In the sky, newly fractured by Selencia's arrival, the celestial army began to bare its fangs. From the cracks in the blue heavens stained with red, a line of silver-winged angels emerged, their glowing white eyes unblinking. They did not come to greet. They came to judge, to weigh, and—if necessary—to destroy.
On the other side, Hell did not remain still. The Accursed Conclave began to awaken ancient forces: the army of the Ninth Hell, entities long imprisoned in eternal ice and black fire. Their leader, the Deepest Son, rose from his long slumber and swore to serve only one name:
> "Queen Seraphine. The final bearer of flame and scars."
In the Raventhorn palace, Seraphine stood at the highest tower, the wind tearing through her black cloak. In her hands, she held two crowns: Kael's, and her own. Rai'el stood behind her, and Kaelion now sat on the stone throne once used by the king.
> "Mother, this war… it isn't about Heaven or Hell. It's about who we still want to protect."
Seraphine looked into her child's eyes—eyes that held the hue of the divine and the dark streaks of infernal legacy.
"You will grow into something the world has never seen," she said.
---
Rai'el and Seraphine began the final ritual to fully open the Gate of the Ninth Hell. Using Seraphine's blood—bearing the heritage of both angel and demon—and a sealing kiss from Rai'el, the ancient sigil broke open. From within, a being as tall as a tower emerged, bearing the Staff of Eternity and chains forged from the bones of time.
"Who is your leader?" it asked.
Seraphine stepped forward and replied,
"I am."
All the creatures knelt.
---
In the sky, Selencia delivered a message to the entire world through waves of light:
"In seven days, the sky will fall. Heaven will purge everything. If Seraphine does not surrender her crown and her child, then there will be an end."
The proclamation echoed through the deepest valleys, the darkest seas, and the most silent lands. The world knew: no one could remain neutral this time.
But Seraphine did not falter. She summoned all the leaders of the demon and human worlds, opening the Convergence Chamber—a meeting of the upper, middle, and lower realms. She stood on the altar of thorns and declared:
> "I am not a queen to be purified, nor a demon to be destroyed. I am the wound that chooses to live. Whoever wishes to survive—come, and stand by me."
---
On the night before the war, Seraphine and Rai'el sat in the secret garden. For the first time, Rai'el looked profoundly human. He gently touched Seraphine's cheek and whispered:
> "If I die, you must live. If I live, you must still live. But if you die… then this world is meaningless."
Seraphine let out a small laugh, her tears falling.
> "We are not ordinary people. But tonight, let me love you without the weight."
They kissed beneath the blood moon. In the distance, Kaelion looked up at the sky, gripping the small sword his father once gave him.
"I won't let anyone touch Mother," he whispered.
> War will not wait for love to bloom. But love will always bloom, even as the world crumbles.
---
Kaelion stood in the center of the Hall of a Thousand Candles, where representatives of demonkind and mankind gathered to form the final strategy. He was not yet of age, but his gaze held the weight of an old general who had survived countless battlefields. His voice was deep but clear, each word carrying the will of royal blood and the silent curse of an angel growing inside him.
> "If you cannot trust me because of my age, then trust in my mother's blood. I am the child of two worlds you've long hated—and I will burn them both to protect her."
Seraphine heard his words from behind the obsidian pillar. For the first time, she didn't feel like a ruler—but a mother. The old wounds inside her felt warm with the courage of her child.
But not everyone welcomed the strength growing within Kaelion. Detharos, a member of the Conclave and an ancient sorcerer of the Seraphyx race, secretly sent a letter to Selencia. Its contents read:
> "That child is no hero. He is ruin. I am willing to open the gates from within."
---
Meanwhile, Rai'el met with the four representatives of the Oldest Hell Clans. In that meeting, an unexpected condition was laid out: to unite their forces with Seraphine's, her blood must be completely purified of its angelic half. That meant—she would have to kill her own sister, Selencia.
Rai'el rejected the condition without hesitation.
"She is no longer Heaven's blood—she is mine. And no one purifies blood I've accepted as fate."
They laughed, but said nothing.
---
Elsewhere, Seraphine met Selencia in secret.
They did not fight.
They simply sat at a broken, ancient altar.
> "You've always been too hard on yourself, Seraphine."
"And you've always believed too much that Heaven can save everyone."
"I want to end this war. But not by surrendering to you."
"I don't need your surrender. I need you to believe that what I chose… wasn't a mistake."
They parted in silence.
---
Detharos' forces betrayed Raventhorn.
He opened the eastern gates and let the burning angels in.
Rai'el was gravely wounded protecting Seraphine, and Kaelion unleashed a new power—black-and-white wings glowing with bloodlight.
With a single roar, he scorched half the angelic army.
His eyes burned with a deep violet fire.
> "Mother, I won't let them touch you again."
But behind him, Detharos stood, ready to plunge a demon blade into his back.