The blood moon hung high, and cracks in the sky spilled endless gray light like wounds, shrouding the entire Scorched Light Plains. The air reeked of souls being torn apart, as if the entire world awaited a final judgment.
Elea stepped slowly out of the Soul Realm Gate, her body cloaked in the brilliance of intertwined flames and soul light. The phoenix's feathered fire was no longer pure crimson, but with deep gray and black—a sign that she had forged a "Pact Pursuit" with the Soul Realm. Every breath she took trembled with her soul, as if she might incinerate herself at any moment.
Lucian took a step forward, reaching out to catch her slightly trembling hand. The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stand still, with only their heartbeats echoing amid the war.
"You're back," his voice was low, yet carried a certainty he'd never shown before.
Elea nodded, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "But I'm no longer the one I once was."
Lucian pressed a light kiss to her forehead, his gaze burning. "No matter what you become, you are my only sovereign."
Their souls still intertwined in the aftershocks, the lingering flames of their pact not yet faded. In this intimate silence, Isiloe, apostle of the Shattered Moon King, approached with a,his eyes glinting like black ice.
"How touching… love and pacts, desire and sacrifice. Do you truly think this can the Shattered Moon's arrival?"
He raised his hand, and the void suddenly cracked. Countless fragmented souls screeched in his palm, pouncing on them like beasts. of the Gray Realm and of Scorched Light's remnants were manipulated by him into an invisible army.
Elea roared, soul flames flaring instantly. Her fire exploded in the void, incinerating the oncoming . But the flames also scorched her own soul; her body trembled, sweat sliding down her neck, as if she might be torn apart by the pact's backlash at any moment.
Lucian embraced her, channeling his spirit flame into her body from behind to share her burden. Scorching fire merged within them, their breaths intertwining inseparably. She let out a stifled moan, her body arching in his arms as if pierced by flames.
"Don't resist," Lucian whispered in her ear, his voice low enough to suffocate. "Give me the pain, and unleash your power."
Elea gasped, her fingertips digging into his arm as soul and flesh trembled in the soul-scorching fire. Flames erupted from their intertwined bodies, forming a blood-burning ring that violently tore through Isiloe's soul army.
A brief silence fell. Beneath the blood moon, Lucian and Elea clung tightly to each other, sweat and blood flames mingling. Their bodies seemed to burn in the war, yet found vitality in each other's touch.
But Isiloe was not repelled. A cold smile curved his lips: "Excellent… this is the blood pact the Shattered Moon King has awaited. Your passion and sacrifice will be the key to the Gray Realm's birth."
Before his words faded, the entire earth trembled violently. Cracks spread from where the blood moon's light fell, and the true form of the Shattered Moon King slowly descended from the void.
Elea Lucian's hand, her gaze as firm as flame: "No matter the cost, we must stop him."
Lucian replied in a low voice: "Then let our blood oath burn the Gray Realm to its true end."
Side by side at the heart of the Gray Realm, they faced the shadow that devoured heaven and earth.