Chapter 61
The sky bled violet and black.
The gates of the Fleshbound Kingdom shuddered—not from force, but from the sheer presence of him.
Valtheron had arrived.
Not a man. Not a god.
But a storm of hunger shaped into flame.
He hovered above the ground, wreathed in spiraling darkness, his body flickering like dying stars. His voice echoed before he even spoke.
"You were supposed to burn for me, Caedros."
Caedros stood still, cloak rippling in the heatless wind, his eyes twin mirrors of violet fire.
"I don't burn for anyone."
His voice was not Kael's anymore—not fully.
It carried age, memory, and the kind of rage that didn't scream… it remembered.
Valtheron raised a hand.
The earth cracked.
Blackflame creatures poured from the void—twisted, soulless things that had once been gods, now broken into weapons.
Eliendara stepped forward, True Crown blazing.
Her flames met Caedros's midair, fusing for one beautiful instant.
Together, they moved.
Together, they ignited.
The first clash shattered the sky.
Caedros surged ahead, carving through the dark tide, his violet fire moving like a blade across silk.
Eliendara flanked him, her golden fire lashing through shadows, guiding lost souls back into light.
But Valtheron only smiled.
"Still holding back, Caedros? Still afraid of what you are?"
He swept an arm.
A blast of silence swept out—killing fire. Not extinguishing it, but unraveling it from existence.
Caedros fell back, staggered.
Eliendara caught him midair, fire licking from her shoulders like wings.
"You okay?"
He looked at her, lips bloodied. "He's stronger than before."
She nodded. "So are you."
From behind them, the Fleshbound Kingdom unleashed its warriors—flames of every shade charging forward.
But Valtheron… did not flinch.
He reached toward the sky—
And tore it open.
A rift split reality, and from it spilled a second wave of horrors—flames that screamed, bound souls in chains of emberlight.
"You think this is your world now?" Valtheron boomed."No. This is the world I left behind—and I've come back to finish it."
Caedros clenched his fists.
The mark on his chest ignited.
The Mirror of Flame shattered across the city—its shards reflecting one name.
His.
But beneath it…
Kael.
He turned to Eliendara.
"If I let him take more, I'll lose Kael."
She stared at him.
"And if you don't stop him—everyone else dies."
He stepped forward.
And unleashed a wave of violet fire so bright it turned night into morning.
Valtheron snarled as it tore through the rift—forcing it to close.
But in that moment of light…
Caedros wavered.
He dropped to one knee, breathing hard, gripping his side.
The fire was burning him, too.
Eliendara ran to him, catching him before he collapsed.
And as she held him, he whispered:
"I can kill him.But I don't know if I'll survive it."
🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 62: A Fire Not Meant to Last
Caedros prepares for the final strike,but the power required may tear Kael apart forever.
Eliendara must make the most painful choice yet:Help him become the god-slayer…
Or find a way to save the man she loves from burning away.