The first battle was a symphony of chaos.
Spells exploded like meteors. War cries and death howls echoed against the sea walls.
Lucien led from the front, wielding the Sovereign Cleaver with surgical precision.
Aurelia stood behind the front lines, hands raised, summoning a shield of seer-fire that protected dozens at once.
But then a scream.
Matteo.
He fell, pierced by a cursed blade.
Aurelia unleashed a scream that split the sky and every member of the cult within twenty yards burst into blue flames.
When it was over, the beach was soaked in blood, and a new legend had been born:
The Queen Who Burned Without Touching Flame.