"Aira, run!" Ronan shouted, drawing his blade once more—but the Forgotten King merely raised his chained hand, and Ronan was flung across the chamber like a leaf in a storm.
Time slowed.
Aira's breath caught as the pale king stepped closer, chains dragging across the stone floor, humming with dark energy. His eyes—so ancient, yet oddly familiar—bore into hers.
"You carry her blood," he whispered. "You carry my power."
"I don't want it," Aira snapped, voice shaking. "I didn't ask for any of this!"
"But you were chosen. Just like your mother. The moment she defied the gods and gave birth to you… she sealed your fate."
Aira froze. "My mother?"
The king smiled coldly. "You never wondered why your magic is unstable? Why the Devil Heir protects you like you are the last shard of his soul?"
His chained finger rose and pointed directly at her heart.
"Because you are not just his. You are mine."
Suddenly—light burst into the chamber.
Lucien appeared at the archway, fury blazing in his eyes, sword dripping with enchanted fire.
"Get away from her."
The king didn't flinch. "Ah. The little demon heir. Still playing hero, I see."
Lucien moved instantly, blade slashing—but the chains intercepted with a violent spark of black lightning. The chamber cracked again, dust falling like rain.
"Aira," Lucien growled, eyes never leaving the king, "do you trust me?"
Aira nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Always."
"Then remember this," he said, throwing a small glowing crystal toward her. "Your mother died protecting a secret—and now it's time you learn what it was."
Aira caught the crystal—and the moment it touched her skin, memories surged.
Not hers.
Her mother's.
Flashes of a secret wedding. A forbidden love. A child born with a mark of both fire and shadow. A prophecy whispered: "The daughter of light and dark shall choose the fate of both realms."
She gasped. "I'm not just human…"
"No," Lucien said, his voice hard. "You're the key to everything."
Behind them, the Forgotten King roared.
And then—
The ground split open.
And someone—someone cloaked in silver armor—rose from the chasm below.
They lifted their helm.
Aira's heart stopped.
"Mother?
The figure in silver armor stepped forward, each stride echoing with divine weight. Her face—unchanged by time, radiant yet weary—held the truth Aira had been denied for years.
"Mother?" Aira whispered, her voice breaking. "But… I saw you die. I saw the flames…"
Queen Seraphina removed her helm, revealing eyes so much like Aira's, filled with pain and pride.
"They made you believe that," she said gently. "To protect you. To protect the prophecy."
Lucien stood frozen, the battle momentarily forgotten as power rippled through the chamber. Even the Forgotten King stilled, his expression unreadable.
"I don't understand," Aira choked out. "Why didn't you come back? Why leave me alone?"
Seraphina stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Because if I had returned, the darkness would have followed. Your birth shattered the balance between the realms. The day I chose to love both the Devil Heir's line and the blood of light… I signed a curse into your veins."
Aira staggered back.
"I'm… cursed?"
"No," her mother said firmly. "You're the cure."
Suddenly, the Forgotten King let out a feral roar. "LIES! She is the anchor of destruction!"
The chains around him cracked like thunder. One broke loose.
Lucien shielded Aira instantly, sword igniting again.
But Seraphina raised her hand.
A blast of divine energy surged toward the king, slamming him back with such force the walls trembled.
"I bound you once," Seraphina said, her voice now layered with otherworldly authority. "I will do it again."
But the king only laughed. "You are too late, Seraphina. The girl is already fracturing. Her power is awakening too fast. When the seal breaks, she will destroy everything—unless the heir kills her first."
Aira's heart stopped.
She turned to Lucien. "Is that true?"
He didn't speak.
That silence said everything.
The chamber shattered again with magical backlash—but Aira no longer noticed. Her world was cracking.
"Lucien…" she whispered. "Was that why you married me?"
His jaw clenched, gaze dropping.
"Aira—"
"Answer me!"
He met her eyes. "I married you to protect you. But yes… if the prophecy fails—if your power turns—I'm the only one who can end you."
Tears filled her eyes.
Everything was falling apart.
And then—
A loud crack echoed above them.
The seal.
It had started to break.
Lucien pulled her close, shielding her. "We don't have much time."
Aira looked up at him through her tears. "Then let's make every second count… before fate decides which one of us must die."
Aira stepped away from Lucien slowly, her heart pounding so hard it was all she could hear. Her mother's revelation still rang in her ears: She was the cure—and the curse.
"You knew," Aira whispered, her voice cold and sharp. "You knew there was a chance you'd have to kill me."
Lucien's jaw clenched. "I've known since the day I was born."
The air grew heavier. The broken seal above pulsed like a living heartbeat, casting eerie red glows across the walls. The entire chamber throbbed with power—Aira's power.
"I trusted you," she said, trembling. "Even when you treated me like a prisoner… I still tried to believe there was something real between us."
"There was something real," Lucien said, stepping forward. "There still is."
But Aira shook her head, a tear slipping down her cheek. "You married me with a sword in your hand, Lucien. You called it protection. But what is love when your life hangs by a thread of prophecy?"
Behind them, Queen Seraphina's light dimmed slightly. The strain of holding the seal's magic at bay was taking its toll.
"Aira," she gasped, reaching for her daughter. "You have to center your power—focus your emotions or the seal will collapse completely."
Aira fell to her knees.
Inside her, two sides warred: the light of her mother's bloodline and the shadow her father buried deep in her core. Power burned through her veins, pulsing wildly, as if it were trying to escape.
Lucien knelt beside her, his voice softer now. "Don't let it consume you. Please. Let me help you."
Aira looked up at him. "How do I know you won't stab me the second I lose control?"
His eyes darkened. "Because I'd rather die with you than live without you."
For a moment, her heart stuttered.
Then—
A shadow crept along the wall.
A third presence.
A cold, hollow voice spoke:
"Sweet promises… but you forget—she belongs to me."
Everyone froze.
From the far end of the chamber, a figure emerged—cloaked in darkness, face hidden beneath a crimson hood. He held a black blade that pulsed with the same energy leaking from the broken seal.
Lucien's eyes widened. "No… it can't be—"
"Who is that?" Aira whispered, clutching her chest.
The figure stepped closer, raising the hood.
Aira gasped.
It was her father.
Not the man who died in the fire.
But the one reborn in the darkness of the underworld.
King Kael.
His eyes were pitch-black, soulless.
"I've come for my daughter," he said with a twisted smile. "It's time she fulfills the destiny the light tried to bury."
Queen Seraphina stood between him and Aira, her sword drawn. "Over my dead body."
King Kael's smile widened. "That's exactly the plan."
The air thickened like storm clouds moments before a downpour. King Kael stood tall, darkness coiling around him like a living shadow. His presence sucked the warmth from the chamber, and the flames in the torches flickered, as if afraid to burn in his gaze.
Aira's heart pounded. "You're supposed to be dead."
Kael chuckled. "Oh, I was. Until your light tore open the veil between realms and dragged me back." His eyes gleamed with madness. "You were the key all along, my little flame."
Queen Seraphina raised her sword. "I'll stop you this time. Even if it means—"
"You'll die," Kael interrupted, waving a hand.
A blast of dark magic exploded from his palm, hitting Seraphina square in the chest. She flew backward, slamming into a pillar with a sickening thud.
"Mother!" Aira cried, rushing toward her—but Lucien pulled her back.
"No!" he said. "You can't go near him. He's feeding off your energy."
Aira's hands began to glow with silvery fire. Her emotions churned—fear, rage, betrayal—all fueling the ancient magic within her.
"You want me?" she shouted. "Then face me, not her!"
Kael smiled, pleased. "That's it. That's the fire I gave you. The power this world tried to seal."
He raised his black sword.
Lucien stepped in front of Aira, blade drawn. "You'll go through me first."
"I plan to," Kael said, and surged forward.
Their swords collided with a deafening clash, magic exploding in waves that cracked the marble floor. Lucien gritted his teeth, struggling to match Kael's brute force. Blood dripped from his hand, but he held the line.
Behind them, Aira knelt beside her mother. Seraphina coughed weakly, her eyes barely open.
"Listen to me," she whispered, grabbing Aira's wrist. "You have to finish the bond."
"What bond?" Aira asked, shaking. "What do you mean?"
"The marriage... wasn't just symbolic. If you complete the blood vow with Lucien, your powers will stabilize. You'll be able to control the light and the shadow."
Aira's mind raced.
A blood vow?
But before she could speak, a second shadow emerged behind Kael—a twisted, skeletal figure with glowing blue eyes.
Lucien gasped. "A Soul Reaper... He's summoned the ancient guard."
Kael grinned. "Let's see how well the Devil Heir dances with death."
The Soul Reaper lunged.
Lucien turned just in time to parry—but the creature was too fast. Its claw slashed across Lucien's chest, sending him crashing to the floor, blood staining the stone beneath him.
"No!" Aira screamed.
Her power burst free.
The entire chamber trembled.
Symbols swirled around her, ancient and divine. Light collided with shadow. Her hair whipped around her face as she rose to her feet, glowing like a goddess born of both realms.
Kael's smile faltered.
"You don't control me anymore," she said, her voice echoing. "And you never will."
She raised her hands.
The light shot toward Kael—
But just before it hit—
The Soul Reaper turned—
And stabbed Aira through the side.
Lucien's scream tore through the air.
Everything went white.
Aira couldn't feel the pain at first—only the rush of heat and the sound of Lucien's voice shouting her name, distant and desperate. Her vision blurred, but her instincts screamed one thing: fight back.
The Soul Reaper's blade had pierced through her side, and as it withdrew, the blackened steel sizzled with dark magic. She stumbled, her knees buckling beneath her. But before she could collapse, Lucien was there—bloodied, panting, but holding her upright.
"You're not dying here," he growled, his arms tightening around her waist. "I won't let you."
Kael laughed, the sound echoing like thunder. "Touching. But you're too late, Devil Heir. Her power has awakened… and now, it belongs to me."
Aira's fingers clutched Lucien's cloak, her breath shallow. "I… I won't let him win…"
Lucien's eyes glowed red, rage taking over. "Then give me your hand."
"What?"
"Trust me."
He took her trembling hand in his bloodstained one. The moment their fingers locked, a searing heat bloomed between their palms, magic crackling through the air like lightning.
The Blood Vow.
A bond older than kingdoms.
Power surged through them like an ancient river breaking its dam. Light and darkness danced, swirled, merged. Their eyes met—and for the first time, they both knew:
They were never meant to fight this war alone.
Kael staggered back as the chamber trembled. "No—NO! You don't know what you're unleashing!"
Aira's body lifted off the ground, glowing with a fierce, radiant light, while Lucien stood beneath her, his wings of darkness unfolding from his back like a storm.
The magic between them twisted and formed a circle of ancient runes. Their souls were bound.
Kael screamed and unleashed a surge of black fire—
But Aira caught it midair.
Snapped it in half.
And hurled it back at him.
The explosion sent Kael crashing into the wall. The Soul Reaper shrieked and vanished in a burst of dust.
For a moment, everything went still.
Lucien reached for Aira, chest heaving. "Are you okay?"
Aira smiled faintly. "I think... we did it."
But then—
A dagger flew through the air.
It struck the floor between them, buried deep in the stone.
A parchment was tied to the hilt.
Lucien grabbed it and unrolled it.
As he read, his face turned pale.
"What is it?" Aira asked, eyes narrowing.
Lucien looked up at her, voice tight with dread.
"It's a warning... from your real father."
Aira froze. "What…?"
Lucien's jaw clenched. "He's alive, Aira. And he says… the real war hasn't even begun yet."
Behind them, the shadows moved again.
And this time… someone else stepped into the light.
A man with Aira's eyes.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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