The Devil's Bride
By Rapwizzy Debaron
Episode 72: The Pact of Shadows
As the Arbiter hovered above the altar, silence consumed the Dome. Even time itself seemed to hesitate.
Lucian moved to Seraphina's side, shielding her with one arm though he knew it would do little if the Arbiter turned hostile. The being's gaze swept across the chamber, falling briefly on Lucian before returning to Seraphina.
"You seek judgment," the Arbiter intoned. "But judgment is not mercy. Are you prepared to carry the weight of all sins, not just your own?"
Seraphina nodded. "Let the heavens curse me, and the underworld despise me. I will bear it all."
The Arbiter's hand moved to its chest, drawing out a scroll sealed with the blood of forgotten gods. It unrolled in midair, revealing runes written in burning void.
"A pact must be made. Blood for blood. Flame for flame. Heart… for throne."
Lucian's eyes darkened. "No. You can't ask her to—"
Seraphina silenced him with a glance. "Lucian, I've made my choice. This path chose me long ago."
From the depths of the shadows, the former Archangel Serkan stepped forward. His armor was cracked, his halo fractured, but his voice still rang with conviction.
"I offer myself," he said, stepping toward the scroll. "I will pay the price in her stead."
The Arbiter turned slowly. "You are not enough. The prophecy demands the blood of royalty born from both realms."
Seraphina raised her wrist again. "Then take more."
But before she could offer more blood, a flare of crimson light burst through the chamber. A portal opened, and from it emerged a woman cloaked in fire and shadows.
Her voice was thunder. "Enough!"
All turned to see Queen Nevara of the Lost Flame Court—the last known sorceress of the Forgotten Realm.
"You meddle with forces not even the gods can command," she said, eyes blazing. "This girl is no longer a pawn of fate. She is the firestorm that will remake creation."
The Arbiter lowered the scroll.
"Then let the pact be rewritten."
In a flurry of arcane light and howling winds, the Dome was sealed, the scroll burned into Seraphina's skin like a second soul.
Lucian touched her face gently. "Are you still mine?"
Seraphina smiled, fierce and beautiful. "I was never yours. I was always my own."
Outside the dome, the world shifted. Skies bled crimson. Seas roared in reverse. Armies of both Heaven and Hell turned toward the storm.
The war had begun.
To be continued…
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