In the Snowflame Royal Palace, within the Flame Heart,the fire that had burned all night flickered like a pulse, bright then dim.
Evelyn sat at the center of the flame bed, the flame pattern on her forehead fading and flaring, her eyes slightly closed as if listening to a sound not of this world.
On her abdomen, the flame seal glowed brighter and brighter. That tiny flame, as if breaking free from physical control, began actively transmitting fragments of consciousness.
She saw spirit shadows floating in a sea of fire—silver pupils, ashen skin, blood inscriptions.
She heard the voice again:
"Knox."
This time, it was no whisper, but a clear—self-proclamation.
She suddenly opened her eyes, her body trembling, and flame energy surged outward like a tide. All the spirit flames in the Flame Heart Palace rose three inches at once.
Eira burst into the hall first, unarmored, her silver hair disheveled, her face alert.
"What's wrong with you?!"
Evelyn pressed one hand to her abdomen, but a cryptic smile slowly curved her lips:
"He's awakened."
"Knox—the name of the child of flame and king."
Eira froze. In that moment, she saw in Evelyn's eyes a rare divine majesty, unusual in motherhood.Strange Omens in the PalaceAt dawn, the flame towers across the entire Snowflame Capital heated up in unison.
The flickering rhythm of the flame lamps spun out of control; magic teleportation arrays ed briefly. Above the city, a faint flame seal even appeared—an enlarged version of the seal on Evelyn's abdomen.
High Priest Lovis immediately convened the Council of Seven Luminaries for deliberation.
"This is a sign of a divine fetus!" an elderly priest almost shouted. "The child of the Flame God—will rewrite the laws of fate!"
But others whispered doubts:
"Can an unborn child bear such powerful spirit flame?"
"If he refuses to submit..."
Beneath the palace, remnants of the Split Moon faction and heretical embers stirred restlessly.Kael · Mental InvasionAs the flame seal rose, in the desolate flame forest of the Eastern Border, Kael stood before a burning spirit stone pillar, a soul rift splitting open in his palm.
He exhaled a breath of flame, casting the Flame Soul Binding Seal—a forbidden technique that could invade the connection between a pregnant body and its soul fetus.
"Let me see who you are, Knox—who you truly belong to."
He closed his eyes, his soul piercing through the earth's veins, the flame core, and finally entering the mental realm of the Flame Heart Palace.
In that instant, the fire within Evelyn erupted like an explosion.
She suddenly threw her head back, gasping, her body jerking backward, pupils dilating, limbs convulsing, a strange name escaping her lips:
"Ka... sa... s..."
Eira sensed danger, immediately unleashing a silver flame soul barrier to seal the.
Evelyn's fingertips trembled violently, her consciousness struggling between two forces—Kael's inducement, and Knox's instinctive resistance from within.
"You... want to replace my child?"
Evelyn in her dream.
From the depths of the soul realm, Kael's shadow smiled: "No. I just want to know... who you truly love."
This sentence struck like a blade.
Evelyn's soul shuddered violently.
She saw Lucian's face, Eira's embrace, the entanglement of flames in the depths of the Flame Realm.
She saw herself, countless nights, unable to decide who to burn, who to abandon.
And in this moment of soul,a yet firm voice sounded within her:
"Don't be afraid, Mother."
"I'm here."
That voice instantly shredded Kael's soul flame.Knox's First ManifestationIn the Flame Heart,Evelyn suddenly opened her eyes, as if reborn.
Fire patterns blazed across her body. She pressed her palm to her abdomen, and felt a tiny soul's response.
She smiled softly: "Knox... you are not just my child. You are the last vow of the Flame Realm."
At the same time, the spirit tower outside the flame palace suddenly lit up—
A golden-red sword shadow of flame pierced the clouds.
It was the phantom of the Royal Flame Sword, which had risen once when Evelyn ascended the throne, and now returned again.
All people in the capital knelt in submission.Epilogue: The Pact of Shattered MoonFar in the Eastern Border, after his soul was forced out, Kael spat up a mouthful of blood flame. His face ed, yet he laughed lowly.
"What a child... Knox."
"If that's the case, I swear by the shattered moon to welcome his birth personally."
"If he accepts my will, I'll help him replace you."
"If he rejects me—I'll kill all you love."
Night deepened, but the fire in the spirit tower of the Snowflame Royal Palace never died.