Sapphire Dome's Secret Oath

The scent of wet stone and ancient incense thickened the air as Ren stepped into the hidden chamber beneath the Seiran Range. A soft blue glow hummed through the crystalline walls — not natural light, but a living resonance of the power sealed within.

At the center of the dome stood a solitary figure — a warrior cloaked in midnight sapphire armor, silver runes dancing across his pauldrons like liquid moonlight. His face was concealed behind a dragon-etched helm, and beside him sat a chained woman, regal and still. Her gaze met Ren's with quiet defiance.

Her presence stole his breath.

Unlike the others, this woman radiated solemn restraint — not the trembling fear of a captive, but the rigid grace of someone bound by a vow. Her sapphire silk robes hinted at royalty, her wrists laced with sacred prayer beads that pulsed faintly with divine qi. A faint crest glimmered on her shoulder: the mark of the Skybound Covenant — an oath-bound sect of priestesses who offered their powers only through sacred rites.

And her captor? He was no villain parading as a hero. This one was darker. Smarter.

Ren stepped forward, Chaos energy coiling beneath his skin. "I came for her."

The sapphire-armored figure didn't move. "Then bleed for her. Like the others. But you'll find no cheap power here."

"Then let's not waste words," Ren replied coldly.

The dome reacted instantly. The chamber trembled as hundreds of sapphire blades erupted from the walls, each pulsing with bound spiritual energy. Ren blinked — the man hadn't moved a finger. This dome… it obeyed him.

Ren dodged instinctively, but the blades twisted mid-air, curving toward him like homing serpents. He snarled and activated [Phantom Step], warping sideways and launching a bolt of Voidfire. It shattered three blades — but ten replaced them.

His enemy finally raised a hand.

Ren felt it — a suppression field, ancient and heavy, as if judgment itself was descending. He dropped to one knee, bones creaking. The woman behind the armored figure looked up — and for the first time, her eyes softened.

"You're resisting the Covenant's Law Seal… that's impossible," she whispered.

Ren bared his teeth. "I've broken gods for less."

The enemy surged forward, appearing behind Ren with inhuman speed. A crushing blow slammed into his back — Ren gasped, tumbling across the marble with a trail of blood. The figure appeared before him again, his blade at Ren's throat.

"You don't belong in this war."

"Neither do you," Ren growled — and unleashed [Temporal Fracture].

The dome shimmered. Time bent.

He vanished — reappearing behind the armored warrior — and struck with [Aether Fang]. The blade cracked his enemy's armor, and a drop of dark crimson splashed onto the crystal floor.

The helm shattered.

Ren froze.

The enemy wasn't a man. It was a woman — older than the priestess, with eyes like a dying comet, silver streaks in her midnight hair.

"Who—"

"She's my guardian," the priestess said. "My sister. My vow-binder."

Ren narrowed his gaze. "You're not captives. You're protectors."

The older woman's breath trembled. "She can't give you her power, Emperor. It would break the Oath. You must earn it — not just by battle. But by sharing her burden."

Ren sheathed his weapon slowly. "Tell me what binds you."

The younger woman stepped forward now. Her voice was softer, full of old loss. "My name is Lysaria. Princess of the Skybound Temple. I sealed myself in the Dome so no unworthy man could claim me for lust or conquest."

Ren blinked. "Then why do you remain chained?"

She raised her wrists. "Because part of me still believes no man can protect me from what's coming. Not truly."

Ren took a slow step forward. "Then let me show you I'm not here to take. I'm here to fight with you."

The dome began to pulse — sensing her conflict.

Lysaria walked to him. The chains clinked softly, her scent floral yet ancient. "You can only free me if you vow with your body — not just in hunger, but with trust. Can your heart bear a woman who won't beg? Who fights beside you, not beneath you?"

He met her eyes. "Yes."

She lifted her wrists. "Then break them."

With a burst of Chaos-infused Qi, Ren shattered the oath-chains. Blue light erupted from the ground — the Dome's ceiling fractured. The sacred bond was accepted.

And then came silence.

Her fingers touched his jaw, and her lips pressed to his. It was no desperate kiss. It was solemn — as if centuries of silence had just been broken by truth.

Clothes fell away like petals.

Her body, soft and sacred, pressed into his with cautious hunger. She guided him — not with submission, but grace. Her hips rose in rhythm to his breath, eyes open the whole time, never looking away. She didn't moan — she exhaled, each breath a prayer, each motion a confirmation of something deeper.

This wasn't conquest. It was a rite.

A slow, searing intimacy that blended spirit and skin — until blue flames wrapped around them, and her Covenant Mark burned into Ren's chest.

He gasped.

[Power Acquired: Oathfire Sanctuary — Grants invincible shielding for 7 seconds after protecting an ally from fatal damage.]

She collapsed into his arms after, her breath warm on his neck.

"I… chose this," she whispered. "I chose you."