The heavens bled light.
The sky, once star-bound and serene, now split with jagged threads of molten gold.
And through the tear, Avaeth's gaze pierced the world.
Creatures born of dream and nightmare slithered into existence.
Not demons.
Not spirits.
But memories that refused to die.
They crawled from the broken Veil to defend their god.
---
Serelith stood at the edge of the battlefield, the Codex in hand, her new sigil burning on her palm.
Every heartbeat was a thunderclap.
Every breath tasted like prophecy.
Faelan took her hand.
> "You don't have to carry it alone."
She looked at him—this Autumn King who had once stood cold and proud, now fierce with loyalty and love.
> "I'm not," she said.
---
The first wave came at dawn.
Shadows with no source.
Wraiths of memory wrapped in armor forged from starlight.
They fell upon the exiled army like smoke and blade.
But Serelith's court did not break.
The thorned fae struck with poisoned thorns.
The stone-skin warriors held the line.
The ember-spirits ignited the air.
And above it all, Serelith called the Codex open.
The pages flared like wings.
---
From the Codex came more than power.
Came remembrance.
The battlefield filled with echoes—of old queens, lost songs, fallen gods.
Each page turned summoned the strength of something ancient.
But with every word spoken aloud, a part of Serelith burned.
She felt her soul fray at the edges.
Faelan saw the pain and leapt into the fray, buying her a moment.
He fought like a storm—swords flashing, leaves of fire whirling around him.
> "Serelith!" he shouted. "They're targeting the gate!"
She turned.
In the distance, the Hollow Queen had formed a second gate—larger, bleeding raw magic—and Avaeth's full form was beginning to descend.
Not just an eye now.
A silhouette of godhood.
Too many arms. A thousand mouths. No mercy.
---
Serelith screamed a command.
The Codex answered.
She rose into the air, light curling around her like wings of fire and ink.
With one final surge, she hurled the Codex's light at the gate—
And it shattered.
The battlefield exploded with force.
The gate collapsed inward.
Avaeth's scream thundered across all realms.
But it was not over.
Because the Hollow Queen stepped onto the field, untouched.
And she smiled.
> "So much like your mother," she said.
> "Then you should be afraid," Serelith answered.
---
The sky was wounded.
The Veil torn.
But for now, Serelith had held the god back.
And the war had truly begun.