The moon hung low over the Emberfang Mountains, casting long silver shadows across the war camp below. Torches flickered. Soldiers murmured prayers. Black banners adorned with golden runes waved quietly in the cold wind.
Liam stood at the center, eyes locked on the battlefield beyond. The enemy wasn't human this time.
It was a wyvern brood.
Four of them had descended from the northern crags—feral beasts twisted by demonic corruption. Their shrieks echoed for miles, shaking trees, turning streams to vapor. They were not mindless; they had been sent.
By someone watching.
By someone waiting.
"Scout reports say the lead wyvern is armored," Kael said, tightening the straps of his gauntlet. "Runes etched into its scales."
"Someone's controlling them," Mira added. "Or empowering them. Normal wyverns can't cast shockfire."
Rune hovered just above Liam's shoulder. "This reeks of the cult. They're testing you."
"Let them," Liam said. "They'll get an answer."
He turned to Seraphina, who had stood quietly at his side since sunset, eyes locked on the horizon. The fire spirit, now more flesh than flame, had changed over the last weeks. She smiled less. Her eyes gleamed with purpose. But tonight, she looked... uncertain.
"What is it?" Liam asked.
Seraphina hesitated. Then: "I've felt them. The angels. Those you've made."
Liam's eyes narrowed. "And?"
"They're different from me. You made them. But I..." Her gaze met his. "I chose to follow you."
The first shriek split the sky.
The wyverns came in a streak of burning wings and claws.
Liam shot into the air with Seraphina, Rune and Kael right behind. The sky became a battlefield—fire and light clashing in chaotic bursts.
Liam targeted the alpha, eyes glowing.
[SCAN INITIATED]
Entity: Corrupted Wyvern AlphaLevel: 81Strength: 420Speed: 370Endurance: 390Skills:
Shockfire Roar – Emits a flame wave that stuns divine beings
Runehide – Immune to standard spells
Tail Rend – Armor-piercing physical strikeStatus: Bloodbound. Controlled remotely. Trace signature detected: "The Crimson Veil"
Liam narrowed his eyes.
Crimson Veil.
He remembered the name from the cult scrolls—one of the inner circle leaders. Sadistic. Unseen. Manipulator of beasts.
He charged the alpha, divine aura flaring gold and red.
The wyvern screeched and met him midair, claws crashing against his shield of light. For a moment, they locked—man and monster—before Liam slammed his staff into its snout and cast Smite Nova.
Light detonated, blinding everything.
Seraphina flew in behind him, weaving like a comet. Her blade—now forged in divine fire—sliced clean through the wyvern's wing joint.
Kael struck from below, launching into the air using wind enchantments, hammering into the beast's underbelly.
Rune summoned binding chains of soullight, latching onto its limbs and wings.
[Faith Expenditure: 15,000]Ability Cast: Divine Suppression FieldEffect: Prevents all external control or interference within the radius for 30 seconds.
The corruption pulse vanished.
The wyvern's red-rimmed eyes blinked. Then cleared. It roared in agony, no longer a slave, but still feral.
"Put it down," Liam ordered, heart heavy.
They did.
When it fell, the world grew silent.
The other three wyverns faltered and fled, their link severed. The camp below erupted in cheers, but Liam's eyes were already on the trail of crimson mist that drifted into the distance—fading toward the north.
"She was watching," Seraphina said.
"Yes," Liam murmured. "She wanted to see how I'd kill something I could've saved."
Later that night, as the camp settled into restless sleep, Seraphina found Liam by the stream outside.
He sat on a rock, staff resting beside him, eyes staring at the water.
She sat next to him, close but not touching.
"You're different," she said softly.
"I'm stronger," he replied.
"No. Not just that." She turned to him. "You hesitate more. Not in battle. In everything else."
Liam said nothing.
"I think it's because you're afraid," she whispered.
"Of what?"
"Of becoming the version you saw in that temple. The one who ruled ashes."
He finally looked at her. "I'd burn every kingdom to bring them back. My family. My little brother."
"I know." Her voice trembled. "And I'd burn with you."
He blinked.
She looked away, cheeks flushed. "I mean—fight with you."
A rare smile tugged at his lips. "Both sound good."
She looked back, surprised. Their eyes locked, and the air changed—warm, despite the night chill.
"I never asked," Liam said. "Why did you choose me?"
Seraphina reached forward, gently placing her hand over his chest. "Because your fire never dies. Even when you're drowning in shadows."
He leaned closer.
Their lips met—brief, electric, honest.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]New Status: Bond Formed – Seraphina (Faith-Tethered)Effect: Boosts divine regeneration and fire-based spells when Seraphina is nearby. Unlocks dual-casting synergy.
They sat in silence afterward, the moon casting its glow on them.
But far to the north, in a spire of black glass, the Crimson Veil smiled as she watched through a scrying mirror. Her fingers traced Liam's face in the reflection.
"So the god begins to love," she murmured. "Let's see how divine he remains... when love becomes loss."
[STATS – LIAM CARSON]
Level: 73Strength: 312Speed: 301Endurance: 345Intelligence: 320Charisma: 257Divine Energy: 6,800 / 6,800Faith Points: 58,300New Ability: Divine Suppression FieldNew Title: Wyvern-BreakerNew Bond: Seraphina (Tethered)Followers: 41,050Angels: 3Demons: 1
End of Chapter 52