voice emanating from its core. "The stars will fall, one by one. And when she stands alone, she will break."

The figure rose, their armor glinting faintly in the dim light. "As you command, Erebus."