Thunder rolled across the skies above the Fortress of Ash, the air vibrating with the hum of a realm out of balance. Inside the walls, Seraphina moved like one drawn by ancient strings, guided by the pulse of something deep within her womb.
Ravon followed her, silent but alert. His eyes scanned every shadow, his fingers flexing with power. He knew something had shifted. Something older than prophecy.
They entered the lowest chamber of the fortress—the Sanctum of Echoes, where runes older than flame lay dormant in the stone. As Seraphina stepped into the center, the sigils ignited in a spiral of gold and violet light.
The air became thick, reverent.
Seraphina gasped, falling to her knees. Her eyes widened as visions surged into her mind:
—A cradle shattered in fire. —A child encased in light, screaming without a sound. —Ravon on his knees, wings torn, bleeding. —A throne of dusk, empty.
And a voice, ethereal and final:
"Two cannot rise—only one shall seal."
Ravon knelt beside her, gripping her shoulders. "What did they say?"
She turned to him, breathless. "Either I seal the gate… or our child does. If both live… the realms fall."
Ravon's jaw clenched. "Then the realms will have to rewrite their laws."
---
Far away, beneath the Under Flame, the hooded woman reached the Vault of Essence.
Before her burned a suspended core of demonfire—Ravon's immortal source.
She raised her blade. "If the king refuses death… then let him bleed as a man."
She drove the sword forward—
—and the core flickered.
---
Ravon staggered. Blood dripped from his nose. His fire dimmed.
Seraphina caught him. "What's happening?"
"They've… touched my soul…" he growled.
The runes in the room flared as a new presence entered. A wind not made of air—
The Gate was breaking.
From the cracks in the walls, black mist spilled. Shapes moved within it. Whispers crawled into their ears.
Seraphina stood tall. "I am the vessel of two realms. And I will not be broken."
Light exploded from her chest, pushing the mist back. The baby inside her stirred again—stronger. A heartbeat pulsed through the walls.
Ravon rose beside her, despite the pain.
"They want war?" he snarled. "Then they shall have one."
The fortress groaned as the veil between realms began to split.
Above them, the first stars fell from the sky.