The ashes of the Northern Plains' Broken Tower still lingered, and a wisp of blood-red flame clung to the royal capital's night sky. Yet, after the Flame Oath and the of soul-bones, new undercurrents quietly surged from the depths of the Shadow Mansion.A Visitor from the Hidden ManorIn the dead of night, the moon was cold and stars sparse outside the imperial study. Lucian pored over secret reports from the northern outposts, while Aveline rested her chin in thought, planning the restoration of snowfield trade and the reconstruction of defense lines.
A soft knock echoed outside the hall. Illya whispered, "Your Highness, an envoy from the remaining 'Ash Bone Chamber' has arrived in the capital, requesting an audience at the Hidden Manor, claiming to offer loyal counsel."
Aveline's gaze sharpened: "Bring him in."
The visitor was a middle-aged man in a black robe, his eyes beneath a mask. He bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, though our remnants have been defeated, the 'Crescent Rift Alliance' still plots restoration in the shadows. Word has reached us that the Broken Tower's destruction scattered undead spirits, emboldening them to rebel through darkness. We offer this 'Shadow Map' to aid Your Majesty in eradicating the last remnants."
Aveline smiled faintly: "You've used your bones and souls—now you offer a map?"
Unfazed, the man nodded: "Outlaws like us know the Hidden Manor's secret passages lead straight to the heart of power. Without first the shadow vortex, the royal capital will collapse again, even amid sacred fire."
Lucian's voice turned cold: "Lead the way. If you don't return with ashes, don't bother proving your loyalty here."
The robed guest turned immediately, and several dark guards stepped forward to flank him.Trial in the Secret PathBefore dawn, Aveline, Lucian, and Silver Oath dark guards formed a tight formation, descending into the depths of the imperial underground palace. Ancient secret paths crisscrossed between murals and flame runes.
"This way leads to the old Shadow Mansion ruins," the robed man pointed to the runes. "The Dark Moon and Soul Pact factions converge here."
The path narrowed sharply; water dripped into ice beneath their feet, and echoes moaned like ghosts. Lucian drew his sword, its rich glinting against the flame emblem on his armor: "Watch for hidden blades and cursed arrows. Stay alert."
Shadows twitched, and masked assassins leaped from side stone crevices, wielding bone-carved daggers stained with blood. Illya and Karina charged forward to block, blade light clashing with cursed fire as shadows were dispelled one by one.
Aveline stepped forward, touching the ground with her flame scepter. Crimson mist surged from the fissures as she chanted: "In the name of the people, I sever this undercurrent!" Scarlet flame breath erupted from the scepter, blasting the remaining assassins back into the secret passage.The Shadow Manor LairThrough labyrinthine tunnels, they reached a hidden plaza—the abandoned Shadow Mansion hall. Central stone platforms were covered in Dark Moon runes, and bone talismans hung on all walls. The robed man tore off his mask, revealing a familiar face: Soius, former captain of the shadow guards, once head of the palace guards.
"You… massacred your own kin when you betrayed the crown. Why should I trust you?" Aveline asked coldly.
Soius sighed: "I killed only shadow guards corrupted by the Bone Rift Curse. What I offer is a map to the truth. Here, where Dark Moon and Crescent Rift intersect, they've learned to fallen souls, turning the capital's shadows into their banner."
Before he finished, the runes flashed. A translucent skeleton shadow emerged from the stone platform—undead like mist, clad in bone armor, roaring as it lunged.
Lucian's sword sliced through spirits, one strike per soul, pain intertwining with blood and fire. Aveline supplemented with scepter curses, merging holy light and flame to drag the undead back into ashes. Soius seized the chaos to snatch a shard of the floating bone armor, tossing it to her: "Take this seal. It traces the Crescent Rift's origin."Flame Seal Mirror LakeBearing the shard and Soius' shadow map, they returned to Mirror Lake outside the royal court. Under moonlight, the lake surface shone like a mirror, reflecting stars and palace walls.
"The Crescent Rift Alliance's root lies beneath the ancient stele at the lake's bottom," Soius pointed to the central island.
Aveline turned to Lucian, her gaze steady: "By tomorrow night, we'll swear an oath here to purge the last shadows."
Deep into night, fire riders and dark guards arrayed along the lakeshore. Bonfires blazed on the central island, outlining distant snow-capped ridges. Aveline stood before a silver stone altar, holding high the bone armor shard and flame rune fragment on her scepter.
She declared loudly: "Though Crescent Rift is dark, the Flame Oath shines eternal. I vow by this blood and flame—if shadows rise again, their bones and souls shall be destroyed!"
She her blood into the lake, and golden-red ripples spread across the water. Lucian clasped her hand, adding his blood to the oath: "If undercurrents return, I shall guard the queen with my flame-blood until death."
Two blood threads, like fire, sliced across the lake surface—and the last traces of ice in their hearts.Aftermath of the BattleWhen the ritual ended, dawn pierced the fog, and Mirror Lake fell calm. Aveline and Lucian stood face to face, no pretense left between them.
"You once asked if I'd die with you if you fell?" she whispered.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her close, lips brushing her neck: "The oath is sealed, our souls bound. I shall never abandon you, even in death."
She turned, sitting on a lakeside stone bench, removing the flame rune fragment from the scepter's tip and handing it to him: "This seal bears your blood. You are my deepest mark."
Lucian reinserted the fragment into the scepter, and fire runes blazed to life. He lowered his gaze: "You and I—until death do us part."