When the Stardust Settles (and I Still Like Her)

Previously

…The Stardust Bloom raged outside, a magnificent, terrifying spectacle. But within the observatory, a different kind of bloom was unfolding, a quiet, tender unfolding of hearts that had found each other amidst the cosmic chaos. The ley lines might be in flux, the world teetering on the brink, but for Elara, holding Lyra’s hand, the stardust settling around them not as a threat, but as a promise, the future felt, for the first time, perfectly, wonderfully clear.