CHAPTER NINE :Duel Of The Twin Flames
Elianah
She ran toward the circle — but the air itself denied her.
A force, old and unseen, held her back.
She slammed against it, fists burning, voice raw.
> "KAEL!"
He turned… but it wasn't her Kael anymore.
His eyes flickered between gold and black — light and shadow wrestling for dominance.
Inside the circle stood two Kaels — identical in face, but not in soul.
The Kael she loved stood breathless, heart torn open by the weight of past sins.
The other Kael — the Shadow Kael — smiled with cruel grace.
> "You abandoned me," the shadow hissed.
"For her. For light. For weakness."
Kael squared his shoulders. "I chose healing. I chose truth."
The circle responded.
A ring of white flame formed around him.
But black fire rose around the shadow.
And then — they clashed.
Kael vs. Shadow Kael
The duel wasn't of swords or fists, but of soul.
Every strike released memories:
A cradle under starlight.
A kiss beneath the burning citadel.
A betrayal at twilight.
A vow carved into bone.
The circle became a battlefield of lives long gone.
Elianah dropped to her knees, screaming as her chest seared — the bond between them bleeding.
Thorne appeared behind her, gripping her shoulder. "They're not just fighting each other. They're fighting for you."
She turned to him, eyes glowing. "Then I should fight too."
Her voice summoned the Throne of Flame.
It rose behind her, wreathed in fire and stardust.
Elianah stepped onto it.
And in that moment — she became Alarienne, fully awakened.
The throne sang.
Kael's eyes cleared.
But the Shadow Kael roared, summoning the last shard of his power — a blade forged from every pain Kael ever denied.
He struck.
Kael raised no defense.
The blade stopped — inches from his heart.
Elianah stood between them.
Her hand on the shadow's wrist.
"I forgive you, too," she whispered.
The shadow trembled.
And vanished — not defeated, but healed.
Kael collapsed into her arms.
"I'm sorry," he breathed.
She held him. "You came back."
He looked up, tears streaking ash across his face. "I never left."