Ace stared in shock, his mouth hanging open. "That's impossible... I am..."
"That explained why you were able to naturally form patterns at death's door," Lin Ye interjected thoughtfully. "Your bloodline already had an innate connection to the stars and dimensions."
Ace fell into deep thought, recalling how Roger had once vaguely mentioned the mysterious origins of his mother, Portgas D. Rouge. All this time, he had only known that his mother came from an island somewhere in the South Blue. He had never heard of any connection between her and the Aurora Tribe.
"Accept your bloodline," Claire gently guided him. "Don't resist it. Let the two powers merge rather than oppose each other."
Ace took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to relax his mind as Claire instructed. Slowly, the turmoil within him began to settle, and the brightness of his patterns stabilized. Then, a dazzling crimson-purple pillar of light shot from Ace's body into the sky, resonating with the star chart on the dome.
"Flame of Will!" Claire cried out, her voice full of joy. "The identities of the three guardians have been recognized by the stars!"
The energy within the formation gradually subsided, and the glow of the three men's patterns dimmed with it. After the ritual ended, Claire nodded in satisfaction. "The Star-Guidance Ritual has confirmed your identities. Now, it is time to give you the third Anchor Stone."
Claire led the three through the observatory's winding corridors to a circular stone chamber at its deepest point. The chamber door was carved with intricate star patterns and required a specific energy sequence to open.
"This is the Starheart Chamber," Claire explained. "It is the holiest place of my people, and where the third Anchor Stone—the Starheart Stone—is kept."
Claire pressed her palm against a