The air in the royal palace of the Vermilion Kingdom shimmered with music and laughter.
Golden chandeliers illuminated the grand hall, their crystals resonating with arcane light. Courtiers and nobles glided in elegant circles, murmuring behind jeweled masks and sipping wine laced with stardust. Everything appeared flawless—on the surface.
Isabella Blackthrone stood on the upper terrace, a silken veil cascading over her dark hair. She observed the celebration below—the illusion of joy, the diplomacy veiled as a wedding feast.
She felt nothing.
Behind her, attendants adjusted the layers of her ceremonial gown, woven in crimson and silver. Her gaze wandered to the distant horizon, to a place far beyond the clouds.
A shadow stirred behind the marble columns.
A royal messenger, clad in bloodstained armor, stepped into the flickering candlelight. He bowed low before Lord Nova Blackthrone—Kane's father and the current head of House Blackthrone.
"My Lord…" The man's voice quivered. "Blackthrone City… has fallen."
Silence.
The music below stuttered as if the palace itself recoiled.
Lord Nova's hand clenched around the crystal goblet. It splintered, wine spilling like blood onto his silken robes. "Explain."
"T-The castle was destroyed and overrun… by a single man."
"Who is this man?" Nova demanded.
The messenger swallowed hard. "My lord… he is Azeri—the boy Lord Kane commanded us to kill."
"He executed the guard, captured Lord Kane, and… opened a rift. Kane was pulled into it."
Nova's eyes ignited with rage.
The messenger bowed his head once more.
A sharp inhale echoed through the chamber. Even the shadows seemed to withdraw.
Isabella's grip tightened on the balcony railing. Her eyes flashed gold—subtle, but not unnoticed.
"Azeris is alive," she whispered to herself, a flicker of emotion breaking through her composure.
Lord Nova stepped forward, his voice cold and resolute. "Ignite every skyward beacon. Triple the guard at the royal capital gates."
"But, my lord… the wedding—"
"Will proceed. We cannot afford to show weakness." His eyes turned to Isabella, piercing. "You will become Queen of the Vermilion Kingdom in twenty days, regardless of what fire that boy brings with him."
He strode away, cloaked in silence and trailing darkness.
Behind him, Isabella closed her eyes.
And for the first time in Days… she prayed he would come.
MEANWHILE—FAR FROM BLACKTHRONE CITY
After escaping Blackthrone City, Azeris discovered a hidden cave, secluded deep in the wildlands far from the city's ruins.
Azeris opened a portal to the Infinity Realm Castle.
He rushed toward the chamber where his mother and sister were resting.
Upon reaching the room, Azeris opened the door and found his mother seated beside a bed, where his sister Selena lay—her body covered in wounds and injuries.
Azeris hurried to them.
Upon seeing her son, Lilian rushed to embrace him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "My son… you're safe."
For several minutes, they held each other tightly.
Then Azeris's attention turned to his sister, still unconscious.
"Mom, we'll talk later. First, let me heal you and Selena."
With that, he opened a portal to the Healing Sanctum and carried his sister toward it, with Lilian close behind.
When Azeris emerged on the other side of the portal—
Ahead stood the Healing Sanctum—a towering, lotus-shaped temple forged from soulsteel and infinity crystal, radiating with warm, golden light. Its petals shifted slowly, breathing in rhythm with the sanctified qi that permeated the sacred air. At its heart flowed Primordial Infinity Qi—the purest life essence, potent enough to reignite dying stars.
Inside the sanctum, Selena lay upon a bed of celestial silk, her skin still marked with bruises and cuts. Beside her, Lilian sat in silence, her wounds veiled beneath a blanket of exhaustion. Though safe now, suffering clung to them like a shadow.
Azeris stepped forward and raised his hand.
The sanctum responded at once.
Radiant sigils bloomed in the air, forming intricate patterns above Selena's body. Threads of Primordial Infinity Qi descended, like silken strands of sunlight. The divine energy coursed into her veins, cleansing corruption, mending her flesh, and soothing her shattered spirit.
She stirred, her breathing becoming calm and even.
Then came Lilian.
Azeris knelt beside his mother. She looked at him, her eyes filled with both pride and quiet pain.
"It's over now, Mother. You're safe."
The healing formations activated again, enveloping her in a cocoon of radiant warmth. Her bruises faded. The fatigue that gripped her soul began to lift. Her strength returned—slowly but surely.
Azeris remained by their side, unmoving.
He closed his eyes. The recent events had left scars on his family—but here, within the sanctity of his realm, he would make them whole again.
And once they were…
The Vermilion Kingdom would face the judgment of a dragon.