The sky tore open.
Not slowly. Not subtly. A jagged rip in reality bled shadows that swallowed light. Golden stars winked out as darkness oozed downward, a living, hungry void crawling over the abyssal city.
Elara's breath hitched.
Kaelthar's hand gripped hers, sharp, anchoring.
"It's here," he said grimly. "The Void Sovereign has arrived."
The ground trembled. Towers swayed. Lava rivers hissed as shadows consumed them.
The demon lords fled—or knelt, terrified. Varyx stood at the edge of the city, eyes wide, jaw clenched. Even he recognized that this wasn't normal.
Kaelthar turned to Elara. "Your trial prepared you. But this… will test you fully."
Her golden light pulsed faintly. Her fingers tightened around his. "I don't know if I can."
"You can," he said quietly. "And I will remind you—you are not alone."
The first tendrils of void struck the outer walls.
Elara's instincts flared.
Not fear. Not panic.
Defense.
Golden energy erupted along her limbs, coiling like living fire. Her scream ripped through the city, resonating in perfect harmony with the Abyss itself.
The void recoiled.
Kaelthar's eyes widened.
"Impressive," he muttered, letting his own shadows ripple outward to meet hers. Together, they formed a barrier that trembled but held.
From the rift, something solidified.
Not an angel. Not a demon. Something older, vast beyond imagination—a titanic shadow, writhing with eyes that had no pupils, mouths that whispered in languages older than time.
It spread across the sky, dwarfing the palace, devouring everything.
Elara stepped forward.
Kaelthar followed immediately, hands gripping her shoulders.
"Focus," he said. "You are Arbiter-blooded. Remember who you are."
She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, channeling every lesson from the Queen's Trial, every instinct honed in the throne hall.
Golden light flared violently.
The shadow hissed, recoiling as if stung.
Elara opened her eyes.
They were blazing. Focused. Not angry. Not wild.
Commanding.
The void shrieked.
Her hands shot forward, golden threads lancing out, binding the darkness, weaving a web of light that pushed, contained, controlled.
Kaelthar's chest heaved beside her. "Do you feel it?" he asked. "You are no longer fighting. You are commanding."
"Yes," she gasped. "It listens… barely."
Varyx, watching from a safe distance, turned pale. "Impossible! A human—an Arbiter—controls the void!"
The creature above shrieked again and lunged downward, striking at the palace with tendrils of nothingness.
Elara stepped forward, meeting it head-on.
Her light flared, forming a sphere around her.
A pulse—massive, concentrated, unyielding—exploded outward, sending the void creature crashing back into the rift.
The city trembled violently. Lava erupted. Buildings cracked.
Kaelthar pressed close to her, shielding her from the worst of it.
"You are remarkable," he whispered. "And terrifying."
Her cheeks burned.
"I—I didn't mean—"
"Silence," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers, as golden light continued to swirl around her. "You are the future of this realm, and you are mine."
The words hit her like molten fire.
She tilted her head slightly, searching his eyes. "Mine?"
His thumb brushed her cheek. "Yes. Mine."
Before she could speak, a tendril of void struck at her from behind.
Kaelthar reacted instantly, pulling her into his chest, shadows coiling around her like protective armor.
The impact slammed into them, sending both sprawling across the balcony.
He caught her with a swift motion, holding her tight.
Her pulse raced violently against his.
Their eyes met. No words needed.
His lips brushed hers—not a kiss, not yet fully, but a warning, a promise, a storm of emotions neither could contain.
The void above roared, angry, undeterred.
Kaelthar lifted her, shadows swirling around them as they stood at the edge of the balcony, facing the impossible threat.
"This isn't over," he said, voice low, fierce, protective.
Elara nodded, golden light flaring along her arms. She had tasted her own power. She had seen what she could do.
And now, with Kaelthar at her side, she would no longer run.
The Void Sovereign had declared war.
And so had she.