The man who stepped through the portal was every inch a demon lord. Broad-shouldered, cloaked in shadows, his obsidian horns curved back like blades, and his red eyes glowed with regal authority. His armor shimmered with dark crimson glass—like forged volcanic stone.
But his face…
It was Kael's face, in an older mirror.
Not identical—but hauntingly close.
Seraphine's hand tightened on her blade. Kael didn't move.
The man tilted his head. "You're real."
"So are you," Kael said hoarsely.
The demon took a slow step forward. "I am Vaerion, son of Lucis the Flame-Tamer. Prince of the Crimson Court."
Kael blinked. The name from the letter.
"…Lucis. That's my father's name."
A flicker of pain passed across Vaerion's face. "Then we are brothers."
The portal dimmed behind Vaerion as he surveyed the ruins.
"They hid this place well," he murmured. "But it still remembers our blood."
"Why are you here?" Kael asked.
Vaerion's eyes locked on his. "To find the last heir. To warn you."
He stepped closer and held out his hand. Between his fingers floated a silver shard—identical to the one Seraphine had found.
"The seals are breaking. One by one. The gods we thought buried—they are stirring."
Kael reached out, and the shard burned against his palm.
"You've fought," Vaerion noted. "And you've lost."
Kael flinched at the reminder. His mother's face. The day Wyrmspire fell. The taste of ash.
"I survived," he said quietly.
"That makes you a prince."
Vaerion smiled faintly. "But it's not enough. Not anymore."
They descended into the lowest chamber of the ruins—Vaerion leading them past ancient wards and forgotten glyphs. Seraphine walked close beside Kael, her eyes never leaving the stranger.
At the bottom lay a hall of memory. In it, seven stone thrones stood—each carved with different elemental symbols.
"This is where the pact was formed," Vaerion said. "Seven demon kings. Seven sons of the first fire. They bound the old gods beneath the earth. And they sealed the pact with blood."
Kael ran his fingers across one of the thrones. "And now they're waking."
Vaerion nodded grimly. "Because the line was broken. Our father was the last of the Flame Pact. When he vanished, the seals began to crack. And now…"
He looked at Kael.
"You are the last anchor."
Back in the upper chamber, Kael paced restlessly.
"So I'm not just some royal orphan," he muttered. "I'm a damn keystone in a prison wall built by monsters to hold worse monsters."
Seraphine leaned against a pillar. "We always knew you were special."
"Special doesn't stop gods."
She approached him slowly. "But maybe you do."
Kael turned, frustrated. "I don't even know what I am anymore."
Seraphine reached up and cupped his jaw. "You're Kael. You burned for a kingdom that hated you. You bled for people who never called you brother. And you chose me when you could have chosen vengeance."
He caught her wrist, eyes dark.
"Seraphine…"
She smirked. "What? Did you think one kiss and I'd stop following you into hell?"
Their lips met again, softer this time—but with fire smoldering beneath. Kael pressed her gently against the wall, hands braced on either side of her head.
"You're dangerous," he whispered.
She arched a brow. "Takes one to know one."
Vaerion interrupted them, of course.
He stood at the doorway with a scroll in hand, his face grim.
Kael pulled back from Seraphine reluctantly, tension still coiling beneath his skin.
Vaerion tossed the scroll down. "A raven came. From the kingdom of Elareth. The capital has fallen."
Kael stiffened. "That's… a human realm."
"More than that," Vaerion said. "One of the seven seals is buried beneath their old temple. Someone shattered it."
Kael opened the scroll. It was written in blood.
"The Lady with Ember Eyes walks again."
His blood ran cold.
Seraphine whispered, "She's hunting the seals."
Kael looked to Vaerion. "Then we move at dawn."
The demon prince nodded. "I'll summon the Crimson Guard."
Kael turned to Seraphine, jaw set. "You with me?"
She didn't hesitate. "Always."
That night, Kael stood on the tower once more, watching the distant horizon.
He could feel the storm building.
But for the first time in his life… he wasn't alone.
He had Seraphine. He had a brother.
He had purpose.
And somewhere, the gods were stirring.
Let them rise.
Kael would burn the heavens to stop them.