Chapter 7: Crimson Pact
> "Power shared is power multiplied.
But trust?
Trust is the sharpest blade of all."
---
Location: Above Itharos – Throne-Scarred Sky
The heavens bled.
From the cracked sky above the Vault, divine warships poured through—massive, burning constructs shaped like dead gods given wings. Each one bore the mark of the Pale Emperor, pulsing with null-light.
Rael stood atop the now-evolved Crimson Throne, the magic-infused platform fused with ancient tech and living memory. Lyra floated beside him, glowing with shared power—their souls briefly connected.
> "They know the throne chose us," she said.
"And they'll burn the galaxy to take it back."
Rael's grin was sharp, cruel, and earned.
> "Then we make them choke on ashes."
---
The Pact Ignites
Together, Rael and Lyra enacted the Crimson Pact—a blood-woven oath that bound their magic, minds, and will.
Their aura lit the sky.
Rael wielded Crimson Reality, a blade that could cut through fate itself.
Lyra summoned The Eclipse Crown, allowing her to command the dead gods' forgotten soldiers.
Their bond didn't just amplify their power.
It rewrote the rules of what mortals could be.
> "No kings," Rael whispered.
"No gods. Just monsters… who chose each other."
---
The First Invasion
The Pale Emperor's vanguard struck first.
Ten Oblivion Saints—once mortals, now reprogrammed into divine death engines.
They descended like black comets.
Rael met them head-on.
Lightning screamed from his hand. His coat tore apart midair, revealing the full array of living runes etched into his flesh. Each rune was a sin. Each sin, a weapon.
He cut the first Saint in half with a gesture.
> "Tell your god I'm done kneeling."
Lyra landed behind him, her plasma blade singing. She danced between enemies, light and shadow twisting like breath.
Their synergy wasn't strategy. It was instinct.
And the Saints fell.
One by one.
---
The Awakening of the Pale Emperor
In the heart of the dying star Zeroth Prime, something stirred.
Something ancient.
A voice like cracking planets whispered:
> "He has taken what is mine.
He forges thrones from corpses.
He must be... undone."
The Pale Emperor's eyes opened—a void that saw across realities.
> "Send the God-Twin Executioners.
And tell Talon... it's time."
---
Talon's Final Play
On a shadow station orbiting the Bleeding Nebula, Talon watched the war unfold.
He wasn't laughing anymore.
> "They ascended faster than I expected," he muttered.
"Still... not fast enough."
The raven drone buzzed. "What did you do, Talon?"
Talon turned. A tall figure stepped from the shadows—his face covered in layered masks of fallen timelines.
> "I brought back someone who hates Rael even more than I do."
The figure removed its mask.
It was Rael's brother.
The one Rael thought he'd killed.
> "Time's funny," the brother said. "You left me to die in the paradox. But the Emperor saved me.
Now I'm his weapon."
Talon handed him a blade made of broken fate.
> "Time to end the Crimson Pact."
---
Final Scene — The War Begins
Rael and Lyra hovered above the battlefield, bodies glowing, hearts synchronized. The gods were coming. The Emperor had awakened. His brother had returned.
But Rael wasn't afraid.
He turned to Lyra.
> "Ready to kill a god?"
Lyra smiled.
> "Let's make them wish they stayed dead."
The sky cracked again.
And the true war began.
---
End of Chapter 7