The Silver Heir
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Sleeper Beneath the Light
The night sky trembled like glass ready to break.
A crimson moon hung low, and beneath it, the ruins of Sanctum IX still smoldered — a graveyard of faith and broken promises.
Pearl had flown for hours, but the image of Arden falling into the crater would not fade. His scream had echoed through the wind, tangled with Kaelith's laughter. Now, even the silence carried it.
She landed on a ridge overlooking what used to be a city — Vorrakai. The streets below were abandoned, shadows crawling like living things between the crumbling towers. Once, this was the jewel of her people. Now, it was a maze of ghosts.
Pearl's silver eyes dimmed. The Crown's energy pulsed weakly against her skin, whispering fragments of voices she didn't want to hear.
He is not lost.
He chose the flame.
You can still unmake him.
She clenched her fist. "I won't kill him. Not unless there's no other choice."
But deep down, she wasn't sure if she was lying — to the voice, or to herself.
She began her descent into Vorrakai's bones. The city's silence wasn't peaceful — it was predatory. Even the wind seemed to breathe.
Halfway through the ruins, she felt it — a flicker. Energy, faint and corrupted, seeping from the underground tunnels. Arden.
Her pulse quickened.
Drawing her blade, she stepped lightly through the dust. Her armor glimmered in flashes — brief and ghostly — as she made her way into the subway tunnels that once carried thousands. Now, they carried only echoes.
The deeper she went, the more the air changed — thicker, colder. The walls glowed faintly with symbols burned into the stone, old moon runes now twisted by crimson flame.
She knelt beside one. The symbols pulsed as if alive. When she touched them, a vision hit her — Arden, standing before Kaelith's throne, the mark of fire spreading across his chest like roots.
He'd bowed his head. He'd sworn the Red Oath.
Pearl stumbled back, breath shaking. "No…"
"Still denying it?"
The voice came from the dark. Smooth, mocking, layered with static.
Pearl froze, blade raised.
A figure stepped out — tall, wrapped in crimson armor that shimmered like molten glass. A broken halo of black fire crowned his head.
It was Arden.
But not the man she knew. His face was colder, sharper — his eyes two burning coals. The once-blue crystal on his sword now pulsed red.
He smirked. "You found me faster than I thought."
Pearl's throat tightened. "Let him go, Kaelith."
Kaelith's voice slipped through Arden's like oil. "Oh, child of silver, you misunderstand. He begged for me. The boy was weak. You made him weaker."
Pearl's grip trembled. "I'll tear you out of him if I have to."
"Try," he said simply.
The battle began without warning.
Arden's sword came down in a flash of crimson light. Pearl met it mid-swing, the clash sending shockwaves through the tunnels. Sparks scattered across the walls, illuminating carvings of forgotten gods.
Her movements were sharp — every strike laced with grief and fury. But Kaelith was faster through Arden's hands. He fought like a storm unchained.
"Still holding back," Kaelith sneered. "Even now, when he's mine. Pathetic."
Pearl spun, blade slicing through a column, sending debris raining down. "He's not yours!"
She unleashed a burst of silver energy, forcing him back. The explosion tore the tunnel apart, collapsing the ceiling.
When the dust cleared, they stood on opposite ends of a shattered bridge, the city yawning open beneath them. The molten rivers of Kaelith's corruption flowed below like veins of fire.
Arden tilted his head, eyes flickering between red and blue. "Pearl…"
Her heart skipped. "Arden?!"
For a second, his expression cracked — pain flashed through him. He dropped to one knee, clutching his head. "He's… inside me… I can't—"
Kaelith's laughter returned, cold and venomous. "He belongs to the flame."
His body convulsed — and suddenly, the flames around him expanded, forming wings of burning light.
Pearl backed away, eyes wide. "No…"
He took to the air, striking her with a force that sent her crashing through a tower. Metal and stone screamed as she hit the ground, armor dented and blood on her lips.
She staggered up, her own wings unfolding — pale silver against his red inferno.
Two fallen stars collided above the ruins of Vorrakai.
The city became a war zone. Every blow they exchanged shattered more of the skyline. Flames and moonlight intertwined, twisting into storms that swallowed everything.
Pearl screamed his name between strikes, desperate to reach him. "Arden, fight it! You're stronger than him!"
For a moment, he faltered — the red flicker dimmed. "Pearl… I—"
Then Kaelith surged forward, his voice like thunder. "Enough!"
The flames engulfed Arden's body fully, turning his outline into a godlike silhouette. He slammed into Pearl, driving her through three buildings until she hit the ground, bleeding and gasping.
Kaelith hovered above, wings spreading across the sky. "I wanted to thank you, Pearl. Without your rage, your doubt, he would never have broken."
Pearl spat blood, glaring up at him. "And without my light, you'll burn yourself to ashes."
Her aura ignited — not pure silver anymore, but streaked with black. The Shadow Crown's curse shimmered along her veins. She rose slowly, eyes glowing white.
Kaelith's laughter faltered. "What—what are you—?"
She smiled faintly. "Something you can't control."
She vanished — and reappeared behind him. One strike, fueled by all her pain, cleaved through his corrupted wings. Arden screamed — Kaelith screamed through him — and they both fell.
Pearl caught him midair, landing hard among the wreckage. He thrashed, the corruption burning his skin.
She pressed her hand to his chest, summoning moonlight. "I'm not losing you."
Kaelith's voice growled from within him, venomous. "Then you'll die with him."
"Maybe." Her voice trembled. "But not tonight."
The light flared — a surge so bright it silenced the city.
When the glow faded, Arden lay unconscious in her arms. The red sigils were gone, replaced by faint silver scars. His breathing was shallow but steady.
Pearl was shaking — her energy nearly spent, her eyes dulling. She looked around the ruins of Vorrakai — no sound but wind and falling ash.
For now, the city was quiet again.
She looked down at him — her oldest ally, her almost-brother. "You're still in there. I'll find a way to bring you back."
The Crown whispered faintly.
He is the price of light.
She ignored it.
As dawn broke — pale and ghostly — Pearl stood among the ashes, Arden in her arms, the moon bleeding out behind her.
Far in the distance, across a sea of scorched clouds, Kaelith stirred in his fortress, a crack forming in his armor where her strike had landed.
He smiled darkly. "So… she's learning."
The war of gods was only beginning — and the moon itself trembled, as if afraid of what its heir would become next.