The wasteland was dyed into two extremes by blood and ashen flames.
The figure of the Rifted Moon Apostle dissipated, but the lingering glow of the blood moon still hung high in the sky, enshrouding the entire battlefield.
The air reeked of a suffocating, sickly sweetness, as if it might devour their souls at any moment.
Elya leaned into Lucian's arms, her breath ragged. She felt the light of the Ashen Flame Oath dimming by the second; the Soul-Scorching Pact within her was being corroded by the blood moon, and a searing pain burned at the brand on her chest.
Clenching her teeth, she whispered, "No… The blood moon is tearing apart our oathfire… It wants to turn us into slaves of the Rifted Moon."
Lucian's palm pressed tightly against her back, his gaze unyielding. "Then let us ignite the oathfire to its fullest—by the most extreme means."
Elya's pupils trembled. She knew exactly what he meant.
She did not refuse. She merely nodded faintly.
"If this is the only way… even if I burn to ashes, I will stay with you."
The ashen-flame phoenix erupted into blaze once more, synchronized with their heartbeats.
Lucian intoned a low vow: "By blood and soul as tinder, I forge with you an oathfire that never dies."
Elya's voice trembled as she answered: "By body and heart as sacrifice, I vow to burn away all the chains of fate with you."
As the vows fell, their bodies merged completely. The ashen oathfire was no longer merely a union of souls—it became a fusion of blood and flesh, extreme and scorching.
Her moans and tears mingled in the flames, each touch sending tremors to the depths of their souls.
Lucian's breath was wild and heavy. He clutched her waist, as if determined to embed her into himself, leaving not a sliver of space between them.
The blood moon's radiance in their union, seemingly forced back by this power of desire and oathfire.
The deeper they merged, the brighter the ashen flames blazed. The phoenix's shadow spread its wings again, dispelling the blood moon's lingering glow.
When the last wisp of blood-red light shattered, Elya collapsed onto Lucian's chest. Tears slid down her cheeks, but her smile held a sense of relief.
"We… we really held it back."
Lucian kissed away her tears, murmuring, "You kept me alive. And you… made this oathfire eternal."
The brands of the Ashen Flame Oath overlapped on their hearts, glowing brighter than ever before.
Yet deep within the distant blood moon, a cold laugh echoed once more:
"Do you think this is victory? The blood oath is sealed. You will fall into the abyss with me."
The earth trembled. A chasm split open in the distance, and a blood-red vortex slowly spun to life.
Elya and Lucian met each other's eyes, knowing in their hearts—this was only the prologue.
They clasped hands tightly. Behind them, the ashen-flame phoenix roared, its flames shooting toward the sky.
Lucian whispered, "Then let us burn the Rifted Moon… in the abyss."
Elya nodded, her gaze steady. "The Ashen Flame Blood Pact… will never perish."
Together, they leaped into the crimson abyss.