The Gray Realm was as silent as death.
The flames of the Soul-Scorching Ring had finally died out, leaving only endless embers floating in the air. The blood moon shattered completely, and the Shattered Moon King's residual soul turned to dust, scattered by the fire.
The altar lay in ruins, stones strewn about, and the earth still trembled faintly.
Lucian held Elea, slowly sitting down amid the. Her body was soft yet warm, as if still lingering in the aftershocks of the soul-scorching flames.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes, her voice hoarse almost to inaudibility: "We… really survived?"
Lucian leaned down, pressing a light kiss to her forehead, his voice low and firm: "We survived. And we won."
Elea managed a faint smile, but then coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood. Her body, strained by the soul-scorching pact, teetered on the edge of collapse.
Lucian's palm brushed her back, and the spark of soul-scorching fire flowed within him, warming her as it seeped into her body: "Don't be afraid. I'll help you recover."
Elea rested in his arms, tilting her head slightly, her lips brushing his neck with a fragile, yearning murmur: "Don't stop… I need you."
Lucian's gaze darkened in an instant, desire mingling with. He whispered in response: "Then let me ignite you again."
Amid the embers of the Gray Realm, they intertwined once more.
Elea's moans merged with the world's faint echoes; her body, weakened, grew all the more sensitive, every touch seeming to set her soul ablaze. Lucian was gentle yet urgent, as if determined to shield her entirely with desire.
The embers of the soul-scorching fire rekindled into faint glimmers at their union, like tiny sparks swirling around them.
As the tide of passion ebbed, Elea's breath slowed, her cheeks flushed. She whispered in his ear: "Lucian… promise me, no matter what wars lie ahead, never let go of my hand."
He held her tightly, his voice steady as an oath: "I swear by the soul-scorching fire—throughout this life and this world, whether in ashes or flames, you shall always be my sovereign."
In the glow of the embers, their soul brands intertwined once more, forming a new ring of the soul-scorching pact.
Yet, unperceived by them, far away at the edge of the Gray Realm, a strange shadow watched them. The shadow murmured softly:
"The soul-scorching fire… is but a prologue."