THE PRICE OF POWER

THE AFTERMATH OF ASCENSION...

Silence.

The battle had ended.

The Watchers—the relentless pursuers of Elias—were gone. Not defeated, but erased, their existence wiped clean as though they had never been.

Aldric had vanished in the explosion of magic, and the monstrous creatures he had summoned were reduced to nothingness.

But the air still buzzed with energy.

Elias hovered at the chamber's center, his feet no longer touching the ground, surrounded by a golden-white aura that crackled like lightning. The power surging within him wasn't fading; it was expanding, like a storm feeding off itself.

For the first time, Elias felt it—he was no longer bound by the laws of this world. He was above them. Beyond them.

And it terrified him.

SERAPHINA'S FEAR...

Seraphina stood several feet away, her heart a steady drumbeat of rising dread.

Elias wasn't moving. His eyes, still glowing with golden light, were fixed ahead, but he wasn't seeing anything.

He was caught in the storm.

"Elias?" she called out, her voice cautious, almost pleading.

No response.

Seraphina's fingers curled into fists as her anxiety grew. "Elias!"

Still nothing.

The power around him crackled louder, the chamber vibrating under its force. She stepped closer, every movement hesitant.

"Come back to me," she whispered, the fear in her voice undeniable.

But deep inside, she worried she'd already lost him.

THE FIRST KING SPEAKS...

Varian, still bound by glowing chains at the chamber's edge, let out a slow, measured breath.

"It's happening," he murmured, his tone grim.

Seraphina spun toward him. "What's happening?"

Varian's gaze shifted to Elias, his golden eyes dark with understanding. "The Ascension."

Seraphina's heart skipped a beat. "What does that mean? Is he—"

"He's at the crossroads," Varian interrupted.

The First King, observing silently until now, finally spoke, his voice deep and resonant. "Right now, he sees everything. Time, space, magic—all bending to his will."

Seraphina swallowed hard. "And if he can't control it?"

The First King's burning white eyes locked on hers.

"Then there will be no stopping him."

INSIDE THE STORM..

Elias wasn't in the chamber anymore—not in his mind.

He floated in a boundless void, where light and shadow twisted together in infinite patterns.

Time unraveled before him like threads of golden fire. The past, present, and future merged into a single overwhelming moment.

He saw it all.

The origins of the Watchers. The rise and fall of the Arcane Kings. The battles, the betrayals, the blood-soaked thrones.

And then

He saw himself.

Standing alone on a battlefield, surrounded by countless corpses. His eyes glowed with the same golden fire that now consumed him.

A voice, his own yet not, whispered through the void.

"You see it now, don't you?"

Elias clenched his fists.

"This is what we always become."

THE DECISION...

Elias's breathing quickened.

In the void, his past selves materialized—spectral echoes of every Arcane King who had come before him.

And every one of them had failed.

The golden throne loomed in the distance, its light pulsing like a heartbeat, waiting for him to take his place.

But Elias shook his head.

"No."

The echoes stilled

"I won't let this happen again," Elias said, his voice steady.

The throne responded, its glow intensifying.

His past selves whispered, their voices sharp and taunting.

"Then break the cycle."

Elias took a deep breath, his resolve solidifying.

He would.

RETURNING TO REALITY...

The golden storm surrounding Elias began to crack.

Seraphina watched, her pulse racing as the energy around him faltered and faded.

Then—

Elias gasped.

His glowing eyes snapped shut, and his body went limp.

Seraphina darted forward, catching him before he hit the ground. His skin burned hot against her hands, but his breathing was normal.

She cradled him, her voice trembling. "You're back."

Elias opened his eyes—soft brown again, no longer golden—and gave her a faint smile.

"Yeah," he murmured, his voice hoarse but calm.

For the first time, he truly was.

VARIAN'S FREEDOM..

Varian let out a slow breath.

The golden chains binding him shattered into sparks, and the sigils etched across the chamber walls dimmed.

The First King turned to him, his burning gaze unreadable.

"It seems he passed your test after all," he said.

Varian rolled his shoulders, rubbing his wrists where the chains had been. "I suppose he did."

Seraphina frowned. "Test?"

Varian met Elias's weary gaze. "Did you really think I locked myself away just to hide?"

Elias narrowed his eyes. "Then what was the point of all this?"

Varian smirked, though there was no humor in it.

"To ensure you were strong enough to survive what's coming next."

Elias exhaled, his body still weak. "And what exactly is coming next?"

The smirk vanished from Varian's face.

"The true enemy.

THE NEXT THREAT...

The First King stepped forward, his presence commanding, his voice low and foreboding.

"The Watchers were only one piece of the puzzle."

Elias's jaw tightened. "Then who is the real threat?"

The First King's expression darkened.

"The ones who came before us."

Seraphina's brow furrowed. "I thought you were the first."

The First King's lips curved into a bitter smile. "So did I."

He turned toward the chamber's entrance, where shadows twisted unnaturally.

And far in the distance, something stirred.

A power older than the Watchers. Older than the Arcane Kings.

It was waking up.

And it was coming for them.