Chapter 34: The Fire Beneath Still Waters
The morning sun over Pyranthos spilled gold across the marble courtyards, but beneath the beauty, tension simmered like embers waiting to ignite. Princess Valeria stood at the grand balcony of the palace, her long robe of crimson flame trailing behind her. She was no longer just a princess. She was heir, protector, and soon-to-be mother to a child whose power bent time, bloodlines, and prophecy.
The ceremony from the night before still echoed in the halls of the palace. The air crackled with the residual energy of the elemental blessings, and the royal banners of Pyranthos waved with pride. Yet, in the quiet moments, her fingers traced the fire-mark blooming over her heart—a living sigil linking her and the unborn Kael to something ancient.
Down in the royal war chambers, Jaxon Thalor stood alone, his hands clenched behind his back. The crest of the Thalor dynasty glimmered on his chest—silver waves over a moonstone shield. Despite the calm around him, his thoughts raged.
"She keeps more from me each day," he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the map showing ley-line disruptions around Pyranthos. A new surge had emerged overnight—right beneath their palace.
Kael was shifting the world around them.
He turned as a voice interrupted. "Still brooding over her secrets, cousin?"
It was Lady Calix, his kin from the water court, lounging as if war were a card game.
"This isn't court gossip," Jaxon snapped. "It's Kael. His powers... they're growing."
Calix's smirk faded. "And so is the Council's attention. You know what they'll do if they sense instability."
Jaxon nodded grimly.
Meanwhile, in the gardens, Valeria met with her brother Prince Ashren, who had returned after months of wandering among the elemental sanctuaries. He carried a burden in his eyes—one not even the Phoenix Guard could lift.
"They're watching you," Ashren said, not bothering with greetings. "The Divine Council, the other families. Even Aryan."
Valeria stiffened. Aryan—her former betrothed and once a childhood friend, now wrapped in secrets and schemes.
"Let them watch. Kael is Pyranthos. They would not dare touch him."
Ashren shook his head. "They're not afraid of touching him, Valeria. They're afraid of what happens when they can't."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled.
A burst of heat erupted from the lower chambers. Flame. And not the kind born of Pyranthian rituals.
Valeria dashed through the halls, meeting Jaxon mid-run as guards yelled about a breach near the chamber of prophecies.
Inside, the room was scorched. At its center was a symbol etched in fire and water—the hybrid seal that only Kael could form.
And written above it in burning glyphs: "The child must choose."
Jaxon stared at it, voice low. "He speaks already. From within."
Valeria pressed her hand to her belly, where Kael stirred.
And then a voice echoed in both their minds.
"You must unite the divided. Or I will."
Jaxon froze. "That... that wasn't Kael. That was something else."
Valeria looked to the flames. A second presence was emerging.
And they were running out of time.
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