The night had barely settled when the flames returned to the sky—brighter, hotter, and far more controlled than before. This time, they did not streak like falling stars or distant omens. They descended with intention.
Like a verdict from the heavens.
Rylan stood in front of their small wooden home, chest heaving as he stared upward. Seraphina clutched the twins behind him, her body trembling not from fear—but from a pain she knew was coming.
The Phoenix Clan had come for her.
And they would not leave empty-handed.
The flaming clouds parted, revealing a formation of immortal soldiers clad in molten-gold armor. Each bore wings of living flame, feathers flickering like miniature suns as they soared downward in disciplined rows.
The villagers collapsed to their knees, shielding their faces.
Rylan did not kneel.
Seraphina did not kneel.
The twins, too young to understand, only whimpered as the heat pressed down on them.
A thunderous voice boomed across the village:
"Seraphina Phoenix. You have violated the sacred decree."
From the sky descended a grand procession—massive phoenix-beasts, radiant banners, and an ornate palanquin forged entirely of red-gold firestone.
When the palanquin touched the earth, the flames withdrew in elegant spirals, revealing an Elder whose mere presence distorted the air—Elder Vaelion, High Seat of the Phoenix Council.
His eyes glowed with eternal flame. His voice was law itself.
"Seraphina," he said coldly, "your rebellion ends tonight."
The Demands of the Phoenix Clan
Seraphina stepped forward, forcing herself between Rylan and the Elders. Her lips trembled.
"Elder Vaelion… I did not flee out of rebellion. I fled because I sought my own life. My own heart."
Vaelion's fiery gaze slid toward Rylan with disdain.
"You mistake your privilege for freedom," he said. "And you have tainted your sacred bloodline with a mortal nobody."
Rylan's fists clenched.
Elder Vaelion ignored him.
"The Council has already chosen your rightful suitor—the next Patriarch of the Vermillion Flame Sect. Your marriage is a matter of inter-realm stability. Not desire."
Seraphina's eyes burned with defiance.
"I will never marry that man. My heart belongs to Rylan."
A ripple of shocked gasps came from the soldiers. Even the phoenix-beasts hissed in agitation.
Rylan felt both pride and dread crash inside him. He stepped beside his wife.
"You heard her," he said firmly. "We're a family now. Leave."
The villagers watched in stunned horror as a mere mortal addressed the Phoenix Clan like equals.
The Clash
Elder Vaelion raised his hand.
A sphere of condensed flame formed above his palm—small, yet radiating enough heat to melt stone.
"This union is forbidden," he said. "And you—mortal—stand in the way of destiny."
Seraphina stepped in front of Rylan, wings of pale flame erupting behind her in a defensive arc.
"Elder, please!" she cried. "Do not harm him!"
But the flame moved.
And so did Rylan.
He shoved Seraphina aside just as the fire sphere shot forward.
The impact struck him in the chest like a blazing hammer. His body flew backward, crashing through the wooden wall of their home.
"RYLAN!" Seraphina screamed, rushing toward him.
The twins began to cry in her arms, their unstable energies trembling.
Elder Vaelion's expression remained unmoved.
"Your mortal lover should have stayed silent."
The villagers watched helplessly, too terrified to intervene. The heat from the soldiers scorched the earth; approaching was impossible.
Rylan lay in the wreckage of their home, gasping for air. His chest smoked. His shirt had burned away, revealing blackened skin and deep glowing cracks where the Phoenix Elder's flame had pierced him.
Seraphina fell to her knees beside him, tears spilling onto his wounds. Her tears sizzled, turning into tiny sparks of golden light.
Rylan forced a smile through the agony.
"I… told you… I'd protect you."
"Idiot!" she sobbed, pressing her forehead to his. "You're supposed to protect yourself too!"
Behind them, the Phoenix soldiers formed a circle of flame.
Elder Vaelion spoke again, voice like molten iron:
"Seraphina. Abandon this foolishness and return. Or I will burn this village to ash, and take you regardless."
Seraphina clutched the twins tighter. Her wings flickered, unstable and trembling. She wanted to fight—she could fight—but with newborns in her arms, she was divided, weakened.
And the Elders knew it.
Elder Vaelion extended his hand.
"Give me the children."
Seraphina's blood froze. "No! They're mine!"
"Children of the Phoenix line belong to the Clan," he corrected. "Especially abominations born of mixed power."
Lyra's shadows coiled protectively around Seraphina's arm. Arin's tiny flames burned brightly, responding to the threat instinctively.
"Do not call them that," Seraphina hissed.
But Vaelion merely stepped forward, expression cold as celestial judgment.
"Your defiance shames us all."
The Breaking Point
Rylan struggled to stand, using a shattered beam for leverage. His vision blurred, but his resolve did not.
"Touch them… and I swear… I'll kill you."
The soldiers laughed. Even some phoenix-beasts tilted their heads mockingly.
"A mortal speaking of killing an Elder?" Vaelion said. "You cannot even withstand a fraction of my flame."
"Maybe not," Rylan rasped, coughing blood. "But I'll try."
Seraphina grabbed his arm, voice breaking. "Please, stop. You'll die."
"I already took my vows," he whispered. "If they want you… they'll have to take me first."
Vaelion sighed in annoyance.
"I grow tired of this."
With a flick of his fingers, he summoned a second orb of flame—larger, brighter, enough to kill this time.
Seraphina screamed. "NO!"
She unleashed a burst of phoenix fire—white-hot and desperate—but three Phoenix Guards intercepted her, forcing her backward, separating her from Rylan.
The twins cried louder, their energies crackling dangerously.
Rylan braced himself, ready to face death.
The orb soared toward him—
But at that precise instant, the crying twins' energies surged.
A blast of golden flame collided with swirling shadow-fire, exploding outward in a massive shockwave.
The Elder's attack was swallowed.The soldiers were pushed back.Even Vaelion stumbled.
For the briefest moment, silence.
The villagers stared, speechless.
The newborn twins had stopped an Elder's offensive.
"That power…" Vaelion whispered, eyes narrowing. "So the prophecy was true."
Cliffhanger
Elder Vaelion raised his hand high.
"SEIZE THEM ALL!"
Flaming chains shot from the soldiers, wrapping around Seraphina's arms. She screamed as the bindings scorched her skin, forcing her to drop forward.
Rylan, barely conscious, reached toward her.
"Sera…"
The twins howled, flames and shadows bursting uncontrollably.
But one chain shot downward—
and wrapped around the infants.
Seraphina's scream shattered the night.
"NO—NOT MY CHILDREN!"
The Phoenix Clan lifted the babies into the air, their cries echoing through the burning village as the soldiers ascended.
Rylan tried to stand, but blood splashed from his lips.
And Elder Vaelion delivered the final decree:
"By order of the Phoenix Council, the Heavenfire Twins are hereby taken."
As Seraphina lunged forward, the Elders surrounded her—
And the sky swallowed her children whole.