Chapter 58: Throne of Shadows – The Obsidian Court’s Game

The air inside the Obsidian Court didn't burn—it hummed.

Every breath Chen took felt like it passed through silk woven from secrets. The great obsidian spires loomed overhead, jagged and regal. Shadows moved even when the light did not, whispering as though the court itself were alive.

At his sides, Ye Yue and Lanmei stood close, flames of moonlight and war pulsing with tension. Mei trailed slightly behind, her gaze darting around the surreal architecture with a mix of awe and unease.

Before them, on a throne carved from the petrified heart of a forgotten god, sat the Matriarch of Dusk—leader of the Obsidian Court.

She was beautiful in the way a venomous rose was beautiful—dark petals, sharper thorns. Her smile was a crescent moon poised over a battlefield.

"Welcome," she purred, voice like velvet over steel. "To where the gods either kneel… or are remade."

The Game Begins

Chen stood firm, suppressing the flare of power rising within him. The system chimed in the back of his mind:

[New Realm Detected – High Risk Zone]Obsidian Court Aura Density: 84%Bond Integrity: StableDivine Affection Trigger: 72%

The Matriarch rose, descending the stairs of her throne like a queen greeting a pawn she might promote… or consume.

"You smell of moonlight, battle, and mortal passion," she said, her eyes drifting over Ye Yue, Lanmei, and Mei with keen precision. "A divine flame born in bed and blood. I must say, deliciously vulgar."

Lanmei bristled. "Say that again and I'll break your throne."

"Ah, the War Bonded." The Matriarch smiled wider. "Your temper is as legendary as your thighs."

Ye Yue stepped forward, voice cool. "Enough. We've come by invitation."

"Of course," the Matriarch said sweetly. "And I'm a gracious host. Which is why I offer you this…"

She lifted a dark crystal orb—within it swirled divine energy, thick with corrupted flame.

"…A chance to prove your worth."

Trial of Masks

From behind velvet curtains, a dozen women emerged—divine envoys, priestesses, highborns of obsidian blood. Each was veiled, seductive, deadly.

"This," said the Matriarch, "is the Trial of Masks. You will be tempted, tested, touched in ways no battlefield ever could. If your bonds falter, if your control slips… we will know."

Chen exhaled slowly. "And if I succeed?"

"Then the Obsidian Court will recognize your flame as worthy of shaping divine fate itself."

Lanmei looked to him, fierce. "We can take them."

Ye Yue said nothing, but her hand brushed his. A silent message: Trust no one but us.

Mei stared at the orb… then at the Matriarch… and then at Chen. Her voice was soft.

"Be careful. They don't want your failure. They want your loyalty."

The Eyes in the Shadows

As the trial prepared to begin, high above—unseen—a new observer arrived. Cloaked in ashes, bearing no divine signature at all.

He watched Chen with unreadable eyes.

And whispered:

"The flame spreads faster than expected. But who lit it… and why?"