Recap:
Kael confronted his brother Riven, now a Divine Sentinel. Their explosive battle awakened a deeper power within Kael—Shadowheart Dominion. But just as Kael prepared to strike the final blow, Riven whispered: "They made me forget you." Doubt cracks through Kael's vengeance... and an unseen watcher begins to move.
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The rain had finally stopped, but the air hung heavy with the scent of scorched earth and severed truths.
Kael stood above Riven's bruised form, torn between hatred and hollow memories. His hand, still pulsing with eclipse power, slowly lowered.
Syra approached warily. "Why do you hesitate?"
Kael didn't answer.
Couldn't.
In his mind, he saw flashes: Riven teaching him how to fight with sticks; Riven shielding him from fire during the purge; Riven crying beside their mother's body.
They made me forget you…
Kael turned away. "Take him. Chain him. If he lies, I'll finish it myself."
Syra's brows furrowed. "You trust him?"
"I trust pain," Kael replied. "And I saw too much of it in his eyes."
Nullblood guards moved in to retrieve Riven's unconscious body. Kael, however, walked toward the northern cliffs, alone.
But he wasn't truly alone.
As he reached the jagged edge overlooking the crater below, someone awaited him—standing calmly in a long silver coat, pale mask covering their face. A cloak of shadow rippled around them like ink in water.
"You let your blade tremble," the figure said smoothly.
Kael didn't flinch. "Who are you?"
The mask tilted slightly. "A whisper beneath the throne. A shadow the gods pretend not to see."
"Answer properly."
The figure chuckled. "Very well, Kael Ardyn. I am Serath of the Hollow Court. And you, my wayward sovereign, are standing at the center of a broken prophecy."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "The Hollow Court is a myth."
"No." Serath stepped forward. "We are the buried heartbeat of the world—those cast aside when the divine rewrote history in their favor. And your blood, Kael… your Shadowblood... is the final key."
The wind howled.
Kael instinctively summoned his blade, the Eclipse edge sparking with voidfire.
"What do you want?"
"I want to restore the real world. Not the gilded cage they built above it."
Serath's voice turned grave.
"Did Syra never tell you the full truth? The Rebellion is but one wing. The other lies buried—beneath the throne of Astraelis itself."
Kael frowned. "You mean the Divine Palace?"
Serath nodded.
"There lies the Archive of Forbidden Light. And within it—the names of every erased bloodline. Including yours."
Kael's mind reeled.
If it were true…
If the gods had erased him and his entire House from history…
Then vengeance alone was not enough.
It was correction.
"I'm listening," Kael said darkly.
Serath reached into their cloak and drew out a memory shard—cracked and humming.
"This belonged to your mother," they said. "She tried to hide it before the Cleansing. It holds a truth your brother was never meant to know."
Kael took the shard, feeling it sear into his palm.
And then a soft presence entered his awareness—feminine, resolute, and unbearably familiar.
Kael… if you're hearing this… then the Lightbound have failed, and you've survived. Which means the world still has a chance.
His mother's voice.
He closed his eyes.
And for the first time in years, something inside him ached.
"Where do I start?" he whispered.
Serath extended a hand. "By returning to the heart of the empire—and tearing down their throne of lies."
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Meanwhile…
Far across the shattered skies, atop the divine capital of Astraelis, a priestess with violet eyes sat in a garden of white flame. Her hands glowed as she traced Kael's name in an ancient book—a forbidden name, long thought lost.
She whispered to the wind, "Kael Ardyn has awakened. And his heart still remembers love."
Her eyes closed.
And a tear fell—shimmering with both blessing and curse.
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Next Chapter: Hearts That Remember Fire
Kael begins his journey to Astraelis with Serath—but old memories of a forbidden love begin to stir. And at the heart of the empire, a girl once promised to Kael is preparing for his return… unaware of the storm he brings.
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