Elsewhere — Temple of Embers, Tharalon
Far across the continent, a robed priest knelt before a shrine carved from dragonbone. A figure emerged from the shadows: tall, cloaked in black, eyes like smoldering voids.
"He moves to unite the lost," the priest said. "He bonds with witches, warriors, and queens. The boy becomes the storm."
"Then we shackle the winds," the figure said, voice laced with frost.
A symbol burned onto the stone behind him—a broken crown wrapped in thorns.
System Warning: Divine Bloodline Traced
Your presence has triggered a sealed prophecy.
Bloodline Revealed: Descendant of the Fallen King – Vhalor, the God-Binder
Passive Trait Awakened: Will of Chains
You may resist divine commands or suppress other god-blooded foes.
Warning: You are now being tracked by a Celestial Enforcer.
Back in Lustwood Grove
A dream struck Zephyr like a hammer in the night. He stood atop an obsidian tower, flames licking the edges of the realm. Before him knelt thousands—humans, beastkin, and spirits—chanting a name he didn't remember earning.
The sky split open.
A woman descended, her wings made of stars, her voice both terrifying and serene.
"Wake up, my son of ruin. The gods have noticed."
Zephyr gasped awake, sweat pouring down his brow. The scent of smoke clung to his skin. Both queens stirred beside him, sensing the shift.
"Something's changed," Avelyne whispered.
Zephyr nodded slowly. "I've remembered something… or maybe it remembered me."
Final Notification for Chapter 33:
[Prophecy Unlocked: Crown of Ashes, Rise of Silk]
Next Chapter: "The Siege of Lustwood"
Will feature:
First battle with Tharalon's Vanguard
Zephyr unleashing partial Bloodline Powers
The arrival of the fourth Queen candidate… from a rival blood cult
The morning sun never came.
Instead, a gray veil hung over the Lustwood Grove, thick with war-scent—iron, smoke, and the murmur of spells being woven by trembling hands. The trees themselves seemed tense, their leaves folded tight like clenched fists. Animals had vanished. Even the wind refused to stir.
War was coming. Not in days. Now.
System Alert: Enemy Vanguard Detected
Tharalonian Force: ~600 Elite Shock Knights, 80 Dark Clerics, 12 Catapults
Led by: Black Bishop Varamir (Elite Boss – Tier II)
Estimated Time Until Breach: 2 Hours
Tactical Choices:
[✓] Deploy Queen Zahra to Command Left Flank (Beastkin Archers & Jungle Saboteurs)
[✓] Deploy Queen Avelyne to Secure Rearline & Signal Network
[✓] Zephyr: Assigned to Central Ridge Command, Overlooking the Battlefield
Passive Buffs Activated:
Triumvirate Blessing: +15% Morale | +10% Fear Resistance
Will of Chains: +5% Resistance to Divine & Psychic Attacks
Lustwood – War Formation Ridge
Zephyr stood clad in a black-gold warcoat woven by Zahra's jungle witches, his arms braced behind him, eyes narrowed across the ridges. His sword, Ruinwake, pulsed lightly on his back. Each heartbeat seemed to echo through the formation.
Beneath him, the armies of the Court of Flame and Silk lined up.
Beastkin archers to the left, wearing bone-thread armor. Shieldmaidens from the northern cliffs reinforced the center, and Avelyne's signal units already formed strategic glyph patterns along the treetop platforms—communication magic in a high-speed formation rarely seen outside noble academies.
Commander Buff Active: Zephyr – Warlord's Presence
Nearby Allies gain +12% Attack Speed and +10% Resolve.
Meanwhile — Zahra's Flank
Zahra moved like a shadow through underbrush, her command sharp and lethal. Her bow sang thrice before her presence was even detected, felling Tharalon scouts with poisonous jungle-tipped arrows.
"Fire and retreat. Pull their riders into the brambles!" she roared.
Monkey-like saboteurs obeyed instantly, vanishing into the undergrowth, dragging oil-slicks and trip-wire glyphs behind them. Zahra, eyes glowing golden, activated her Beastkin Ancestral Bond, summoning a ghostly white lion that leapt across enemy formations, sowing panic.
System Update: Zahra's Beast Form Awakened – "Lion Matron's Aspect"
Buffs local units: +10% Speed, +20% Critical Evasion Debuffs nearby enemies with "Predator's Chill"
Avelyne — Rearline Control Tower
Far from the roar of steel, Avelyne stood atop a spell-linked tower, her fingertips dancing over glyph-engraved glass. She coordinated troop movement through tactical echoes, casting sound illusions to disorient Tharalon's signal calls.
But she wasn't just commanding.
She was hunting their mages.
"Second cleric spotted. North-west perch. Blinding arrow: now."
The moment she whispered the order, a single green arrow streaked from a sniper's tower—and a scream echoed across the battlefield as a cleric's skull caved in.
Avelyne's Tactical Phase II Unlocked:
Counter-Command Protocols: Interrupts enemy officers and mages Every successful mage kill reduces enemy Morale by 2%
Zephyr's First Clash
He drew Ruinwake as the first wave struck. Tharalon's knights charged, shields locked, eyes lifeless. Zephyr stepped down from his vantage ridge, leaping directly into the center.
CRACK!
His blade cleaved straight through the lead knight's enchanted plate. A geyser of corrupted blood sprayed the ground. He spun, sword gleaming black with each strike. Spears glanced off him—deflected by the innate aura around him. The chain of his bloodline pulsed once…
And then he roared.
Skill Activated: Bloodline Echo – Wrath of Vhalor
Duration: 30 seconds
All Zephyr's attacks inflict splash damage and stagger lesser enemies.
Immune to knockbacks and stuns during effect.
Within moments, he was a hurricane. Knights screamed. The frontline bent and cracked.
But then—
A deep, sonorous voice echoed across the trees. "False King… unblooded bastard. Kneel."
Zephyr turned—eyes locking on a figure atop a skeletal steed draped in ash-colored banners. The Black Bishop Varamir had arrived.
His robes were made of stitched prayers and skin. His mace was not metal, but a chained spine of a saint.
"You reek of divinity," Varamir sneered. "I shall burn it from your marrow."
BOSS ENGAGEMENT TRIGGERED: BLACK BISHOP VARAMIR
Tier: Elite II Affinities: Dark Cleric Magic, Soul Suppression, Divine Leech
Trait: Martyr's Curse – Each strike against Varamir rebounds 10% of its damage back to the attacker unless blocked with divine resistance.
The Battle: Zephyr vs. Varamir
Their clash wasn't subtle.
Spells exploded around them. Zahra's lion ghost tried to charge, but Varamir cast a ward that reduced its spirit-form to flickers. His chained mace struck like a meteor, shattering stone and splintering shields.
Zephyr parried the first blow—but the second hit his ribs hard enough to draw blood.
"Good," he grunted. "You bleed me—now I bleed you back."
New Skill Unlocked: Chain of Reprisal Passive: Each time Zephyr is damaged, gain +2% Attack Power for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 10x.
As the battle raged, blood dripped freely, his eyes glowing now with ancient fury. Every clash of steel triggered whispers from his blade.
"More. Burn it all."
Victory… at a Cost
At last, it was Zahra who turned the tide. Flanking through collapsing barricades, she leapt from a tree, her spear igniting mid-air. She plunged it into the Bishop's spine just as Zephyr broke his guard.
SHRRRRRRK!
Varamir shrieked. Avelyne cast a psychic tether from afar, interrupting the bishop's last death curse.
And then—silence.
BOSS DEFEATED: BLACK BISHOP VARAMIR EXP Gained: +540 Loot: [Cleric's Grimoire], [Ashbone Mace], [Tier II Soul Crystal]
System Note: Zephyr has absorbed trace divine energy. Bloodline Integration: +2%
Queen Bond Update: Zahra +2 Affection | Avelyne +1 Affection
Queen Buffs Enhanced
Zahra's Healing Time Reduced by 30%
Avelyne's Spell Cooldowns Shortened by 15%
Aftermath — In the War Tent
Zephyr sat shirtless, bruised and bandaged. The room was dim. Zahra knelt beside him, gently smearing salve over his wounded side. Avelyne leaned against a pillar, sipping spiced wine, her eyes still watching him carefully.
"Next time," Zahra said softly, "call me sooner. I don't want to flank a corpse."
Zephyr smirked despite the pain. "I knew you'd catch up."
Avelyne placed a warm hand on Zahra's shoulder, surprising them both. "You saved him. I owe you."
Zahra blinked, then nodded slowly. No snark. No jab. Just… respect.
And for the first time, Zephyr saw it: not rivalry, but bonding.
System Notification: Queen Link Established
Avelyne and Zahra have formed a Tactical Sisterhood Pact
Battle synergy between the two increased by 25% when fighting on opposite flanks.
New Combo Skill Available: Storm & Fang Assault
Zephyr let out a long breath. The battle was won. But the war had only begun.