Delythena's POV
Everything around me vanished in an instant.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing atop a towering stone, high above an endless void. There was no ground below just darkness. Flames surrounded me on all sides, yet strangely, I felt no heat.
In front of me stood a massive stone altar, etched with the ancient symbol of the fire element.
Then, without warning, she appeared.
A woman with flowing crimson hair, her clothes made of living flame, and eyes that burned like molten gold. She was stunning, powerful and unmistakably not human.
She was the Fire Spirit.
"You summoned me" she said, her voice cold and emotionless, a sharp contrast to the inferno she embodied. Her aura wasn't warm... it was dark and chilling, like fire that had long forgotten how to give light.
"Yes... Fire Spirit" I answered, steadying my breath.
"And you know what that means... don't you?" she asked, her gaze piercing through me.
Her words hit me like a blade sharp, final. My heart sank.
"Yes" I replied softly, my voice laced with sorrow.
I knew exactly what it meant. And it broke me.
"You're brave, Delythena" she said. "You chose to come here... instead of falling into the Underworld."
I stayed silent. The pain in my chest was too heavy to speak.
"But did you know" she continued, "There's almost no difference between the Underworld and this place called Nothingness?" Her words struck deeper than I expected.
"In both, you're trapped. The only difference is while the Underworld is filled with darkness and evil, this place holds no evil... only the weight of a decision made."
She looked at me, calm yet unyielding. "But either way... there's no going back."
"Are you certain about your decision?" she asked, her voice quiet but heavy with finality.
"If the reward is everyone's safety... then yes, I'll do it" I said. "I won't let evil take over."
The words hurt more than I could ever admit, but I had no other choice.
Even if it meant losing everything...
I just want to save them.
"Will Zadkiel completely lose his powers now that I've summoned you?" I asked her, my voice trembling with worry.
She looked at me for a moment, eyes glowing like embers
"Yes" she answered, and my knees nearly buckled beneath the weight of it. "One can only truly possess the fire and that person is you. Zadkiel may have wielded it, but you... you are its rightful bearer. The power responds to your will alone."
Her words struck deep. I hadn't asked for this. I never wanted to take anything from him. Especially not this.
"Then what can I do?" I asked desperately. "There must be a way... Zadkiel can't live without his power. He's the Supreme Ruler of the Empire. He needs it to protect his people."
"There is one way if you truly want Zadkiel to keep his power" she said. And for a moment... hope flickered inside me.
"What is it?" I asked quickly.
"As long as your soul remains in Nothingness, your body will stay in the mortal world... but completely void of control. You'll be alive, but not living."
Her words stunned me.
"Then how will I save everyone?" I asked, panic creeping into my voice. "That's the reason I summoned you in the first place!"
"The fire itself will act in your place" she explained. "It will protect, destroy, decide. But Zadkiel's fire will no longer be part of that flame. Only yours."
She stepped closer, her voice steady and cold.
"Remember, Delythena the moment you summoned me, you already sealed the contract. There's no turning back now." She reminded.
I exhaled shakily. There really was no escape.
Only sacrifice.
"Is your decision final?" she asked, her voice calm but carrying the weight of eternity.
I took a deep breath, holding back the ache in my chest.
"Yes" I answered quietly. "At least this way... Zadkiel won't fall into the Underworld, and he won't lose his power forever. And the people... they'll be saved."
Even if it meant losing myself. At least they'd live.
Not long after, the symbol carved into the stone began to glow fierce and blinding. Flames erupted from it, wild and untamed, wrapping around me like a raging storm.
Then, without warning, a surge of burning power struck through my body. I felt it deep in my core consuming, overwhelming, reshaping everything within me.
And after that... Everything went dark. I didn't know what happened next. And will forever be unconscious.
Zadkiel's POV
"Fire Spirit, I summon you!" I was startled and quickly turned toward Delythena, shocked by what she had just said.
A burst of light and heat surged from within her.
"My lady, no!" I said voice rang out, filled with desperation and fear.
"Sorry, Zadkiel..." She said it... just before the light completely consumed her.
Moments later, Delythena rose floating in midair, completely surrounded by flames.
I froze in shock.
Her appearance had completely changed. The once golden strands of her hair had turned jet black, cascading like shadows. Her body was marked with glowing flame patterns that pulsed with power. Her blue eyes were now a burning orange, like living fire.
And her clothes once soft and regal were now blood-red, forged from flame itself, blazing around her like a cloak of war.
"My lady..." I whispered in awe, barely recognizing her.
I wasn't the only one stunned everyone froze in place, even the enemies.
The moment they saw her, silence fell. Fear crept into their eyes.
Some of the beasts dared to attack, but Delythena didn't even move. She remained completely still her eyes cold, unreadable.
It was the flames surrounding her that moved. Alive. Sentient.
Each time an enemy lunged forward, the fire struck first faster than any blade. And with every touch of her flame, they vanished into ashes... erased without a sound.
She wasn't just powerful anymore. She had become something untouchable. Something divine.
But something was wrong. She was different completely consumed. She wasn't in control anymore.
"My lady..." I whispered, a lump forming in my throat. I knew exactly why she was like this. She had given up everything even herself.
"Everyone, fall back! Get out of here, now!" I shouted to everyone around me. "Delythena is no longer in control!"
Her flames were wild, raging with no direction.
She lashed out in every direction burning, striking, destroying anything she touched. Not out of malice... But because she was no longer the one guiding it.
"What happened to her?" Azmier asked, his voice heavy with concern.
"She's been consumed by Nothingness" I replied bitterly, the words tasting like ash on my tongue.
"Lady Delythena!" Tia cried out, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.
"She won't recognize us anymore" I said softly, my chest tightening. "She can't hear us... her soul is gone." I added with pain.
Everyone fell silent, the truth crashing down on them like a wave. All that remained of Delythena... was her fire. Uncontrolled. Unbound. And painfully unreachable.
All the enemies every last one of them, including Savena were gone. Reduced to nothing but ash, scattered by the unforgiving wrath of her flames.
The war was over.
But Delythena remained... suspended midair, unmoving, still engulfed in her relentless fire.
She just floated there silent, unreachable while her flames burned endlessly, wild and untamed, as if the battle had never ended.
There were no more enemies. Only her. And the power she could no longer control.
"What do we do now?" they asked, voices filled with uncertainty and fear.
"There's only one thing we can do," I said, the words heavy in my throat. "Build a cage barrier around her."
It hurt more than I could ever say.
"To protect her... and to protect everyone else."
Because even if the war had ended, Delythena had become a flame that couldn't be touched. And the only way to keep her from destroying everything she died to save was to seal her away.
There was no other choice.
As painful as it was, everyone knew what had to be done.
So, without another word, we all gathered mages, enchanters, warriors, even those barely standing. One by one, they poured the last of their energy into the sky, combining their powers with a single, shared purpose.
A cage of pure energy began to form around Delythena glowing, shifting, alive with layered barriers meant to contain the flames that no longer recognized friend from foe.
She didn't move. She didn't resist. She simply floated there, still burning...
And just like that, the one who saved us all...
Had to be locked away from the very world she gave everything to protect.
Weeks had passed since the battle ended. The empire had slowly returned to peace its skies no longer filled with smoke, its people no longer living in fear.
But that peace came at a cost.
Delythena, the one who saved all, remained sealed away buried deep beneath the empire in a chamber forged for a flame too powerful to be free.
She was caged in the underground sanctuary, surrounded by layers of barriers, guarded day and night.
Only those with strong magical power were allowed to visit her not to speak... not to be heard... but simply to witness what remained of the girl who gave up everything for a future that could never include her.
I'm here now deep in the underground standing before her.
She floats silently inside the barrier, surrounded by a cage of light and flame.
Her eyes are open, but they're empty... cold. They stare in one fixed direction, unblinking, unmoving like she's trapped in a moment she can never escape.
And still... the fire burns. Endless. Untamed. Alive. It wraps around her like a second skin, a constant reminder of the power she can no longer command...
I let out a deep sigh as I stared at her motionless, unreachable, surrounded by her eternal flames.
"Why did you do it?" I asked softly, my voice barely a whisper. "You knew what it would cost... and yet you still went through with it?"
I knew she couldn't hear me. I knew these words would never reach her. But I needed to say them. I needed to let them out.
"Why did you save me?" My voice cracked as the weight in my chest spilled over, and tears began to fall, one by one. "Why did you choose to suffer in my place?"
I clenched my fists, biting back the sob rising in my throat. "You should've lived... not ended up like this."
I've known for a long time... That she possessed the Omni Power. That I was never the true wielder of the fire element. And that summoning the Fire Spirit came with a price one so absolute, it couldn't be undone.
But what I didn't expect... Was that she had entrusted the fire to me. Not taken it given it. Because all this time, I believed that once the Fire Spirit was summoned, I'd lose my power completely. And yet here I am still strong, still powerful.
You gave me your flame... But a flame I can't use to save you.
I looked at her through the shimmering barrier, heart heavy, voice shaking.
"You gave me your power...but it's a power I can't use to bring you back." I whispered bitterly, the words sinking like stone. "A gift I would trade in a heartbeat... just to see you smile again."
"I can't bear to see you like this..." I murmured, my voice thick with emotion. "I have to find a way... there has to be a way to bring you back."
With one last look one last painful glance at her lifeless gaze, her burning silence I turned around and walked away.
Not out of surrender. But with a purpose. Because if there's even the slightest chance to save her...
I'll find it. No matter what it takes.
Narrator's POV
Five months have passed.
The empire now lives in complete peace flourishing, calm, untouched by the chaos that once threatened to destroy everything.
There are no more strange attacks, no looming darkness, no cries for help echoing through the night.
But deep beneath the surface, in the underground chambers of the Obsidian Citadel, one thing remains unchanged.
Delythena is still there. Sealed, Floating, Burning. Unmoving within the same barrier of fire and silence, untouched by time or peace.
No matter how peaceful the world above becomes She remains trapped in the sacrifice that made that peace possible.
While the Supreme Ruler, Zadkiel, has been constantly away from his kingdom occupied with matters known only to him the empire continues to thrive under the quiet strength of its people.
The enchanters, meanwhile, devote themselves to intense training, sharpening their powers in case peace is once again threatened. They know too well how quickly calm can turn to chaos.
As for the war... it ended completely. Every enemy was obliterated turned to ash by the flames of Delythena. Their bodies destroyed. Their souls, however, suffered a far darker fate.
Trapped forever in the Underworld. Bound by the contract they had signed in desperation. Even Savena wasn't spared her soul dragged into the depths as payment for the power she borrowed.
Her ambition may have shaken the empire, but in the end... she paid the price.
Throughout the entire empire, Delythena was honored named a hero, a savior.
Her story spread far and wide, etched into the hearts of every citizen. The girl who gave everything her freedom, her power, her soul just to bring peace to a world that had been on the edge of ruin.
Despite the peace that now blankets the empire, Supreme Ruler Zadkiel could not find peace within himself. Because the one person he cherished most Delythena was no longer by his side.
The empire praised her, remembered her, even worshipped her name... But for Zadkiel, none of it was enough.
He couldn't smile knowing she was trapped in eternal silence beneath their feet. He couldn't rest while she floated in flames, forgotten by time.
And so, he didn't stop. Even when his closest allies told him it was impossible. Even when the scholars warned him that no one had ever returned from Nothingness.
He refused to accept it.
"I'll do whatever it takes" he swore to himself "even if it means breaking the laws of the world itself."
And with that unwavering resolve, Zadkiel made the unthinkable decision, to go to Nothingness. To bring her back.