Night veiled the sacred mountain.
Lucian stood alone at the wind's edge, clutching the Flame-Severing Halberd—sealed away for years.
This weapon, once used to incinerate traitors and purify fallen souls, now pointed toward his unborn child.
"If you are my blood, you will not fear my fire."
"If not..."
He closed his eyes and stepped into the heart of the Flame Mausoleum.The Flame-Severing Ritual · BeginsOnly royal blood could ignite the Flame-Severing Ritual.
Lucian slit his palm, letting blood drip into the halberd's core. Flames erupted instantly. Shirtless, with soul runes pulsing across his chest, he walked steadily, as if approaching an execution.
At that moment in the Flame Heart Palace, Evelyn suddenly felt a scorching, familiar flame aura—
It was him.
She rose abruptly, draped only in a silk cloth, her body still unhealed. Without hesitation, she left the chambers, flames trailing her steps.
Ilea followed, her silver armor still damp, thunder crackling in her eyes.
"If he harms your child, I will kill him with my own hands."
Evelyn paused, turning back with a calm yet resolute gaze. "I would be crueler."The High Chamber of the Flame Tower · ConfrontationWhen Evelyn pushed open the tower door, Lucian stood with the halberd raised, chanting:
"Flame-Severing Blade, sealed with my royal blood—burn away truth and falsehood."
Evelyn shouted in fury: "If you dare bring it down, I will burn with you!"
Their gazes clashed, flames roaring like a tempest.
Lucian's voice trembled:
"He stirs my soul, yet ignores my blood."
"I'm afraid, Evelyn... Were you ever mine?"
The words cut through her silence like a blade.
Evelyn stepped closer, inching toward the flaming halberd until her forehead pressed against his shoulder. Her voice was hoarse:
"I've asked myself at night—whose child he is."
"But only he... answers my pain, every time."
A tear flashed and vanished.
Lucian's grip on the halberd wavered.
Evelyn suddenly looked up, pulling his hand to turn the blade's edge against her bare chest.
"Do it. If you must test, test to the end."
Her body, already drained by the flame fetus, bore fresh fiery cracks—crimson and gold, blooming like flowers.
Lucian stared at her, torn between desire, rage, and fear.
Then—
He kissed her.
Not gently, but a feral bite.
The silk cloth burned away. Evelyn was all but pressed into the center of the flame array, their auras intertwining, souls merging.
Her legs wrapped around his waist, nails digging into his shoulders. Her moans held a near-desperate release:
"Do you hate me... or want me?"
Lucian bit her lip until it bleed. "I want you to burn me to ashes."
They tangled like fire beasts in the array.
Each union deepened the bond between their souls and the flame fetus. Evelyn's moans grew stifled, fragmented, while Lucian seemed determined to bury every doubt into the depths of her womb.
"If he is mine, he will answer our flames."
At the height of their union, a surge of gold-red flame erupted from the array's core.
Evelyn's eyes flew open. She gasped:
"He's answering."
In that instant, Lucian finally understood:
"He is my son."
He held her tightly, forehead resting on her collarbone, their breaths mingling.
"I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes, fingers brushing his hair. "You don't owe me. You owe him."Knox · A Dream DialogueIn the depths of the soul, within the flame fetus chamber.
For the first time, Knox's full consciousness "saw" another figure.
Kassian.
A man with silver hair, golden eyes, and flame scars smiled at the unformed soul.
"You are the 'fire' who will decide our world's fate."
Knox said nothing, only looked up.
He could see the broken flame soul on the man—a vision of a incomplete future.
Kassian knelt closer:
"You can choose who becomes your 'father.'"
"Lucian is your chains. I am your key."
Knox spoke for the first time, his voice as clear as an infant's:
"You are not a key. You are—ashes."
In that moment, the entire dream burned.
Kassian's shadow was devoured by spirit flames, yet his smile widened.
"Well said, Knox. I'll wait for your birth."
"I'll come personally... to burn you."Epilogue · The Flame Fetus SlumbersEvelyn slept in the Flame Heart Palace, with Lucian beside her.
Ilea stood at the tower's peak, gazing north toward the abyss. Her voice was low:
"He's coming. The Shadow of the Cracked Moon King... has crossed the soul realm's edge."
She rested a hand on her sword hilt, murmuring:
"This time, I won't let you face it alone."