Night fell, and the vault of the Flame-Lost Lands was torn by countless gray rifts, as if the sky were on the verge of collapse. Aftershocks of the Blazing Abyss's collapse still echoed in the earth's veins, illuminating the ruins with deep red firelight. From the dust-choked rift valley, a slender figure emerged slowly. It was Elea—her eyes burned with an otherworldly,a "Pact Pursuit" bestowed by the Soul Realm, and a curse mark for past betrayals.
Her traced a gentle line in the air, and space seemed to bend to her will, twisting with a humming sound as an obsidian-like portal silently opened. This was the path to the Soul Realm—a domain even the gods dared not enter, according to legend. She would not retreat; she would reclaim the fate that belonged to her.
Meanwhile, Lucian confronted "Isiloe," apostle of the Shattered Moon King, atop the Starfall Tower. Isiloe wore shattered moon-shadow armor, a mocking playing on his lips. "The Phoenix's child has finally reached this point, but are you ready to face true betrayal?"
Lucian gripped his spirit-flame dual blades, feathered patterns blazing across his shoulders—a manifestation of the Phoenix's will. His voice was low yet unwavering: "I fell for her, and I would burn this decaying sky to ashes for her."
In an instant, light and shadow clashed, blades colliding with starlight as the battlefield like a dream. Isiloe unleashed "Rift Breath," time slowing to a crawl between them as illusions flooded Lucian's mind. He seemed to see Elea floating nude in another realm, reaching for him with hands that held both longing and agony.
The vision merged desire and fear into one—Lucian roared, breaking free of the. Spirit flames incinerated the illusion, awakening his deepest instincts. No longer driven by redemption alone, his heart burned with unbridled fire.
On the other side of the Soul Realm Gate, Elea stepped into the silent void. Beneath the darkness, a tide of soul flames surged in the abyss, revealing a familiar yet alien silhouette—Casath, the demigod soul who fell in the Realm-Shattering, torn into countless fragments, now slowly reforming. He whispered in her ear: "Will you renounce the light to become my heir?"
Her hand trembled, but she did not retreat. "I will become the flame that masters my own fate." She glanced back at the mortal world, as if bidding farewell to her old self. In the next moment, Elea leaped into the Soul Realm's embrace.
Upon the earth below, the true form of the Shattered Moon King finally revealed itself—not a single being, but a collective of countless wills abandoned by the moon god. He gathered all the sacrificed desires, yearnings, madness, and loyalty into one, seeking to devour the reborn phoenix soul.
The blood moon rose again, its light piercing the last threads of night.
But at that moment, the Soul Realm Gate erupted with brilliant light, and Elea emerged slowly from the abyss. Her body seemed to burn with unquenchable fire, her pupils reflecting the echoes of a thousand souls. She was no longer the phoenix maiden of old, but the "Heir of Soul Flames," forged through destruction to be reborn.
Lucian looked upon her, a wild yet tender smile curving his lips: "Welcome back, Elea."
They stood side by side once more on the ruins of the apocalypse, as the final battle between heaven and earth drew near.