The faint glow of embers still drifted, and the Gray Realm seemed to sink into a false tranquility.
Lucian still held Elea, her breathing gradually steady, her skin flushed slightly from sweat and the glow of fire. She rested in his arms, her gaze hazy, yet a rare tenderness bloomed amid the calm.
But then, a cold wind blew from the void. In the depths of the Gray Realm, darkness slowly gathered, and a figure emerged from the end of the embers.
It was an unfamiliar being. Clad in a dark silver robe, its face hidden beneath a hood, its eyes emitted a strange pale light. Its steps were silent, yet they made the earth tremble faintly.
Elea noticed at once, her brows furrowing. Though her body was weak, she instinctively moved to draw a sword. Lucian her, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Don't move. He's not a residual soul..."
The comer at the edge of the glowing embers, its voice deep and ancient, as if carried from the depths of the void:
"The soul-scorching pact... has finally taken shape."
Elea bit her lip, her voice cold: "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly, the pale light in its eyes flickering: "I am the inheritor left behind by the Shattered Moon King. The shadow shall bear His will... and surpass it."
Lucian's gaze turned icy, his arm tightening around Elea: "Inheritor? So you are His true remnant."
The Shadow Inheritor let out a low laugh, laced with mockery: "No, I am not a remnant. I am ascension. You destroyed Him with desire and soul-scorching fire, yet in doing so, you opened a path for me."
No sooner had the words fallen than the embers around the Gray Realm suddenly ignited, transforming into gray-black flames that coiled around the figure. It spread its arms, and the flames flowed along its body, forming translucent jet-black wings.
Elea's heart trembled, and she whispered: "His power... is purer than the Shattered Moon King's residual soul..."
Lucian replied in a low voice: "Then we burn again."
Elea looked at him, a flash of shyness and determination in her eyes. She reached out to touch his chest, her voice trembling: "Lucian... if this is our only way, let me and you burn our souls to ashes once more."
Lucian stared deeply at her, murmuring in her ear: "Are you ready? This time, there may be no turning back."
She responded shakily: "I am already in your arms. There is no need to turn back."
The two clung tightly to each other, and the Soul-Scorching Ring reignited with their union, blazing brighter than ever. Amid the flames, their moans and heartbeats intertwined into an oath.
The Shadow Inheritor watched the scene, a complex light flickering in its eyes: "Fascinating... you would use flesh and soul as fuel to contend with me for the Gray Realm? Then let me see how brightly you can burn."
The Gray Realm trembled once more, embers swirling upward. The clash between desire and darkness opened a new chapter.