The fire around me rises like a tidal wave—
silver and gold crashing in slow, thunderous motion.
I can't feel my hands.
I can't feel my legs.
I can't feel the world.
Only the heat.
Only the power.
Only Aiden.
His presence stays steady inside the bond
even as the void roars and twists around us.
"…I'm here."
His voice burns through the chaos.
"…I'm watching you. Don't be afraid."
I breathe shakily.
"I'm not afraid."
Aiden snorts.
"…Liar."
A trembling laugh escapes me—
and at that exact moment,
the fire surges again.
My body arches back,
wings shattering into a million sparks
as something new unfurls beneath my skin.
Something ancient.
Something promised.
Something powerful enough to carry two souls.
My final form.
The Primordial watches from a distance,
its massive, cracked form struggling to stay stable
as our transformation shakes its realm.
"THE ASCENDANT'S EVOLUTION APPROACHES COMPLETION—
BUT IF THE WOLF INTERFERES, THE FORM WILL COLLAPSE!"
Aiden growls,
his starlight fur lifting in a storm of silver.
"Say 'interfere' one more time
and I'll drag you across this void."
The Primordial recoils,
clearly remembering how much more dangerous Aiden has become.
The merged entity steps between them,
wings spreading like dawn.
"Let her finish.
Her becoming will define the new realignment of the realms."
Aiden huffs.
"I don't care about realms.
I care about HER."
A wave of searing heat blasts outward from my body,
shattering the ground.
Aiden flinches—
but he does NOT move away.
He stands there,
in the fire,
in the chaos,
eyes burning with one instinct:
Protect.
Even if it kills him.
"Aiden—"
my voice is barely a breath,
barely sound.
He answers instantly.
"Still here."
"You shouldn't be so close—"
"You're literally on fire,"
he growls,
"and I'm not leaving."
"No—
they said—
you can't interfere—"
"I'm not interfering.
I'm WATCHING."
His voice drops to a soft, brutal note:
"And I'm staying."
The flames leap higher,
curling around me like living serpents.
My skin blisters,
heals,
then burns again.
This is not pain.
This is reconstruction.
I'm being remade.
Reforged.
Renamed by the universe.
Aiden whispers through the bond:
"…Liyana… breathe with me…"
I inhale shakily.
The flames pulse.
He inhales too.
Our shared heart aligns—
THRUM.
The fire inside me answers.
THE ASCENDANT'S NEW BODY FORMS
The flames twist around my arms,
sculpting new lines of power along my bones.
My wings reform—
not six now.
Eight.
Four pairs of wings erupt from my back,
each different:
One pair of silver feathers—pure wolflight.
One pair of gold fire—Ascendant strength.
One pair of midnight shadow—his darkness.
One pair of white-gold blaze—my magic.
Aiden goes still.
"Liyana…"
His voice cracks.
"You're—
you're changing."
"Do I look—
wrong?"
He huffs, voice thick.
"No.
You look like prophecy."
The ground shakes beneath me as my feet touch the void again—
but they are no longer feet,
they are luminous claws shaped of flame and star-metal.
My hands reform next.
Fingers sharpen.
Glowing sigils burn across my skin.
My hair falls like molten moonfire,
curling in waves that float on invisible wind.
I breathe out—
and silver-gold fog spills from my lips.
Aiden's eyes widen.
He steps closer despite the Primordial's panic.
"Don't—!"
the ancient being cries.
"IF THE WOLF TOUCHES HER NOW—
THE PROCESS WILL—"
Aiden snaps his jaws.
"Quiet."
He takes one more step—
close enough that our flames touch.
I gasp.
His fire hits mine—
and instead of destroying each other…
They merge.
Aiden exhales slowly.
"It's you," he whispers.
"It's really you."
THE UNIVERSE REACTS
The void shakes again.
Cracks split across its red-gold sky.
My form stabilizes—
but my power does not.
It rises too fast.
Too violently.
Threatening to burst through the boundaries of the realm.
The Primordial panics.
"SHE CANNOT HOLD THIS FORM—
SHE WILL UNMAKE THIS REALM—
AND THE NEXT—
AND THE—"
The merged entity lifts a soothing hand.
"Patience."
But even it looks worried.
The fire in my chest grows hotter.
My wings blaze brighter.
The air bends around me.
"Aiden…"
I whisper, panicked.
"I think I'm going to break—"
His voice slams into me with force.
"NO.
We didn't come this far for you to fall apart."
He steps closer—
touching my flame with his starlight fur.
The moment our essences touch,
the power in me slows.
Calms.
Not because he suppresses it.
Because he shares it.
The merged entity watches, stunned.
"He is absorbing part of her excess."
The Primordial gasps.
"THE WOLF ASCENDANT IS BALANCING HER!!"
Aiden grins wolfishly.
"Told you I wasn't interfering."
I choke on a laugh.
His presence grounds me.
Steadies me.
Completes me.
"Aiden," I whisper,
"if you take too much—
you'll overload—"
"Moonlight," he murmurs,
"I was born to take your fire."
My breath trembles.
"Why do you always know exactly what to say?"
"Because I know you."
He nudges my hand with his huge starlight head.
"And you know me."
My flames settle into a stable glow.
My wings stop trembling.
My new form holds.
I am—
finally—
complete.
WHAT WE HAVE BECOME
Aiden circles me slowly,
his massive form leaving trails of silver in the air.
"You're—
you're beautiful," he says softly.
I blush—
and my flames pulse brighter.
The merged entity bows.
"Wolf Ascendant…
your becoming is complete."
The Primordial lowers its many heads.
"Two bodies.
One soul.
One heart."
Aiden huffs proudly.
"That's what we decided."
I look down at my hands—
my glowing claws—
my four pairs of wings.
I feel my new heartbeat—
deep, resonant, powerful.
This is me.
This is us.
Aiden steps beside me,
head high,
fur glowing like living moonlight.
He presses a paw against my hand.
"…Ready?" he asks through the bond.
"For what?" I whisper.
His golden eyes gleam.
"To break the rules of the realms together."
My smile mirrors his.
"Always."
The void calms—
not because it wants to,
but because it recognizes us.
And the chapter ends with:
Liyana's new Ascendant body fully formed,
Aiden standing beside her in starlight form—
as the merged entity announces the next trial
awaiting the Wolf Ascendant.