Chapter 14: The Throne of Ashes

POV: Priam Lockhart

The capital's gates loomed like the jaws of a beast, iron teeth dripping with frost and blood. Cedric's banner—a serpent devouring its tail—snapped in the bitter wind. Seraphine's forces gathered in silence, their breath misting in the predawn dark. Liana stood beside me, the Voidrender Dagger strapped to her thigh, its blade humming with volatile energy.

"Remember," I said, tightening my gloves. "Stick to the plan. The dagger's a one-shot gamble."

She nodded, her eyes reflecting the torches' flicker. "What if it's not enough?"

"Then we die spectacularly."

Seraphine's voice cut through the tension. "Lockhart. Frontlines. Now."

I joined her at the vanguard, where Lucien was already smirking, his shadowy mercenaries blending into the gloom.

"Nervous?" he asked, twirling a voidsteel dagger.

"Optimistic," I lied.

A horn blared. The gates creaked open—not to Cedric's army, but to an abyss.

The Siege Begins

The streets of the capital were eerily empty. Cobblestones glistened with black ichor, and the air reeked of rot. Cedric's forces had melted away, leaving only whispers.

"Ambush," Roland muttered, his sword drawn.

"Worse," Lucien said, kneeling to touch the ichor. "He's already begun the ritual."

A tremor shook the earth. The sky split, vomiting tendrils of void energy that coiled around the palace spires. From the chaos emerged Cedric—or what was left of him. His golden armor had fused with his flesh, his limbs elongated into grotesque claws, his eyes hollow pits of swirling darkness.

Cedric, First Son of the Abyssal Crown:

Status: Transformed into a Void Avatar.

Weakness: Unknown.

"Pathetic," Seraphine spat, hurling a bolt of dark magic. It dissipated against Cedric's chest.

He laughed, the sound echoing from a thousand throats. "You think magic can kill a god?"

Liana stepped forward, her resonance flaring. "I'm not here to kill a god. I'm here to bury a man."

The Voidrender Gambit

Cedric struck first, his claws shredding stone. We scattered, Lucien's mercenaries harrying his flanks while Seraphine and I lunged for openings. Roland led the Valois guard in a futile barrage of arrows.

"The dagger, Liana!" I shouted, parrying a claw with my sword. The impact shattered the blade, sending me skidding back.

She darted in, light swirling around the Voidrender. Cedric swatted her aside like a fly. She crashed into a pillar, the dagger clattering from her grip.

Liana's Health: 40%

"Pathetic child," Cedric growled, looming over her. "Your blood is mine."

I tackled him, driving a broken sword hilt into his eye. He roared, backhanding me into a wall.

Priam's Health: 30%

"Get up, Lockhart!" Seraphine's voice was raw. She grappled Cedric with tendrils of dark magic, her nose bleeding. "Now!"

Liana crawled toward the dagger. Cedric's claw descended—

Lucien intercepted, his voidsteel blade shattering against Cedric's hide. "Move!"

Liana grabbed the dagger and plunged it into Cedric's chest.

The Abyssal Sovereign

The world froze. Cedric's form unraveled, the void energy coalescing into a towering figure—a skeletal titan cloaked in stars, its voice a chorus of screams.

Abyssal Sovereign:

Status: Awakened.

Weakness: ???

"Foolish insects," it boomed. "You cannot kill eternity."

Liana's resonance surged, the dagger's voidsteel reacting. "No. But I can seal it."

She drove the dagger deeper, her light merging with the void. The Sovereign screamed, its form collapsing inward.

"Liana, stop!" I lunged, but the vortex consumed her.

Sacrifice:

Liana Hart: Status Unknown.

Abyssal Sovereign: Banished.

Aftermath

The palace was a crater. Survivors staggered through the rubble, their cheers hollow. Seraphine stood amidst the ruins, her fists clenched.

"Find her," she ordered.

Lucien knelt beside the dagger—now a twisted shard. "She's gone, darling. The void takes what it's owed."

I grabbed his collar. "You knew this would happen."

He smiled, blood on his teeth. "I knew you'd survive. The game isn't over yet."

End of Chapter 14