The chamber beyond Temptation's Edge opened like the heart of a star—vast, burning, alive. Golden light rippled over molten stone, and the air trembled under the heartbeat of ancient magic. Aeloria paused at the threshold, chest rising and falling as the Celestial Bond surged through her like living fire.
The vampire stepped to her right, crimson gaze glinting with hunger and reverence.The dragon stepped to her left, scales shimmering beneath his human form, wings half-unfurled in a protective arch.
For a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then the Sanctum spoke.
Not in words, not in sound—but in heat that curled around her body like a living hand. Flames rose from the ground, swirling around her ankles, climbing higher, brushing her hips, her ribs, her throat—never burning, only awakening.
"You feel it," the vampire murmured, voice low, velvet-dark. His fingers did not touch her, yet her pulse leapt as though he had. "The Sovereign Flame does not choose lightly. It reaches for the heart it recognizes… and the desire it amplifies."
The dragon stepped closer behind her, warmth radiating like a sun. His breath traced her neck, slow and deliberate, awakening every nerve along her spine."Careful, little star," he rumbled. "The Flame tests not your strength… but your truth."
Aeloria's knees trembled as heat pulsed through her core, through her veins, through her bond. She steadied herself, inhaling a breath that felt too sharp, too raw, too exposed.
I am sovereign. I am whole.
But the Sanctum had no mercy for self-control today.
The flames roared higher—then shaped into illusions.
Not shadows.Not temptations.Truths.
Visions of her future, burning bright and overwhelming:
—herself pressed against stone and moonlight, the vampire's lips grazing her throat in a promise that made her pulse shudder—herself pinned beneath the dragon's golden heat, the world shaking as their bond deepened—herself crowned in celestial fire, both men at her side, bound by oath, fate, and something deeper than desire
The flames tightened around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground. The vampire reached up as if to steady her, stopping just short of touch. His restraint was its own kind of temptation.
"Aeloria," he whispered, voice dropping. "The Flame is demanding your truth. What is it you desire? What is it you fear? What fire calls your name?"
The dragon circled to face her, eyes glowing molten gold. "Say it, little star. The Sanctum responds to honesty. To longing. To the courage to claim what is yours."
The heat became unbearable—yet undeniably intoxicating.
Aeloria's lips parted.
A sound, a whisper, a confession hovered—
And the Flame devoured it.
Light exploded outward, swallowing the chamber whole.