Elysvarre Castle, The Collapsed Grand Hall
Midnight
Michael stood in the midst of the shattered field.
His fiery wings spread wide, blue tongues of flame danced around him, intertwining with his aura of courage and sorrow. Each beat of his heart echoed with an urgent need for retribution from the darkness, expressing his intense longing to shatter the chains of a bleak fate and reclaim hope.
The stone pillars lay broken, and shards of glass littered the marble floor.
Asmodeous hovered above.
His dark red hair shimmered with the light of his will, resembling strands of night adorned with dead stars. A promise of eternity flickered behind his sharp gaze, revealing a power capable of swallowing the world whole.
His purple-black cloak billowed with the winds of incantation, adding a magical aura to his presence. Glyphs of chains and wilted roses were faintly engraved on the fabric, each stroke of the sign carrying deep meaning that reflected both suffering and hope.
His skin, pale like cracked marble, emitted a faint red glow from the crevices. Each crack reminded Michael of unspoken sorrow, hopes shattered in despair.
A pair of obsidian horns veined with gold curved from his temples, pulsing in time with the rhythm of the world's will.
In his eyes: an unquenchable violet fire.
The circle of Desire swirled within his irises, a symbol of obsession and destruction, embodying the immense power he wielded. It resembled a dark vortex, continuously drawing in the feeble souls around, amplifying the malevolent force that gripped the atmosphere and instilled fear in all who beheld it.
The scent of burning roses and the incense of betrayal filled the air. Each breath felt heavy, as if the world itself was tense, bracing for the magical explosion that would shake the darkness.
Behind Michael, Sheena leaned against the wall, her face contorted in unbearable pain. One hand clutched her burning abdomen, grappling with hope amid the swirling magic radiating a mysterious aura, suggesting the presence of something far greater than mere warfare. The aura now emitted a Voidwright glyph that even Michael had never seen, depicting a power both unimaginable and profoundly significant to their intertwined fates.
"My child began to reject this world... even before he was born." She spoke, her voice trembling as if she felt the profound connection between life and death. "He knows I am fighting for him."
Asmodeous raised his hand, shadows of the night cascading around him, appearing and vanishing with a life of their own. "Consummata Luxuria: Chains of Binding Hunger." With a thunderous resonance, the incantation roared to life, filling the air with a hunger that demanded control and poised an extraordinary threat against Michael's resolve.
The violet chains of magic shot down from the ceiling, wrapping around Michael and attempting to drag him down, as if seeking to siphon his spirit into darkness. Tension hung in the air, each heartbeat measuring the time left to fight.
Michael clenched his sword, his soul igniting with determination. "Flame of Sovereign Will!" he shouted, summoning the power that had lain dormant within him, ready to erupt.
Heavenly blue flames incinerated the chains before they could even touch him, creating chaos that made every detail around him tremble. A burst of light reflected Asmodeous's shadow onto the crumbling walls, highlighting his cold and hatred-filled face.
Michael leaped, unfurling his wings with majestic grace. In every movement, there was power and certainty—as if the world around him paused for a moment to witness the clash between courage and darkness.
"Spear of Sanctity: Pyre Ascendant!" he announced, his voice resonating with authority, each word reverberating with confidence as if it signaled a monumental shift in the balance of power that would irrevocably alter the course of this war.
A spear of fiery light was conjured and hurled towards Asmodeous, a symbol of hope amid the chaos.
With a graceful yet terrifying motion, Asmodeous twisted his hand, his expression radiating deadly confidence, as if he were orchestrating the very forces of fate themselves.
"Thirst of Endless Desire." His voice bore the weight of the world, a spirit yearning to reshape reality.
The purple flames formed a circle of will that engulfed the spear of light, as if challenging the inevitable fate.
A tremendous explosion created a shockwave, vibrations touching every soul in the room.
Window panes shattered completely. Its sharp sound produced a distorted concert within the fighting ecosystem.
Stone pillars collapsed. The thunderous roar erased every remaining hope as the threat crept closer to them.
Asmodeous hovered low, his dark aura wrapping around the space like a suffocating fog. His violet eyes fixated on Michael, filled with a surge of hatred, reminiscent of the cursed and empty nights.
"Why do you defend a will that can destroy Heaven and Hell?"
Michael replied, his voice loud and clear, each word sharp as a blade:
"Because the will of humanity is the path chosen by the Divine."
"Not Heaven. Not Hell. But humanity must determine their own future."
"Even if that will is dangerous?"
"Even if it topples the world we know."
Asmodeous narrowed his eyes, the violet light in his gaze burning brighter with painful rage. His dissatisfaction danced in the air, creating a vibration of power that radiated around him.
"Humanity worships freedom, but they forget... obsession is its shadow."
"You do not protect hope. You nurture destruction."
Asmodeous brought his palms together.
"Ravishing Nova: Desire's Cataclysm," his booming voice proclaimed a dire threat against all remaining hope, resonating with the power to dismantle entire kingdoms built on love and aspiration, striking fear into the hearts of those who dared to defy him.
A giant sphere of purple-red will formed in the air, emanating waves of desire that could burn the will of anyone who opposed it.
As if the desire had its own form and soul, its scorching aura enveloped the arena of battle, presenting an unmatched threat.
Michael drove his sword into the ground.
"Judgement Flame: Daybreak Sovereign!"
Blue-white fire surged from his sword, creating a heavenly wall of fire that held back Asmodeous's power.
The synthesis of light and dark created dazzling magical sparks, illuminating the skies in a stunning display of power that captivated all present and heightened the atmosphere of impending chaos.
Fire against fire.
Desire against Judgment.
The incantation echoed throughout the palace.
In the midst of that massive clash, Sheena felt her stomach growing hotter—not merely from the magical exertion around her but as if a tempest of power was brewing, threatening to unravel everything she held dear.
Her own magic was not enough to withstand the pressure.
A crushing fear gripped her chest like shackles, as if all hopes depended on Michael's resilience.
"I can't... hold my barrier any longer."
But before she collapsed, a gentle voice whispered in her mind.
It wasn't Michael's voice. It wasn't Fitran's voice.
It was her child's voice.
"I'm here, mother."
"I won't let anyone separate us; my soul and your hope are united in an unshakeable will."
From the depths of her strength, Sheena felt a wave of hope, as if the voice was infusing her with renewed energy. Unbeknownst to her, a soft light began to emanate from within, striving to unite with her fading barrier.
Voidwright glyphs around her began to flourish.
A new magic circle formed on the floor:
A new magic circle formed on the floor: "Aegis of Unnamed Will," fortifying the bond between mother and child, standing as a formidable barrier against a threatening force that sought to sever their connection.
An unnamed barrier.
The writer of new rules protects her mother from the fires of Desire.
Asmodeous paused for a moment.
His eyes widened in disbelief and realization—a dawning recognition of the formidable magic that challenged his own dark desires and threatened to reshape the balance of power in the universe.
Stunned by the striking voice of the reborn barrier, he felt the tension mounting in the air. It was as if the entire castle was trembling, an unexpected decision raging within his soul, shaking his once unwavering confidence.
"She has rewritten the magic even before her birth...!"
"Her will... has surpassed the boundaries of the world."
Michael glanced at Sheena, then looked back at Asmodeous.
"You are too late."
"You are no longer facing the will of a mother."
"You are confronting a will that cannot be devoured or bound."
Asmodeous furrowed his brow.
His gaze shifted from that of a ruler to an observer of a defeated era.
In the darkness of the atmosphere, frustration deepened within Asmodeous's heart as he reflected on past failures—every obsession he had nearly fulfilled, only to have it slip through his fingers like grains of sand.
"This is what it feels like to witness an obsession fail to conquer love."
"I do not hate you. I am just... afraid of what I cannot bind."
Asmodeous refused to relent.
Enveloped in an aura of despair, he felt an unquenchable surge of rage boiling within him. Each narrative that separated them only intensified the depths of hatred and regret intertwining between the two wills in conflict.
"Then, I will destroy him along with the world," he proclaimed, his voice a chilling promise of impending doom, underscoring his despair and determination to unleash chaos.
"All-Consuming Lust: Collapse of Will."
The forbidden mantra was unleashed.
The entire hall transformed into a tumultuous sea of violet will, capable of annihilating anything in its path. Waves of energy swirled at a terrifying speed, resonating with an overwhelming force that ensnared hope within a web of desolation.
Michael unfurled his wings fully.
"Celestia Ignis: Final Sanctity Burn!"
A blue-white flame surged into the sky, creating daylight in the darkness of night, illuminating the surroundings with an ethereal glow that contrasted sharply with the shadows, casting eerie figures that danced ominously, haunting those who dared to defy fate.
Fire and the will of Desire clashed for the final time in this chapter, producing consequences that would shape their destinies and influence the fate of the entire world.
DUARRRRR!
As the collision occurred, the final walls of the palace crumbled.
The night sky was split by two colors:
The vibrations from the battle reverberated deep into the earth, as if the entire universe shuddered to bear witness to the legendary clash between good and evil, a tempest of light and dark that would become the stuff of epic tales.
In the midst of it all, Sheena clutched her belly tightly.
"I... I will not be defeated."
"I will not allow anyone to take away my child's will."