The night should have been silent.
But silence did not belong to the aftermath of a Phoenix army's arrival.
The forest still trembled from the clash that had left Rylan battered on the ground, blood trickling down his forehead. Seraphina knelt beside him, her fingers trembling as she tried to seal his wounds with her fading immortal energy. In her arms, the twins—wrapped in simple mortal cloth—let out soft whimpers, sensing their parents' terror.
"Enough," Elder Vaelor's cold voice echoed through the clearing. His crimson robes fluttered, phoenix flames rippling across his sleeves. "Seraphina, the clan awaits. The ceremony is already being prepared. You will return immediately."
Seraphina lifted her gaze, eyes blazing with defiance."You promised," she said through clenched teeth. "If I returned willingly, you would spare Rylan."
Elder Vaelor smiled. It was not a kind expression—it was the triumphant smirk of someone who had never once bothered to keep his promises.
"The clan does not negotiate with mortals."
Seraphina lunged forward, her wings erupting behind her—shimmering, luminous, powerful—and for a moment, the air itself bowed around her. But Phoenix soldiers immediately surrounded her, spears glowing with immortal fire. She stopped, panting, knowing that any further action would endanger her children.
Rylan forced himself upright, clutching at a tree trunk for support. His vision swam, but fury anchored him."You touch her again," he growled, "and I swear I'll—"
A soldier struck him across the face with the blunt end of a spear.
Blood splattered the ground.
Seraphina screamed, "STOP!"
Elder Vaelor flicked a finger. "Bind him. Take him."
Rylan blinked in confusion. "…take me?"
The soldiers moved before the meaning fully reached him. Fire-forged chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles, sizzling against his skin. He gritted his teeth but refused to cry out.
"You said you only wanted me!" Seraphina cried, struggling against the soldiers restraining her. "You said he would be left unharmed!"
Elder Vaelor's eyes narrowed. "Your marriage to this mortal shamed the clan. Your return cleanses only half the disgrace. The other half must be purged."
Rylan was yanked to his knees.
"Purge?" he repeated softly, the word stabbing into him like ice.
Elder Vaelor leaned down. "Your existence, mortal, is the blemish. Your life will be erased… starting with your name."
Seraphina's wings flared again, but the soldiers tightened their formation.
Rylan's heart hammered. "Seraphina—take the twins and run."
She shook her head violently, tears blurring her vision. "I won't leave you!"
"You have to," he said, choking on his breath. "Live. Protect them. That's all I want."
But she could not run—not while hundreds of immortal soldiers surrounded them.
Elder Vaelor raised his staff. A surge of golden-red energy erupted skyward, forming a blazing phoenix symbol that spiraled into the clouds. The air vibrated.
A second later, a massive crack tore through the sky—And a flaming doorway opened.
It was not beautiful.It was terrifying.
The Abyss Gate.
Rylan felt the heat of it even from meters away, scorching his lungs. Everyone knew the legends. The Phoenix Abyss was where traitors and disgraceful beings were thrown, stripped of identity, tortured by eternal fire, and wiped from memory.
"No…" Seraphina whispered, paling. "No, you can't do this! He has no cultivation! He won't survive a minute in there!"
"That," Elder Vaelor said, "is the point."
Rylan struggled as soldiers dragged him toward the gate."Seraphina!" he shouted.One of the twins began to cry—then the other. Their frantic little wails stabbed through the night.
Seraphina tried to lunge forward, but a dozen spears halted her."Rylan! RYLAN!"
Her wings dissolved as despair robbed her of strength.
He twisted his head enough to meet her gaze."Take care of them," he said. "Tell them… tell them I loved them the moment they opened their eyes."
His voice cracked.
And that broke something in her.
"NO!" Seraphina screamed, immortal energy exploding from her like a storm. She broke through the first ring of soldiers with a shockwave that sent several flying.
But the Abyss Gate's pull had already activated.
The ground beneath Rylan cracked open. Flames burst upward, engulfing his legs and searing through his clothes. Pain ripped through him, and he collapsed, gasping.
Seraphina reached out—But Elder Vaelor stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Take another step," he sneered, "and the twins die."
Her heart froze.The soldiers surrounding her had already aimed their flaming spears at the infants.
"No…" she whispered, trembling violently. "Please… not them…"
"Then stay where you are."
She fell to her knees, helpless.
Rylan saw the horror in her eyes—saw the way she had to choose between her husband and her children—and the guilt crushed him more than the fire consuming his body.
The heat was unbearable.
Flames clawed at his skin, licking up his torso, burning the clothes and flesh alike. He screamed, but the roar of the Abyss swallowed his voice.
"SERAPHINA!"He stretched his arm toward her—
She stretched hers back—
Their fingertips almost touched.
Almost.
But then the fire surged.
Rylan's body was jerked into the gate with a violent pull, swallowed by blazing darkness.
And in the last flicker of light before he disappeared fully, Seraphina saw it:
His skin turning black with burn marks.His hair igniting.His eyes—wide, terrified—but still focused on her.
Then—
He was gone.
The Abyss Gate slammed shut with a thunderous boom, leaving only smoke curling in the air.
Silence crashed down on the forest.
Seraphina's scream tore through the night, raw and broken.
Her wings burst forth again, her aura exploding with a power that made even the elders step back. The earth trembled, trees bent, and the air rippled from the force of her rage.
"You monsters…" she whispered, voice shaking. "You will pay for this."
Elder Vaelor lifted his hand. "Restrain her. We leave for the clan."
Soldiers moved in swiftly, throwing chains of immortal fire around her wrists. She didn't resist—not anymore. Her strength drained with the fading echo of her husband's last scream.
She clutched the twins tightly against her chest as the soldiers forced her to stand.
But as she lowered her head, her eyes glowed—not with defeat, but with something fierce.
Something dangerous.
Something that promised war.
Because deep within her sleeves, just before Rylan was dragged into the Abyss…
She had hidden something.
A trace of his aura.A fragment of his life force.A chance.
Her lips curved into a fragile, grief-stricken smile.
"He's not dead," she whispered to the twins.
The soldiers didn't hear.
But the forest did.
The heavens did.
And the Phoenix Elders—
—would regret leaving her with even that tiny spark of hope.