The battlefield had gone silent.
The Keeper's chains, countless and endless, rattled in the void. They twisted like serpents, each one forged from ages of despair, from the broken vows of those who had tried before Ren and failed. They weren't just weapons—they were history.
And Ren… stood defiant, vow-chain burning around his chest and hand, linking him to Selene. His chain was new, raw, unpolished—yet it pulsed like a living thing, thrumming with heat that threatened to scorch the entire trial itself.
The Keeper tilted his horned head. His voice was gravel wrapped in steel.
"Do you truly believe your little flame can withstand the weight of eternity?"
Ren smirked, blood running down his lip but his eyes sharp as a blade.
"Guess we'll see who snaps first."
The Keeper moved first.
