Chapter 35: The Chains That Bind Us

1. Echoes of the Abyss

The battlefield still smoldered.

The scent of ash and blood hung in the air, and the last echoes of battle faded into silence. Veydris's body lay motionless, his abyssal flames flickering before finally vanishing into the void.

The Ashen King stood over him, his sword dripping with black ichor.

It was over.

Or at least—it should have been.

But the moment he turned, his chest seized.

A shockwave of dark energy rippled from Veydris's corpse, tendrils of abyssal mist wrapping around his limbs. He staggered, teeth gritted as the familiar pull of the Abyss dragged at his soul.

No.

Not again.

The sigil was broken. The Abyss shouldn't have a hold on him anymore.

But it did.

And this time—it was stronger.

His body tensed as whispers flooded his mind.

"You think you've won?"

"You are ours, Ashen King."

"You always have been."

The darkness coiled tighter, surging toward his heart.

And for the first time, he couldn't fight back.

---

2. A Desperate Gamble

Eryndra saw him fall to his knees.

Her breath hitched. The battlefield was quiet—too quiet. But the darkness around him was shifting, warping, alive.

No, no, no—

She ran to him.

"Stay with me," she pleaded, grabbing his shoulders. His skin was ice-cold, his breath shallow. The veins on his neck were turning black.

The Abyss was still inside him.

Her heart pounded.

"I broke the sigil! I freed him—didn't I?"

Veydris's death had unleashed something worse. Something deeper.

Something that had been waiting for this moment.

Panic surged in her chest. If she didn't act now—she would lose him.

Her hands trembled. There had to be a way.

And then—a memory surfaced.

A forgotten legend.

"When the Abyss takes hold of a soul, only a bond stronger than the void can break it."

A bond stronger than the Abyss.

Her pulse thundered.

There was only one kind of bond stronger than the Abyss.

A soul-bound connection.

Her stomach twisted. It was forbidden magic, dangerous—permanent.

But she didn't hesitate.

Because losing him?

That wasn't an option.

---

3. The Forbidden Ritual

Eryndra's magic flared to life.

Golden runes spiraled around them, pushing against the creeping shadows. She pressed her forehead against his, whispering an incantation she'd never spoken aloud before.

"By blood and soul, I forge a bond unbreakable."

"By will and sacrifice, I tether our fates."

Light pulsed from her chest, sinking into his. A searing pain shot through her—but she held on, pushing deeper into his essence.

She saw glimpses of his past.

His pain. His battles. His loneliness.

But then—she saw something else.

Herself.

She gasped.

Because in his memories—she had always been there.

The moment she had first saved him.

The way he had looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.

The unspoken things between them—buried but never forgotten.

Her heart ached.

And then—the bond sealed.

A violent shockwave erupted from their bodies, shattering the abyssal chains.

The darkness screamed—

And then, for the first time in centuries—it let go.

---

4. Awakening

The Ashen King's eyes snapped open.

And this time—they weren't filled with abyssal corruption.

They were his.

Pure. Unchained.

He gasped, body trembling as he sucked in his first free breath. The crushing weight that had always been there—gone.

He turned his head.

Eryndra was still holding onto him, her forehead pressed against his. Her breathing was uneven, her magic still fading.

But she was there.

And when she finally looked at him, her silver eyes shining with exhaustion—something inside him broke.

Because she had saved him.

And she had almost died doing it.

A storm of emotions raged inside him.

He had fought so many battles. He had seen countless warriors fall, watched empires crumble, stood alone for so long.

But now—he wasn't alone.

He never had been.

His hand trembled as he reached up—cupping her cheek.

And when she didn't pull away—he made a choice.

He closed the distance.

And kissed her.

---

5. Aftermath

The world held its breath.

For the first time, the battlefield was truly silent.

When they pulled away, Eryndra's eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed. But she didn't move. Didn't push him away.

Didn't look at him like he had made a mistake.

Instead, she whispered, "You're back."

And for the first time in centuries, he let out a genuine laugh.

A deep, quiet thing that had been buried for too long.

"Yeah," he murmured, thumb brushing against her jawline. "I am."

But before either of them could say anything else—

A deep, shuddering laugh echoed across the ruins.

They both turned.

And froze.

Because Veydris's body—was gone.

Only a massive, jagged portal remained in its place.

And from within the swirling abyss—something else was stepping through.

Something far worse.

The real war—had just begun.