The moment Varion stepped into the Heart Chamber, the temperature dropped like the dying breath of a god. His presence didn't just chill the room—it suffocated it.
He wasn't alone.
From the shadows, cloaked figures followed—seven in total. The remaining members of the Crimson Covenant, sworn to Aru'vethra, bound by ancient blood.
Seren stepped in front of the floating black heart, her sword raised. The flame within her roared, but the presence of the heart behind her made the fire tremble.
Kael was beside her instantly, blade drawn, eyes locked on Varion. Nyara moved to the right, nocking a shimmering arrow to her bowstring. Laziel stood slightly behind Seren, torn between defiance and dread.
"You should be dead," Kael spat.
"I should," Varion said, lips curling in a half-smile. "But death has been… redefined."
---
The heart pulsed behind them—louder now, faster.
It was awakening.
It had tasted Seren's presence, and in her, it found a possible heir.
Aru'vethra's essence stirred.
"Stand down," Seren commanded. Her voice shook the chamber. "This ends tonight. No more kingdoms burned. No more children made into weapons."
Varion looked almost amused. "You think you have that choice?"
One of the cloaked figures stepped forward and removed her hood.
Queen Melara.
Once thought dead—mother to three kingdoms, and now, the right hand of darkness.
"You were never meant to survive, Seren," she said softly. "You are a broken thread in the tapestry. A defiance of fate."
Seren felt the burn at her back—the rune carved into her skin years ago when Aru'vethra marked her.
"I am defiance," Seren said. "And I will remake the tapestry if I must."
---
Then the battle exploded.
The chamber shook as the Crimson Covenant lunged. Kael was the first to meet them—his sword clashing with enchanted steel, sparks flying. Nyara loosed a volley of arrows that sang with lightning, cutting down two assassins before they reached the circle.
Laziel summoned wind and ash, a storm of dagger-sharp dust that howled through the chamber. Seren's fire burst from her hands, her blade blazing, meeting Queen Melara in a duel of speed and fury.
Every spell, every strike, echoed through the deep.
But the heart behind them continued to beat faster.
---
Melara was strong—too strong.
Seren grunted as their swords clashed again, flame against void magic.
"You'll die here," Melara hissed. "Like your mother did. Like your brother will."
"My brother isn't dead," Seren snarled. "And neither is hope."
She caught Melara off guard with a burst of flame to the side, spun, and landed a deep cut across her ribs. The Queen shrieked, staggering back, and vanished into mist.
Varion took her place.
"You've grown powerful," he admitted, circling Seren. "But power is a burden. And soon… it will break you."
He flicked his wrist.
The crystal heart cracked.
---
A scream tore through the chamber—not from a throat, but from the air itself.
Kael stumbled. Laziel fell to one knee. Even Nyara cried out, dropping her bow.
Only Seren remained standing.
The heart pulsed again—once, twice.
And from it, a being began to form.
Not a man. Not a god.
Aru'vethra.
His image was twisted and incomplete—a specter made of black flame and shadow, bound to the heart but not yet reborn.
"You dare disturb my rest?" the voice was deep, layered, like thunder breaking stone.
Seren stared up at him, defiant.
"I came to end it."
---
Aru'vethra's gaze swept the chamber. His eyes landed on her… and softened.
"You have her blood."
"Her?" Seren asked, breath shaking.
"My queen."
Suddenly, Seren's world shifted.
Visions crashed into her mind:
A woman with silver hair and fire in her veins.
A dragon cradling a vampire king.
A crown of thorns… passed from hand to hand.
A child stolen from a battlefield.
Her mother.
She was his consort.
Seren stumbled.
"I'm your daughter…"
Aru'vethra smiled.
"No. You are more. You are the child of fire and blood. My end… or my beginning."
---
The heart shattered.
Magic exploded.
The Crimson Covenant screamed and scattered.
Aru'vethra's form collapsed—but not before his essence surged forward, wrapping around Seren.
She gasped as it entered her.
Not possession—inheritance.
And suddenly, she knew everything.
The wars. The curse. The pact made with the dragons. The betrayal that split realms.
Her mother was once a dragon queen.
And her father… the King of All Shadows.
---
As the dust settled, the chamber was silent again.
The heart was gone.
The throne was ash.
And Seren stood at the center, flame dancing in her eyes—yet shadow at her fingertips.
Kael limped to her side.
"What happened?"
"I saw it all," she whispered. "He's not gone. Not truly. He's inside me now."
Nyara stared at her. "Then you're…"
"Part god. Part curse."
Laziel bowed his head.
"And entirely dangerous."
Seren turned.
"I don't want his power."
"But you have it," Kael said. "What will you do with it?"
She looked up at the broken ceiling, the dark sky beyond.
"…Change everything."
---
Far away, in the city of Vireth,
A boy opened his eyes.
His skin glowed faintly with silver runes.
He whispered one word.
"Seren."
Saren had awakened.