The air was thick with power and anticipation.
Reyna moved like a storm through the lower halls of the dragon castle, her goddess blessed armor glinting with celestial light. Sasha had done her part. The hidden trail of sabotage and dark magic had led them here, to the chamber just beneath the main fortress. Rune cameras hovered like glowing fireflies, their feeds already streaming to Faenet where millions were watching with breathless anticipation.
Behind her moved The Three Shadows.
Soris Whisperblade, silent and elegant, glided beside her like a ghost. His glamour shimmered faintly, hiding knives and magic and things not meant for mortal eyes. One glance from him could unravel your memories like string.
Bruxxa the Beastmother padded just behind, barefoot, cloaked in shadows and wolf pelts, blood hounds with glowing eyes flanking her. Her teeth were slightly bared in a savage smile. "Bitch smells like rot and lies."
Iriel Dawnreaver brought up the rear, his fallen seraphim wings folded tight against his back, a celestial staff glowing faintly in his grasp. He radiated judgment and divine heat, his eyes locked forward.
The door before them pulsed with wards, but Sasha had already dismantled them. Reyna raised a hand. The goddess' mark glowed on her chest. "Open it."
The door disintegrated.
Inside was the traitor....one of the rebellion's own high level strategists, cloaked in blood magic, their fingers still sticky with shadow.
The traitor sneered. "You don't know what you're interfering with."
Reyna's voice was thunder. "You tried to sell out the goddess. You tried to kill my people."
The traitor laughed. "The Forgotten King will rise. You're all just dust in waiting."
Bruxxa growled low. Iriel's wings flared. Soris cracked his knuckles. Faenet exploded with hashtags:
#DivineJustice
#ReynaRises
#TraitorFound
#ThreeShadowsStrike
Reyna stepped forward and the goddess poured through her. Her eyes glowed gold, her entire body lit from within. Her voice echoed in every realm: "Justice is divine. You have been judged."
She raised her hand.
A spear of radiant flame slammed through the traitor's chest.
The entire castle shook.
The body disintegrated into ash. All that remained was silence... and Faenet rupturing under the weight of divine wrath.
Trending Comments:
💬 "HOLY FUCK SHE WENT FULL GODDESS MODE"
💬 "The Three Shadows are my religion now."
💬 "I want Iriel to smite me with his wing tips, respectfully."
💬"Did Bruxxa just growl 'snack time' before the execution??? I AM DEAD."
💬 "Reyna said: no fucks left to give, only flames."
Back in the war room, Rhiannan watched the feed with tears in her eyes. She clutched her chest and whispered, "Thank you."
Reyna turned from the ashes, her team falling into step beside her. The goddess' light still shimmered faintly on her skin.
"We move forward," she said simply. "We cleanse this world. One traitor at a time."
As the divine fire receded from her bones, Reyna swayed on her feet. The traitor's final scream still echoed in her ears, but it was the silence after, the gasps, the stunned expressions from the crowd, the flickering rune cameras, that pierced her soul. The goddess had filled her like a chalice, then vanished, leaving behind a storm of grief and purpose.
Torvax caught her before she fell, his powerful arms wrapping around her trembling form. Nahlia appeared at her side, her hands already glowing with soothing magic. Reyna didn't speak. She couldn't. The weight of divine judgment was heavy, even if it had been righteous.
"I had to," she whispered hoarsely. "She was going to destroy everything."
Torvax pressed his forehead to hers. "You don't need to justify it. You were divine justice."
They stayed like that for a moment, tangled in quiet comfort, while Faenet exploded in praise, horror, awe, and a thousand conspiracy theories.
Trial of Flame — Contestant POVs
1. Kazra "The Red Bitch" Voralis – Rebellion General
Kazra slammed a flaming fist into the side of a corrupted wyvern, snarling as she dragged its carcass into a ritual circle. Her task? Save the life of a child bound in chains… or slaughter her to gain forbidden magic. The goddess didn't play soft.
She stared at the weeping child, then at the ancient runes glowing with dark promise.
"I've already died once for power," she hissed. "Not doing that shit again."
With a scream of defiance, she shattered the ritual and threw the girl over her shoulder.
Faenet Caption: "RED BITCH WITH THE CLUTCH SAVE!!🔥🔥🔥"
2. Nimra — Rogue Scout Twin
Nimra faced herself, literally. A clone, crafted by illusion and malice, mimicked her movements, her thoughts, her most painful memories. The trial whispered: kill her, or lose her own identity forever.
She closed her eyes. "I don't kill my sisters."
With a flick of her dagger, she disarmed the illusion, not by force, but by trust. She embraced it, and the illusion dissolved with a sob.
Faenet Caption: "NIMRA OUT HERE MAKING US ALL CRY 😭🗡️"
3. Veena Sahl – The Blight Ember
Veena stood over the corpse of her past executioner, now resurrected by trial magic. He begged for mercy.
The same man who burned her alive.
She lifted her hand, cursed fire dancing at her fingertips.
But instead of revenge, she reached into his chest and pulled out the curse magic, purifying him, and herself.
"Fuck vengeance," she said. "I'm choosing peace."
Faenet Caption: "Veena… I'm sobbing. I need therapy and a hug."
4. Barrik Stonevein – Second in Command
Barrik had to destroy his prized enchanted runes, each one etched with names of his lost brothers.
"If you don't destroy the past," the goddess whispered, "you cannot build the future."
He cried. A deep, chest heaving cry. Then smashed each rune with his bare hands.
"I remember them without the stone."
Faenet Caption: "Barrik is the heart of this rebellion. No one talk to me ever again"
5. Nyxar Veyne – The Vortex Widow
Nyxar stood in a hall of mirrors, each one reflecting a life she could have had if she hadn't become a killer. One showed her as a mother. Another, as a bard. A third, dead at the hands of the crown.
Each mirror whispered temptation.
She shattered them all.
"I'm no one's fantasy. I'm real...and I end threats."
Faenet Caption: "Nyxar just broke reality and I'm here for it. QUEEN BEHAVIOR.👑"
The trial continued, brutal and soul searing, but those who survived were changed.
And the world was watching.
As the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting golden hues over the gleaming towers of Dragon Castle, a breathless hush fell over the crowd assembled in the courtyard and the Faenet feeds alike. Trial by Flame had come to a brutal, beautiful end.
Out of the thirty seven contestants who entered the labyrinthine arena designed to test their heart, battle skills, and morality... only ten emerged victorious.
Rhiannan stood on the upper balcony, radiant and fierce, flanked by her five mates and the rebel leaders. Her eyes, rimmed with gold magic and the weight of leadership, scanned the tired, scorched, and shaken survivors below.
She raised her arms as magical runes circled her wrists and her voice amplified across the kingdom and through every Faenet device.
"Ten remain."
"You have proven yourselves not only skilled, but righteous. Not only brave, but wise. You faced illusions of your pasts, shadows of your flaws, and challenges that forced you to choose between glory and mercy. And you chose well."
A hush followed. Even Faenet's usual nonstop chatter paused in reverence.
"Those who perished will not be forgotten."
Rhiannan knelt to the earth, her hands glowing as she traced a sacred symbol of remembrance. From it, a tree of light burst forth, branches twisting into the sky and bearing golden orbs that held the names and faces of the fallen.
Mourners wept. Survivors dropped to their knees. Faenet feeds flooded with candles, memories, and vows to honor the lost.
Then Rhiannan stood once more.
"What comes next will be harder. These trials were only the beginning. You now face the final test: the Trial of the Soul. There will be no do overs. No mercy. Only truth. And only three will stand beside me as my immortal sentries."
"You have one day to rest. Feast. Laugh. Love. And say your goodbyes. Because tomorrow... the soul chooses."
As she turned away, her five joined her, each brushing her hand or shoulder in a quiet show of support. Liam lingered at her side, eyes haunted.
"You okay, angel?" he murmured.
"Not really," she whispered back. "But I have to be."
Behind them, a celebration began, fires lit, meat roasted, drinks poured.
And in the distance, the goddess watched... and waited.