Viewer Discretion is Advised This chapter contains intense violence, emotionally charged confrontations, and mature themes, including references to trauma and sensitive topics.
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Belladorn slammed into the wind barrier, her body hitting with a sickening thud. The sound turned my stomach.
The force of her impact sent faint ripples across the shimmering dome, but it didn’t crack.
Slowly, she slid down, her nails scraping against the translucent surface. The grating noise made my skin crawl, and my breaths quickened, shallow and sharp.
When she hit the ground, she didn’t get up. Her wings, once radiant and iridescent, drooped limply behind her, their glow fading to a dull, lifeless shimmer.
Her head hung low, silver-pink hair falling in tangled waves over her face. She was still.
I stared at her, my chest tightening. Was it over? Was this—was this it?
“Is she... is it over?” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips. My voice felt small, fragile, as though speaking too loudly might shatter the eerie silence.
“I don’t know,” Estella murmured. Her golden eyes narrowed as she studied Belladorn’s unmoving form.
The faint glow of her magic flickered weakly around her fingers, but she didn’t move to attack. “It’s like she...” She tilted her head slightly, her expression softening in a way I hadn’t seen before. “It’s like she gave up.”
I frowned, glancing at Kiaran. He stood motionless, his spear gripped tightly in his hand, his crimson eyes locked on Belladorn. His expression was carved from stone—not a flicker of emotion, not a single crack in his icy exterior.
“Why is she so quiet?” I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.
Estella exhaled slowly, her fingers brushing over the barrier’s surface. Her magic pulsed faintly, a soft pink glow against the translucent dome.
“Sometimes,” she said, her tone heavy with something that sounded almost like pity, “a broken heart can defeat you faster than any physical wound.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy and uncomfortable. I swallowed hard, my gaze snapping back to Belladorn.
I didn’t want to feel sorry for her—not after everything she’d done, not after the chaos and pain she’d caused—but there was something in the way she sat there, crumpled and trembling, that made my chest ache.
I couldn’t explain it, but the air felt different—thicker, heavier. It pressed against my lungs, making it harder to breathe.
Estella straightened, her brow furrowing. “If she’s truly done, we can’t waste any more time,” she said, her voice firmer now. “We need to dismantle the barrier and find Mirelle before—”
A sound cut her off.
It was soft at first—a faint, shuddering breath that broke through the oppressive silence. I froze, my heart pounding in my ears.
Another breath followed. And another.
“Wait,” I said, my voice sharp. “What’s she doing?”
Belladorn’s shoulders shook, and a faint, broken sound escaped her lips. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Was she... crying?
Estella’s golden eyes widened, her breath catching. “Is she...?” She didn’t finish the question.
The weight in the air pressed harder against my chest, making me feel like I was drowning. I took a small, shaky step back, my fingers curling into fists at my sides.
Then Belladorn spoke.
“I loved her,” she whispered, her voice raw and broken.
The words hit me like a physical blow, cutting through the silence and sinking into my chest like jagged glass.
“She was my sister,” Belladorn said, her voice cracking as tears streamed down her pale face. “And you gave her what you wouldn’t give me.”
I glanced at Kiaran, my pulse quickening. He didn’t respond, didn’t say a word. But something shifted in his expression—a flicker of something I couldn’t quite name. Regret? Guilt? Pain?
Belladorn’s sobs grew louder, her cries echoing through the clearing like a haunting melody. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” she said through gritted teeth. Her voice shook with a mix of grief and fury. “I caught you. I saw you—together. And do you know what I did?”
Her head snapped up, and for the first time, I saw her face clearly. Her black eyes, usually so cold and unyielding, were wide and glassy, streaked with tears that glistened like liquid obsidian.
“I poisoned her,” Belladorn hissed, her words sharp and venomous. “I mixed it into her food and watched her choke on it. I watched her die.”
I heard Estella gasp softly beside me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Kiaran. His grip on his spear tightened, his knuckles turning white. His crimson eyes widened—just slightly, but it was enough.
He didn’t know.
Belladorn laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and jagged, like broken glass grinding against stone. “I killed her. And every woman who dared look at you. I killed them all.”
Her laughter twisted into a snarl, and her gaze snapped to me, her black eyes burning with hatred. “And now you bring this... this whore from the brothels into my forest?” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.
I stiffened, the words cutting deep. Heat rushed to my face, my hands clenching into fists.
“It’s unforgivable!” Belladorn screamed, her voice rising to a fevered pitch.
The air around her exploded with energy, a swirling black aura rimmed with gold erupting from her body. The barrier groaned under the pressure, cracks spidering across its surface as the oppressive energy surged outward.
Belladorn’s wings trembled against her back, the iridescent shimmer now dull and lifeless. The image of her crumpled on the ground had almost made her seem small. But then, with a sharp intake of breath that sounded more like a gasp of rage than air, her body jolted upright.
Before I could react, she flapped her wings—one powerful, sweeping motion that sent dust and ash whirling around her in a suffocating cloud. The force of it rattled the ground beneath my feet.
She rose into the air.
Her wings spread wide, their edges glowing faintly as if lit from within.
For a moment, she seemed to hang there, suspended like some dark, wrathful goddess. Then, her hands extended outward, and a swirling black energy began to coalesce between her palms.
“Oh no,” Estella whispered beside me, her voice trembling.
“What?” I asked, my voice sharp, my heart hammering in my chest.
“That’s a Phantom Requiem,” she said, her golden eyes wide with a mix of fear and disbelief. “It’s a soul’s ultimate move. For her to use it now...” She trailed off, swallowing hard, her lips trembling.
“For her to use it now means what?” I pressed, panic rising in my chest.
Estella turned to me, her face pale. “It means she’s desperate to kill us. She’s going to burn herself alive if it means taking us with her.”
The oppressive weight in the air thickened, pressing against my skin like a thousand invisible hands.
The swirling energy between Belladorn’s palms grew larger, darker, the edges crackling with streaks of golden light that hissed like fire meeting water.
Her eyes locked onto us with a cold, unrelenting intensity.
Estella slammed her feet into the ground with force, causing vines to erupt from the earth and bind to her legs. Pink waves of her magic rippled over her body, casting a faint glow in the chaos.
I did the same. I closed my eyes and summoned every ounce of wind left in my body, digging deep into the remnants of Estella’s power still lingering in the air. My bones ached as I pulled it together, focusing everything I had.
Belladorn’s voice cut through the tension, her tone icy and commanding. “Phantom Requiem,” she hissed. Her lips curled into a cruel smile, her next words laced with venom. “Titania’s Judgment.”
The orb of energy exploded forward.
It tore through the air with a deafening roar, the sheer force of it rattling my teeth. The barrier shattered like glass, shards of translucent energy scattering in every direction.
I barely had time to scream before Kiaran was on me.
His body slammed into mine, the force of it knocking the breath from my lungs. My back hit the ground, the impact jarring, but Kiaran’s weight pinned me down before I could even process the pain.
The heat was unbearable.
It seared the air, burning my throat with every shallow breath. The scent of sulfur and scorched earth filled my nose, but worse far worse was the stench of burning flesh.
I realized, with a sickening lurch in my stomach, that it was his flesh.
“Kiaran!” I screamed, my voice raw and desperate.
He didn’t answer. His body was tense, trembling with effort as he shielded me from the blast. His teeth were gritted, his jaw tight, but I could see the pain etched into every line of his face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Estella frozen in place, her golden eyes wide with tension,she was fully prepared to still launch Belladorn out of the sky with her vines. She wasn’t moving—wasn’t running.
Kiaran saw it too.
With a growl that sounded more animal than human, he reached out, his hand closing around her arm. And with a strength that didn’t seem possible, he hurled her out of the clearing.
Her scream echoed faintly, growing distant as her body disappeared beyond the treeline.
I cried, tears streaming down my face. My hands clawed at his shoulders, desperate to pull him back, to do something—but his body was unyielding, like trying to move a mountain.
The light around us grew brighter, hotter, until it was blinding. I squeezed my eyes shut, my sobs lost in the roar of the explosion.
And then, through the chaos, I saw it.
A flash of crimson light.
Kiaran’s spear—the Gáe Bolga—manifested in his hand with a brilliance that made the blackened clearing seem almost like daylight. He rotated it in a wide arc, the weapon absorbing the brunt of the energy, but the effort left him trembling, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
He gritted his teeth, his body trembling as the onslaught continued.
And then, finally, it was over.
The explosion faded, the oppressive heat dissipating into the air. Smoke and ash swirled around us, the clearing eerily silent except for the faint crackle of dying embers.
“Kiaran,” I choked out, tears streaming down my face. I reached for him, my fingers trembling as they brushed against his shoulder.
He turned his head, just slightly, enough to shrug my hand off.
“Save your tears,” he said, his voice low, rough, and unyielding.
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The smoke settled slowly, shrouding the clearing in a suffocating haze of ash and embers. The air was heavy, thick with the acrid stench of scorched earth and burnt flesh. I gasped for breath, my lungs struggling against the oppressive heat.
Kiaran shifted above me, his movements slow and deliberate. Blood dripped from his burned flesh, pooling beneath him and soaking into the tattered remains of my clothes. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, my hands trembling as I pushed myself upright.
“Kiaran,” I rasped, my voice cracking. “You’re hurt. You need to—”
Stay back. That’s what I wanted to say. That’s what I should have said. But the words stuck in my throat when he began to laugh.
It wasn’t a laugh of relief or joy.
It was low, dark, and gritty—like the sound of gravel grinding beneath iron. It sent shivers down my spine, and for the first time since the fight began, I felt a flicker of fear.
He tilted his head toward me, his crimson eyes gleaming in the dim light. Blood streaked his face, and when he gritted his teeth, I saw it smeared across them, staining his sharp grin.
“You want me to stay back?” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Why? Do you think I’m incapable of standing?”
“Kiaran, please,” I stammered, my hands reaching for him despite myself. “You’re injured. You’ve done enough. Let us—”
“Enough?” he interrupted, his tone sharp and biting. “Enough?”
He stood slowly, his movements deliberate, controlled. Blood continued to drip from his burns, trailing down his arms and pooling at his feet. I stared, horrified, as the crimson liquid soaked into the dirt, mingling with the ash and forming a dark, muddy paste.
“I’ve been quiet this entire time,” Kiaran said, his voice calm but deadly, “because I thought—no, I hoped—that you two would be able to handle this. I thought Belladorn would be beneath me. I thought this fight wasn’t worth my attention.”
My heart sank at his words, each one cutting deeper than the last.
“But I was wrong.” He turned to me, his gaze piercing. “You’re weak, Mablevi. You’re dead weight. And Estella...”
As if on cue, Estella stumbled back into the clearing, her golden eyes wide with shock. She froze when she heard Kiaran’s words, her breath catching in her throat.
“You’re both too weak to save Mirelle.” Kiaran’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard it, his words like shards of ice piercing through the suffocating heat.
Before any of us could respond, Belladorn’s voice broke through the tension.
Oh, Kiaran,” she cooed, her tone light and teasing despite the blood dripping from her lips. She fanned herself lazily, her black eyes glimmering with amusement as she took in his battered form. “Are you finally going to be mine? After all this foreplay, I thought you’d never make a move.”
Kiaran’s expression didn’t change, but his hands moved to the buckles of his armor. One by one, the metal plates fell away, clattering to the ground with a hollow, echoing sound.
Belladorn’s cheeks flushed as she watched him, her lips curling into a pleased smile. “Oh my,” she murmured, fanning herself more vigorously. “You really are a sight to behold.”
Kiaran didn’t respond. He rolled his shoulders, his muscles rippling beneath his bloodstained skin. His veins bulged, pulsing with a faint, golden light that made his battered form seem almost otherworldly.
“You think I’m doing this for you?” he said finally, his voice low and mocking. “I’m removing my armor so I can kill you faster.
Belladorn’s smile faltered, but only for a moment. Then she laughed—a soft, breathless sound that dripped with giddy anticipation. She fanned herself lazily, her black eyes gleaming with mischief as she tilted her head at Kiaran.
“You’re going to use your ultimate move on me, aren’t you?” she purred, her voice thick with teasing glee. “I’m flattered.”
Kiaran’s lips curled into a cruel smile, his crimson eyes narrowing. “Ultimate move?” he repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. “You think I need something like that for you?”
Belladorn’s eyes widened slightly, her confidence wavering for the first time.
“This,” Kiaran continued, his voice sharp and final, “is just a throw.”
He planted his left foot firmly into the ground, the force of it creating a deep crater that cracked and splintered outward beneath him. The muscles in his arms bulged as he gripped the Gáe Bolga, veins glowing brighter with every passing second as his power surged. The spear pulsed in his hands, radiating a fierce crimson light that burned against the dark, smoky haze of the battlefield.
The energy enveloping the spear intensified, growing brighter and sharper, until it seemed as though the weapon itself had become a living entity. The sheer pressure radiating from Kiaran was suffocating—I felt it pressing against my chest, stealing the air from my lungs.
“Kiaran, wait—” I tried to speak, but my voice faltered under the crushing weight of his power.
He didn’t look at me. His focus was absolute, his gaze locked on Belladorn as though nothing else in the world existed.
Kiaran pulled his arm back, his movements slow and deliberate, as though savoring the moment. His body tensed, his sinews taut and quivering with raw energy. For a brief second, time seemed to freeze.
Then his voice rang out, clear and commanding, cutting through the heavy silence like a blade.
“Red Verdict, Crimson Decree.”
The words carried a weight that seemed to ripple through the air, their power resonating deep within my chest.
And then he threw.
The Gáe Bolga tore through the air like a bolt of lightning, its crimson light blinding as it surged toward Belladorn with unerring precision. The sheer velocity of the throw sent a deafening shockwave rippling through the clearing, uprooting trees and scattering debris in every direction.
Belladorn barely had time to react. Her black eyes widened, and for the first time, there was no mischief, no teasing smile—just fear. Perhaps, in that final moment, she realized that Kiaran was something beyond her comprehension.
Her lips parted as though to speak, but before she could utter a single word, the spear struck.
The impact was cataclysmic.
A blinding explosion of crimson light consumed the clearing, obliterating everything in its path. The force of it was incomprehensible, tearing the ground apart and sending shockwaves that shook the earth beneath my feet. I shielded my face with my arms, but the searing heat still burned against my skin.
The ground trembled violently, cracks spidering out from the point of impact as though the very fabric of the earth had been torn apart. Entire trees were uprooted and flung like twigs, the landscape itself reshaped by the sheer force of the detonation.
When the light finally faded, the battlefield was unrecognizable. Smoke and ash hung heavy in the air, and the ground was scorched and torn, as though the wrath of a god had been unleashed upon it.
There was no sign of Belladorn.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then Kiaran stepped forward, his chest heaving with exertion. Blood dripped from the burns on his body, trailing down his arms and soaking into the ruined ground beneath him. Steam rose from his skin, his veins still glowing faintly as the last remnants of his power faded. Every step he took left faint, smoking imprints on the scorched earth.
I stared at him, my heart pounding. He seemed untouched by the devastation around him—something more than human.
He turned to us—me and Estella—his crimson eyes cold and unyielding. His expression was unreadable, but there was no mistaking the weight behind his words.
“See it was that easy,” he said, his voice low and rough, yet cutting through the silence like a blade. His gaze lingered on us, sharp and unrelenting.
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