---
The flames danced like serpents in the cavern's heart.
Lucien Drax stood alone in the Circle of Ash, a sacred and forbidden site buried beneath Elyndor's forgotten mountain spires. Carved from obsidian and veined with veins of glowing crimson stone, the chamber pulsed with raw magic — ancient and alive.
At his feet, sigils burned in blood and starlight.
The Ritual had begun.
Around him, six silent figures — bound by the Pact of Night — knelt in reverence, their mouths sewn shut with Aether threads. Their presence steadied the chaotic surge of the elements around Lucien, but barely. The energy was unstable, bordering madness.
Lucien's pale hand hovered above the heart of the ritual circle, where a single object floated — a shard of Kael Riven's blood, stolen during the skirmish near the Black Willow.
The blood shimmered gold.
Lucien's voice, low and resonant, echoed across the cavern:
> "Child of Flame and Star, bearer of broken realms… You were not meant to rise. But now, you shall awaken me."
Lightning cracked through the walls. Magic poured from the stone like molten fire.
Lucien closed his eyes — and let the curse take hold.
---
Meanwhile — In Mortalis
Kael jolted upright, drenched in sweat.
He wasn't dreaming.
He had felt it — something deep within his blood recoiling, as if a tether had been pulled taut across the realms. A whisper of power, both familiar and alien, echoed in his chest.
"Elira," he called out, stepping out of the safehouse's shadowed corridor.
She was already there, dressed and alert, her daggers at her side.
"You felt it too," she said, reading his face.
Kael nodded. "Lucien is performing something… dark. A ritual. It used my blood."
Elira's eyes sharpened. "Then it's already started. The Ascension Ritual."
Kael's jaw clenched. "What does it do?"
She hesitated. "If successful… it would grant Lucien godhood. Or worse — unmake the boundary between life and death."
Kael took a step forward. "We stop him. Tonight."
---
Back in Elyndor — The Inner Circle's Fracture
Lyra Hale watched from the shadowed alcove as Lucien's ritual intensified.
She clutched the pendant Damon had given her — not for sentiment, but for protection. Even she didn't know what Lucien was becoming. Damon had warned her: "If the Ascension completes, not even the gods will control him."
A scream echoed from the ritual chamber.
One of the robed acolytes burst into flame, disintegrating into ash.
Lucien didn't flinch.
Lyra turned and walked away, heart pounding.
Something had shifted.
And in her gut, for the first time in years, Lyra Hale felt fear.
---
The Plan
Kael, Elira, and Finn Ashray — the ever-sarcastic tracker who had rejoined them — gathered around the Veil Map, now glowing with new symbols.
"We've located the next Veil Key," Finn said, tapping a ruined tower etched into the mountains near Eirwell.
"But it's not just about the Key anymore," Kael added. "Lucien is accelerating. He's using my blood to power the Veil itself."
Elira stared at the map, her voice low. "He needs six fragments. We've confirmed he only has four."
"And we have one," Kael said. "The last fragment is still hidden."
Finn frowned. "Then we better move. Because if Lucien finds the sixth piece…"
Kael finished the sentence coldly: "He becomes unstoppable."
---
The Journey — A Rift in the Sky
As they traveled toward Eirwell, the sky split open — just for a moment.
A rift shimmered high above the mountains, a glowing scar of violet and gold. Aether spilled into the air, warping the trees and sky.
Elira gasped. "That's not natural."
Kael raised a hand, shielding his eyes. His Aetherion lines glowed fiercely in response. "It's the result of the Ritual. He's bleeding the realms together."
Suddenly, a voice echoed — not aloud, but inside Kael's mind.
> "You were never meant to be mortal."
Kael staggered.
Elira caught him. "Kael?"
He looked at her, heart pounding. "I heard… something. Someone. It sounded like… me."
---
Meanwhile — Lucien's Revelation
Lucien stood at the center of the circle, blood seeping from his palms.
His silver hair floated as if underwater. The Ritual had shown him things — memories not his own. Faces of warriors, kings, and children all sharing one thing in common.
Kael's eyes.
> "You're the key, Kael Riven. The legacy that was hidden. The line they buried in lies."
He smiled.
"Soon, you'll remember what I already know."
---
Elira's Doubt — And Decision
That night, as they camped near the frostline, Elira sat alone by the fire.
Finn had fallen asleep. Kael was sharpening his blade in silence.
Elira turned to him.
"What if stopping Lucien means… killing someone you love again?"
Kael's hands stilled.
"I've already lost everything. If stopping him means losing what's left of me… then so be it."
She looked at him, eyes filled with something more than loyalty. "You're not alone anymore."
He didn't respond. But his fingers brushed hers beside the fire.
And for a moment… Kael Riven allowed himself to hope.
------
As dawn broke, they reached the ruins of Eirwell.
The temple doors creaked open, revealing a chamber of mirrors — ancient and glowing with celestial light.
In the center hovered the sixth Veil Fragment.
Kael stepped forward.
But his reflection didn't follow.
It moved on its own.
And then, the reflection smiled and whispered:
> "I've waited centuries to wear your face."
Kael's breath caught.
Behind him, Elira screamed.
The reflection stepped out of the mirror — and it looked exactly like Kael.
---