The sky was still burning with phoenix fire when Seraphina fell to her knees.
Her arms were bound with searing chains, her wings pinned by the crushing spiritual pressure of the Phoenix Guards. Yet none of that pain compared to the agony in her heart. Above her, two small bundles of flame and shadow were carried higher and higher into the air—Arin and Lyra, her newborn twins, crying desperately as they were taken away.
"Give them back… please give them back…" Seraphina whispered, voice cracking into a raw, broken plea.
Elder Vaelion landed in front of her with a blaze of golden fire. His expression remained unmoved, calm as a judge reaching his verdict.
"You brought this upon yourself, Seraphina."
She lifted her head slowly, eyes filled with fire and tears.
"They're just babies."
"They are Heavenfire Twins," Vaelion corrected coldly. "Their power is already unstable. The Phoenix Clan must contain them before they trigger a calamity."
"They're my children!" Seraphina screamed, pulling desperately against the chains. The smell of burning flesh filled the air where metal met skin.
"And they carry our blood," he said. "That makes them ours as well."
Rylan, still pinned to the broken remains of their home, struggled to lift his head. "Seraphina… don't listen… you don't owe them anything…"
His voice was faint, barely a whisper. Blood dripped from his lips, forming a dark pool beneath him. The Phoenix Guards had not bothered to restrain him—he was too injured to move.
Seraphina's heart twisted. Her family—her husband, her children—were all being torn from her in a single night.
She drew a shuddering breath.
"What… what do you want?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.
Elder Vaelion spread his arms, flames trailing from his fingertips.
"You will return to us. You will fulfill your role as Phoenix Heiress. You will marry the noble chosen for you. And you will sever your ties to this mortal life."
Seraphina shook her head violently. "No. I refuse."
"You have no choice," Vaelion replied. "If you do not comply, I will reduce this entire village—including your husband—to ashes."
Rylan managed a faint, pained laugh. "You think I care about dying? I'd do it again. I'd—guh—"
He coughed, choking on blood.
Seraphina screamed, tears blurring her vision. "Stop hurting him! I'll do anything—just stop!"
Vaelion lowered his hand. The flame he had been gathering dissipated.
"Then agree. Swear the oath."
The chains tightened.
Seraphina's breath trembled.
If she refused, Rylan would die here.If she refused, the villagers who had helped her would burn.If she refused, the twins might suffer worse fates than separation.
She had no options left.
Her voice broke as she forced the words out.
"I… swear."
The Elders immediately released a wave of heat. Flames wrapped around her wrists and carved the vow into her very soul. A brand appeared over her heart—burning, glowing, binding.
Seraphina collapsed, panting.
Elder Vaelion nodded once.
"It is done."
The Mother's Secret
But Vaelion didn't see everything.
He didn't notice Seraphina's trembling fingers move subtly.Didn't sense the faint flicker of pale blue fire slipping from her nail.Didn't hear the whispered chant she murmured under her breath—too soft for mortal ears, too ancient for phoenix flame to recognize.
Seraphina did not intend to leave her children defenseless.
While the Elders believed her broken, Seraphina worked with desperate precision.
She dragged her fingers along the ground, drawing two small symbols—one of light, one of shadow—each an ancient mark known only to a handful of forbidden Phoenix lineages.
A Severed Fate Seal.
Her whispered spell connected the symbols to her children's life-forces, hidden deep enough that even the Elders would not sense it unless they tore apart the twins' souls directly.
The seals shimmered faintly before vanishing into the earth, embedding themselves within the world itself. A mark only her twins would be able to awaken when the time came.
"Arin… Lyra…" she whispered into the wind, her voice aching with love. "Forgive me. This is all I can give you now."
Rylan didn't miss it.
Even through the haze of pain, he saw her hand move, saw the faint glow, felt the ripple of hidden divine energy. His eyes widened.
"Sera… what did you…?"
She gave him a small, sad smile.
"Something only a mother can give."
The Price
Elder Vaelion gestured to the soldiers.
"Lift her."
Two Guards seized Seraphina by the arms, dragging her upward. Her burned skin blistered but she did not resist. Her eyes stayed locked on Rylan.
"Rylan…" she whispered. "Live. Survive. Please."
He shook his head weakly. "I'm not… letting you go."
"You must," she said, tears falling. "For them."
The soldiers began to rise, carrying her into the air.
Rylan reached out, fingers brushing the scorched earth.
"Sera—!"
But a sudden wave of phoenix fire slammed him into the ground, pinning him with unbearable heat.
Elder Vaelion didn't even look at him.
"Prepare the carriage," Vaelion ordered. "The Heiress returns to the Phoenix Domain. And bring the twins to the Eternal Heart Temple."
Seraphina's heart sank.
The Eternal Heart Temple…A place where flames never died.A place where Phoenix Elders forged warriors, reeducated traitors, and shaped bloodlines.
Her babies would not survive that place unprotected.
Thank the heavens for the hidden seals.
Please… let it be enough, she prayed silently.
She was lifted higher into the sky, the village shrinking below her. She could barely make out Rylan's form—broken, unmoving, surrounded by scorched earth.
"RYLAN!" she cried, her voice shattering on the wind.
But he didn't move.
He didn't answer.
Her heart broke. And yet she could not turn back.
The Phoenix Clan carried her farther and farther—her husband lost behind the veil of night.
The Hidden Betrayal
High above, surrounded by flames and soldiers, Elder Vaelion's expression shifted. Subtle. Calculated.
"Make preparations," he murmured to the guard beside him. "After we reach the clan… the mortal man, Rylan Vale—erase him."
Seraphina stiffened.
"NO!" she screamed, thrashing violently. "YOU PROMISED!"
Vaelion smiled coldly. "I promised not to kill him now."
Her blood froze.
"I said nothing about later."
Seraphina lunged forward, fueled by pure fury, but the chains burned her wings and dragged her back.
Below them, on the ground, two masked Phoenix assassins emerged from the forest shadows—silent as death. They began walking straight toward Rylan's barely breathing body.
Seraphina's heart stopped.
"STOP!" she howled. "STOP! PLEASE!"
The assassins drew their blazing blades.
Rylan lay helpless on the ground.
The Elders ignored her screams.
The twins cried somewhere high above in another direction, their wails fading.
Seraphina could do nothing but watch as the assassins approached her wounded husband—
Cliffhanger
One assassin raised his sword over Rylan's chest.
The blade ignited.
Seraphina shrieked with every ounce of her being—
"RYLAN!!!"
But as the sword descended—
A blinding explosion of white fire erupted from the earth beneath Rylan, hurling both assassins backward.
Elder Vaelion's eyes widened.
"That flame—impossible!"
Seraphina gasped.
Because from within the smoke, a silhouette slowly rose…
Tall. Glowing. Surrounded by a familiar, forbidden blue-white flame.
Rylan Vale was no longer dying.He was awakening.