The Betrayal of the Conclave's Guardian
Blood sprayed through the air as Detharos' demonic dagger plunged into Kaelion's back. Time seemed to slow—Seraphine's scream caught in her throat, and Rai'el, wounded, couldn't reach him.
But something strange happened. The dagger did not pierce flesh. A force of black crystal enveloped Kaelion's body, repelling the attack with an echo of ancestral voices.
> "The heir of Raventhorn cannot be slain by betrayal."
Detharos stepped back, stunned—but too late. In a split second, Kaelion unleashed his newfound power—wings forged of hellfire and heavenlight merged in a storm that incinerated the traitor's body to ash.
Yet before his body was destroyed, Detharos grinned:
> "Kaelion… that power will kill your mother."
---
After the battle settled, Seraphine brought Kaelion to the Crystal Chamber to recover his strength. She held her son's hand tightly.
> "What did he mean by those words?"
"Mother… when that power surged through me, I felt two sides within myself… and one of them wants to destroy everything that ever loved me."
Rai'el entered, his face scarred but eyes still shining with gentle resolve.
> "We need answers. And there's only one place that can give them."
Seraphine turned to him. "The Taboo Temple."
The Taboo Temple, where forsaken gods and ancient spirits are imprisoned, is believed to hold the pages of fate written before birth. But the place also devours those who enter it with the intent to steal its secrets.
---
Meanwhile, Selencia received word of Detharos' death from the heavens. She bowed her head in prayer, yet her face remained tense.
> "That demon is evolving too quickly. I must intervene myself."
She stepped onto the celestial cliff. One of her wings had already darkened.
> "Forgive me, Seraphine. I must end you before the world kneels at your feet."
---
Seraphine, Rai'el, and Kaelion prepared for their journey to the Taboo Temple, leaving Raventhorn under the protection of the eldest demons. But they did not know that above the skies, Selencia had opened the heavenly gate for the last time.
And in the shadows of the Taboo Temple, the soul of Kaelion's father—the long-dead king—awaited them, holding truths the world was never meant to hear.
A purple mist floated in the sky as Seraphine, Rai'el, and Kaelion stepped toward the black gates of the Taboo Temple. There was no sunlight—only the reflection of a blood-red moon illuminating their path. Around them, giant stones glowed faintly, like the eyes of awakened spirits.
> "The next step will unlock the past... and awaken what should've remained asleep," Rai'el whispered.
Kaelion gripped Seraphine's hand. "I'm ready."
As they entered the temple, a voice in an ancient tongue echoed from the walls:
> "Heirs of sinful blood and forsaken heavens—why have you come to steal time?"
Pillars slowly opened, guiding them to the central altar, where the face of a man was engraved upon the marble floor.
"This is…" Seraphine murmured.
> "King Valtor."
The voice came from above the altar, and from a swirl of shadow and light, the spirit of King Valtor—Seraphine's former husband and Kaelion's father—appeared. His body shimmered in golden aura, but his eyes radiated aged darkness.
> "Welcome, my wife and son… and the demon you kissed in the dark."
Seraphine bowed her head—not in submission, but in sorrow.
> "You never gave the world a chance to know me as queen. Only as the cold king's wife."
Valtor sighed and stepped toward Kaelion.
> "My son… within your blood lies a prophecy that will determine whether the world perishes or rises."
He lifted his hand, summoning a book from the heavens. Inscribed within were the writings of the Elder Ancestors, and one page turned on its own:
> "When demonic and celestial blood unite in a vessel untouched by the gods, destruction or ascension shall begin."
Seraphine clutched her chest. "A vessel untouched by the gods?"
Rai'el stepped forward. "It means… you've not fully accepted me—in body and soul."
Kaelion lowered his gaze. "Then… if you unite… will I survive?"
King Valtor answered grimly:
> "One will fade, one will bloom. Both cannot remain."
Suddenly, the ground trembled. Outside the temple, the heavenly army led by Selencia had arrived. The sound of divine trumpets shook the skies, and Selencia's voice split the air:
> "Seraphine! Hand over your child and the demon—or this land shall turn to ash!"
Seraphine looked up at the temple ceiling. Her eyes no longer wavered. She turned to Rai'el and Kaelion.
> "If the world must choose between love and fate… then I will split the world itself."
And at the edge of the altar, before vanishing, King Valtor whispered:
> "I loved you… but I was too afraid to be weak. You are not."
---
Seraphine shed her cloak, revealing the seal mark on her back beginning to burn. She would break her bodily curse, fully accept Rai'el, and in doing so—shape the future of the world.
The Taboo Temple was bathed in crimson light as Seraphine stood at the center of the altar, the mark on her back glowing. Kaelion stood nearby, his eyes filled with a fear Seraphine had never seen before. Rai'el, the Demon God, stood before her, his body trembling—not just with desire, but with fate.
> "Are you certain?" Rai'el asked softly.
> "If I don't accept you fully, my son may lose his future."
> "But if you do… the prophecy says he may… vanish."
Rai'el's voice cracked. He, the great demon of the underworld, knelt before the queen. His blood-red eyes brimmed with a sincerity almost divine.
> "I love you, Seraphine. But not at the cost of your son."
Seraphine bowed her head, touching his wounded face as the seal peeled from her skin.
> "Precisely because I love him… I must be strong. And strong love does not choose. It sacrifices."
With a gentle motion, Seraphine pressed her lips to Rai'el's. The kiss split the air, shook the temple floor, and sent crimson light soaring into the sky. Seraphine's body lifted, and around her, spirits from the past began to swirl: her mother, former queens, and even King Valtor reappearing to witness the choice he had never dared to make.
As their lips parted, Seraphine's body became shrouded in dark light. She had become the perfect vessel: a human queen with demonic blood and heavenly power.
Then Kaelion screamed.
> "Mother! My hand—!!"
Kaelion's right hand began to fade, like a shadow dissolving in light. Seraphine's eyes widened.
> "No…!"
Rai'el rushed forward, embracing Kaelion and whispering chants from the underworld. The light in the boy's body dimmed, then stabilized. But one thing could not be undone: Kaelion's celestial birthmark had vanished. He was no longer the heir of heaven's blood.
> "What's happening to me?" Kaelion asked weakly.
> "You're… alive. But you now stand outside the prophecy. The world can no longer predict you," Rai'el answered, sweat running cold down his face.
Seraphine embraced her son—this time, without hesitation, without distance.
> "You're still my child. Inheritance doesn't make you strong. Your heart will make the world bow."
Outside, the sky tore open. Celestial armies descended with blazing weapons. Selencia led them, her gaze icy:
> "You've crossed the line, Seraphine. Now, you are an enemy of the heavens."
Seraphine stood tall, her hair billowing, red and golden eyes blazing across her face.
> "Then let the heavens tremble. For the queen of hell has risen."
Beside her, Rai'el transformed into a towering creature of black wings, ready for war.
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