Chapter 22 – The Clash That Has Yet to Begin
The sky in the spirit realm resembled aged glass, beginning to crack. Thin beams of light slipped through—not to shine, but to reveal the boundary between reality and ruin.
Lumina stood alone at the center of a small altar atop a hill, clutching the silver-white card tightly in her hand. But what she felt wasn't cold—it was vibration.
The card spoke—or more precisely, trembled with a voice only her soul could hear. Two voices clashed within it. Her own... and Verruksha's.
"Your time is near. And so is his."
Lumina held her chest. She knew who was meant.
But she didn't know yet who he truly was.
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The Council Moves — The Chosen Five
At the peak of the northern tower, Archon watched snow fall slowly, erasing the color of the land. Before him, the soul-map glowed faintly. The name "Lumina" pulsed gently.
"She's begun using her power," he murmured.
He turned toward seven cloaked figures. They stood tall, saying little.
Five elite mages, each chosen from old bloodlines sworn to loyalty.
Calzeran, the Binder of Dimensions, master of boundaries and seals.
Viress, the wielder of Shadowed Time.
Neshemir, the reader of emotional pulses.
Draeve, the summoner of sacrificial spirits.
Kaithen, the only mage who ever sealed the dragon Huria.
Archon spoke without delay:
"Capture Lumina. But do not let her complete her second card. If she does... none of us will be able to touch her."
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Alvron and Verruksha — A Pact in the Dark
In the space between dimensions—where spirits speak without sound—Alvron stood at the center of a ritual circle. He called, not with names, but with the breath of his soul.
Verruksha appeared like mist flowing from unseen walls. Her form was vague, but her eyes—endless, ashen gray—remained sharp.
Alvron: "You're still with her?"
Verruksha: "She doesn't realize I go deeper than her own shadow."
Alvron: "When the time peaks, I'll act—just as we agreed."
Verruksha (a pause): "I haven't forgotten. And I'm in no hurry."
They both knew—Lumina was not to be killed.
She was to be formed—or broken from within.
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Enver and Maxcen — The Dragon's Master
Beneath the altar of ancient flame, Enver lit a summoning spell. He called for Huria, the dragon who once gave him the Scale of Mercy.
But as the spell ignited, the one who appeared was not Huria—
It was Maxcen. Half-spirit, half-man, with hair like eternal embers.
Enver: "I summoned Huria."
Maxcen: "And I chose to answer instead."
Maxcen looked at Enver not as if weighing his intent—but his soul.
Maxcen: "You want to protect the girl. But who protects you from your own choices?"
Enver: "If this is bargaining, name your price."
Maxcen (smiling coldly): "One holy card. Yours. Give it to me… and I will protect Lumina. Just once."
Enver went still.
That sacred card wasn't just a tool of magic—
It was his only bridge to the human souls he could still save.
> Note: The origin of Enver and Maxcen is revealed in the novel "Hellseer."
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Lumina — A Soul Trembling
Lumina walked through a narrow alley. At the end, an old man lay asleep on a worn-out chair. Astral light around him had darkened.
"He'll only live for three more days. But if you purify him now… he'll see his child one last time."
It was her own inner voice that spoke. Yet it felt… unfamiliar. Twisted.
She touched the man's chest. But no purification light appeared.
Instead, black-violet flames erupted.
The man screamed—but only within his soul.
His body stayed still.
But his soul… burned.
Lumina staggered back. Dizzy. Shaken.
When she opened her eyes—
a mage stood before her.
Viress. Her robe flowed like water, and time itself slowed around them.
Viress: "You will not complete that card. We'll make sure of it."
Lumina: "You... you're one of them?"
Viress: "No. We are the net sent to catch the shadow before it becomes a storm."
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The Sky Cracks — A Collision at the Doorstep
Elsewhere, Raegar saw the sky begin to fracture.
"It's begun."
In the northern tower, Archon unfolded an old prophecy:
"If fire and voice unite in one body, the second sky will open, and the third earth shall burn from within."
At the dragon's altar, Maxcen said to Enver:
"If you don't choose... I will choose for you."
And Lumina—
for the first time since Enver left her—spoke in her heart:
"If they want an ending...
Then I shall be the end."
She stepped forward.
A third card began to form in her hand.
No legacy. No family blood.
Only her will.