CHAPTER 24 The Fall of The Light

The Fall of the Light

 The Last Stand

The air inside the ruined temple was heavy with raw magic. Energy crackled around Lyra's fingertips as she faced her mother—or whatever Evelyne had become. The once-regal queen now radiated with celestial darkness, her silver eyes burning like dying stars.

Eryx was still struggling to stand beside her, his usually sharp features etched with exhaustion. His celestial blade, dimmed by the cost of his sacrifice, trembled in his grasp.

Lyra clenched her fists. She wasn't a god. She wasn't some prophesied celestial queen.

But she was a warrior.

And she would not let Evelyne win.

The golden sigil in the temple pulsed behind them, fractured but still radiating power. Lyra could feel it—watching, waiting for a victor to claim it.

Evelyne smirked. "Still resisting?" Her voice was smooth, almost amused. "You had a chance to rise, Lyra. Instead, you chose to remain weak."

Lyra's heart pounded. "Power without humanity is nothing but destruction."

Evelyne sighed as if disappointed. "Then you will be destroyed with it."

She raised her hand—and the shadows lunged.

Lyra braced herself, but before they could reach her, a sudden burst of silver light slashed through the darkness, splitting it apart.

Eryx, despite his weakened state, had pushed himself up, his celestial blade flickering to life.

He staggered but held his ground. "I won't let you take her."

Evelyne's eyes narrowed. "You should not even be alive, exile."

Eryx gave a breathless laugh. "Yeah, well, I've been told I'm hard to kill."

The chamber shook as the final battle began.

A Kingdom at War

Far above them, the war had already reached its peak.

The sky over Eldoris was split between night and day—half of it burning gold, half of it devoured by abyssal darkness. The battle between light and shadow raged across the city.

Alden, his royal armor glowing with enchantments, cut through waves of shadow-born creatures, leading the remaining royal soldiers through the broken streets.

Kael, standing atop the castle walls, cast arcane storms, his magic twisting through the air like a raging tempest. Fire, ice, lightning—he used every ounce of his power to keep the abyss at bay.

Beyond the walls, the Celestial Rift had fully opened. The forgotten gods of old, locked away for centuries, were stirring. And some of them were watching.

Waiting.

If Lyra failed below, this war would consume all of existence.

 The Breaking Point

In the temple, the battle between mother and daughter was nothing short of legendary.

Lyra dodged Evelyne's attacks, every strike from the former queen shattering the stone beneath them. This was no longer a battle of magic—it was a battle of endurance.

And Lyra was losing.

Eryx fought beside her, but he was barely holding on. Evelyne was stronger, faster, fueled by the power of a thousand fallen celestial beings.

Then—

Eryx slipped.

Evelyne's eyes flashed with triumph.

A spike of shadow shot through the air, aimed straight at his heart.

Lyra's world froze.

"NO!"

She lunged, magic bursting from her in a desperate act—

And the chamber exploded in light.

A golden surge of energy ripped through the temple, swallowing everything in its path.

For a moment, there was nothing but blinding gold and silver, swirling and crashing like a dying star.

Then—silence.

When the dust settled, Lyra was on her knees, panting.

The celestial sigil—the same one Evelyne had once tried to claim—was now embedded in her chest.

The energy that had once belonged to the throne—the power she had refused—had chosen her anyway.

But instead of consuming her—

It had changed her.

Evelyne stood frozen; her face contorted in shock.

The shadows around her began to crack.

"No…" she whispered.

Lyra rose to her feet, a new light burning in her veins.

She wasn't celestial.

She wasn't mortal.

She was something else.

Something that could end this war.

And for the first time—Evelyne looked afraid.

 The Judgment of a Queen

The chamber was eerily silent.

Eryx, alive but barely standing, stared at Lyra with awe. "What are you?"

Lyra's golden aura flickered, stabilizing. The power felt right, neither overwhelming nor painful. It felt like hers.

She took a step forward. "It's over, Mother."

Evelyne snarled. "No. I will not kneel to you."

She lunged—one final, desperate attack.

Lyra didn't flinch.

She simply raised her hand—

And the shadows vanished.

Evelyne let out a choked gasp, her body trembling as the power drained from her.

Lyra watched as her mother collapsed to her knees, the celestial energy that had kept her alive dispersing into nothingness.

For a moment, Lyra saw her as she once was—not a queen, not a celestial being—just a woman who had lost herself to power.

Evelyne lifted her gaze, something almost human flickering in her fading eyes. "You… you were always meant to be more."

Then, with a final exhale, the last remnants of her magic dissipated, and Evelyne—once Queen of Eldoris, once Celestial Ascendant—was no more.

The shadows vanished from the land.

The war was over.

And Lyra was the last one standing.

 A Kingdom Without a Queen

The battle was won, but the cost was unimaginable.

Alden and Kael had fought to their limits. The city lay in ruins. The celestial rift above Eldoris had sealed itself, but the damage had been done.

Lyra emerged from the temple; her new form hidden beneath her cloak. The people, the warriors, the survivors—they all turned to her.

They had lost a queen.

But they had gained something else.

A legend.

"Long live the celestial heir," someone whispered.

And the chant spread.

But Lyra barely heard it. She looked down at her hands, the golden sigil still glowing faintly in her skin.

She had won.

But at what cost?

Eryx placed a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't the end, is it?"

She looked toward the horizon, where the stars still shimmered—watching, waiting.

"No," she said softly. "This is just the beginning."