The Emperor's proclamation still echoed in the sky when the War Ring erupted into chaos.
Guild banners ignited with crimson flames.
Horn blasts shook the towers.
Arena gates slammed shut one after another, sealing fighters inside.
Lucian felt the Sovereign Mark burn across his chest—
not physically, but as a pressure that pulled every gaze toward him.
Kaelis watched the sky's projection fade.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
"Lucian."
He nodded.
"Yeah."
"They're coming."
Lucian exhaled.
"It was going to happen eventually."
Kaelis stepped closer, eyes narrowing.
"Eventually wasn't supposed to be ten seconds after the Emperor said your name."
Lucian forced a tired smile.
"You want me to complain to management?"
Kaelis smacked his arm.
"This is serious."
Lucian looked at her.
"I know.
That's why I'm glad you're here."
Her expression faltered.
"You're—"
But before she could answer—
A booming metallic crash echoed from the southern barricade.
Kaelis snapped her head toward the sound.
"War Guild patrols. Large ones."
Lucian's pulse sharpened.
"How many?"
Kaelis listened.
"…Three squads. No—four. They're splitting up to surround us."
Lucian clenched his fists.
"So they're coming immediately."
Kaelis's eyes remained unreadable.
"They're not coming to challenge you.
They're coming to _take_ you."
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"Then let them try."
But Kaelis stepped in front of him.
"You can't engage all four squads alone."
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn't planning to fight alone."
Kaelis blinked—
Then scowled.
"…don't say things like that suddenly."
Lucian laughed under his breath.
But the moment ended as twelve armored figures burst from the nearest street, halberds leveled.
Their leader barked:
"UNBOUND HEART—BY ORDER OF THE EMPEROR, YOU WILL COME WITH US!"
Kaelis's voice chilled.
"Try and see what happens."
The squad leader slammed his halberd into the ground.
Ash metal glowed red.
"SEIZE THEM!"
Kaelis whispered:
"Lucian.
Left flank.
I'll break the formation."
Lucian nodded—
Hybrid flame igniting around his fists—
When a second tremor shook the arena.
Lucian and Kaelis both froze.
Kaelis whispered:
"…that wasn't them."
Another tremor.
Stronger.
A third—
And the obsidian beneath their feet cracked.
Lucian's Core pulsed violently—
His vision flashed—
An ancient system message crawled across his mind:
### **ASCENDANT ALERT**
**Prerequisites Met:**
— Heart-Anchor Synchronicity above threshold
— Sovereign Mark acquired
— Emperor's Domain entry confirmed
**TRIAL OF COMMAND: INITIATING**
**You cannot flee.**
**You cannot refuse.**
**Survive.**
Lucian's breath punched out of his lungs.
Kaelis grabbed his arm.
"Lucian. What did it say?"
He swallowed.
"It's forcing a trial.
Here."
Kaelis blinked.
"…right now?"
The obsidian floor **collapsed**.
Shouts rang out as War Guild soldiers fell backward, scrambling to regain footing.
The ground beneath Lucian and Kaelis reformed—
reshaping itself into a circular arena platform.
A perfect battlefield.
Lucian whispered:
"Trial of Command…"
Kaelis drew her blade.
"What's the objective?"
Lucian stared at the glowing symbols forming around the platform's edge.
Letters carved in fire:
**RULE: TAKE COMMAND OF THE ARENA
BEFORE THE WAR GUILDS DO
OR BE EXECUTED BY SYSTEM DECREE**
Kaelis's voice went razor-sharp.
"They want you to claim territory."
Lucian nodded slowly.
"And if I don't?"
Kaelis looked him in the eye.
"You die."
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"Then we don't lose."
Kaelis smirked.
"That's the spirit."
The Trial Platform stabilized—
Emerald pillars ignited around them—
each representing one potential claim point.
Kaelis scanned the positions.
"Six pillars. Six War Guild squads approaching. They'll try to overwhelm us and steal the capture points."
Lucian nodded.
"And the system will choose me as the primary target."
Kaelis smirked.
"You'd better believe it."
The War Guild patrols regrouped quickly despite the tremors.
The squad leader pointed at Lucian.
"HE'S CLAIMING THE TRIAL ARENA! STOP HIM!"
Kaelis lifted her blade.
"Lucian. First pillar—front left."
He sprinted.
Hybrid light burst beneath his feet.
Kaelis moved in perfect sync, parrying halberd strikes and redirecting attackers off the platform edge.
Lucian reached the first pillar—
pressing his palm against the glowing resonance plate—
A surge of energy shot through him.
**CAPTURE POINT 1 SECURED**
**TRIAL STABILITY: +12%**
Lucian gasped.
Kaelis shouted:
"Behind you!"
Lucian ducked—
A halberd beam grazed over his head.
Kaelis intercepted the attacker with a brutal upward slash.
Lucian leapt to the next pillar.
The Marshal appeared at the arena's edge, watching intensely—not interfering.
Kaelis noticed.
"Marshal! Are you just going to stand there?"
He crossed his arms.
"This is an Ascendant Trial. I cannot influence it."
Kaelis snarled.
"Then watch quietly."
Lucian slammed his palm into the second pillar.
**CAPTURE POINT 2 SECURED**
**TRIAL STABILITY: +21%**
A War Guild soldier roared and charged him from the right.
Kaelis pivoted—
her new **Shared Rhythm** activating—
She didn't need Lucian's command or a cue.
She intercepted the soldier before he reached Lucian, driving her knee into his chest and knocking him off the platform.
Lucian moved to the third pillar—
A beam shot toward him—
Kaelis dove, deflecting it with her blade's flat, sparks bursting.
But the War Guild patrols weren't slowing down.
Three more squads closed in.
The Trial Platform shook again.
Lucian reached the third pillar—
Placed his hand—
**CAPTURE POINT 3 SECURED**
**TRIAL STABILITY: +33%**
Kaelis landed beside him.
"Three down."
Lucian nodded.
"Three to go."
But before they could move—
Another hostile voice boomed across the arena.
A new squad entered.
Different armor.
Different banners.
Kaelis stiffened.
"Lucian… that crest…"
Lucian followed her gaze.
Black and crimson armor.
Warped halberds.
Eyes glowing blue.
Kaelis whispered:
"That's the **Emperor's War Guard.**
They don't capture."
Her voice chilled.
"They **kill.**"
Lucian's heartbeat sharpened.
Kaelis stepped in front of him, blade ready.
"We're staying alive. That's the rule."
Lucian's Core burned bright.
"Then let's make sure we do."
The War Guard charged—
And the Trial intensified.
The black-crimson armored warriors marched in a perfect wedge formation—
silent, disciplined, terrifying.
Not one shouted.
Not one breathed loudly.
Not one hesitated.
Kaelis's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Lucian… these are not regular Guild soldiers.
They're trained in absolute obedience."
Lucian's flame tensed along his arms.
"Meaning?"
Kaelis's jaw tightened.
"They won't fear you.
They won't break formation.
And they'll gladly die if it means taking you down."
Lucian exhaled.
"Fantastic."
Kaelis gave him a look.
"This is not the time for jokes—"
"I'm coping."
She groaned.
"Stop coping and start fighting."
The War Guard's captain stepped forward.
Armor etched with Sovereign glyphs.
Eyes glowing a brutal blue.
Voice distorted by layered resonance filters.
"UNBOUND HEART.
THE EMPEROR DEMANDS YOUR PRESENCE."
Lucian swallowed.
"Yeah? He could have sent an invitation."
The captain raised his halberd.
"This _is_ the invitation."
Kaelis stepped in front of Lucian instantly.
"I'll handle the first wave."
Lucian grabbed her arm.
"No. We do this together."
Kaelis smirked slightly.
"Then don't fall behind."
The War Guard surged.
Kaelis was a blur.
Her Anchor blade flashed white as she dove into the War Guard wedge, cutting aside the first halberd strike, spinning under the second, and slamming her elbow into a third warrior's chestplate.
Lucian followed, hybrid flame igniting around his fists.
The War Guard formation reacted instantly—
Four halberds stabbed for his chest.
Lucian triggered Heartflare Pulse II—
A burst of white-gold energy tore outward—
The halberds staggered mid-motion, destabilized.
Lucian slammed his fist into the closest soldier, launching him backward.
Kaelis parried the next two, sending a shock of Anchor resonance rippling through their armor.
But the War Guard adapted fast.
They switched formations—
Tightening—
Narrowing—
Focusing entirely on Lucian.
Kaelis snarled:
"They're ignoring me!"
Lucian grit his teeth.
"Because the Trial won't allow them to divide targets. It wants ME."
Kaelis's blade trembled.
"I won't let them take you."
She darted toward one soldier—
Only for three others to intercept her movement.
Lucian felt the pressure spike—
His Core pulsed painfully—
A system message flashed in his mind:
### **DANGER LEVEL: CRITICAL**
**Heartflare Pulse II insufficient for survival**
**Evolving…**
**Evolving…**
**Evolution forced by threat level**
Lucian gasped.
His flame twisted unnaturally.
Kaelis felt the surge and spun toward him.
"Lucian—something's wrong—"
Lucian staggered.
His heartbeat slammed into an unnatural rhythm—
White-green-gold spirals seared along his skin.
A new message flashed:
### **HEARTFLARE PULSE — THIRD FORM UNLOCKED**
**Heartflare Pulse III: Resonant Severance**
Creates a directional burst that **cuts enemy resonance channels**, forcing temporary nullification of weapon-based energy.
Lucian inhaled sharply.
Kaelis's eyes widened.
"You just unlocked that—right now?!"
"Yeah. Let's hope it works."
The War Guard captain lunged—
Halberd glowing with blue Sovereign resonance—
Lucian thrust out his hand.
"HEARTFLARE—PULSE III!"
A narrow burst of white-gold energy tore from his palm—
razor-thin—
precise—
silent.
The halberd's glow **snapped off**.
The captain's weapon went dead.
Kaelis blinked.
"…you CUT his resonance."
Lucian nodded weakly.
"Yeah. That was the idea."
The captain staggered backward, staring at his inert weapon.
Lucian stepped forward.
"Next?"
The War Guard roared and charged.
As the War Guard closed in, Kaelis stepped beside Lucian.
Her blade vibrated.
Not with her usual controlled resonance.
With something deeper.
Older.
Unstable.
Lucian sensed it instantly.
"Kaelis—what is that—?"
Her eyes flickered with a strange white glow.
"The Marshal said something earlier…
That you and I aren't just Heart and Anchor."
Lucian swallowed.
"Kaelis—wait—if you push too far—"
She cut him off.
"My job isn't to stay behind you.
My job is to STAND WITH YOU."
Lucian froze.
Her blade erupted with a spiraling white flame—
a technique he had never seen her use.
The Marshal, observing from afar, gasped.
"No… that technique is forbidden—
Anchors aren't allowed to—"
Kaelis vanished.
Reappeared inside the War Guard formation.
And her blade carved a perfect spiral through their ranks—
disrupting armor, resonance, footing, everything.
The air cracked with white shockwaves.
Lucian whispered:
"…Kaelis…"
It wasn't Anchor resonance anymore.
It was **Ascendant resonance**, mirroring his.
Kaelis landed beside him, panting hard.
Her blade smoked.
Her eyes dimmed slightly from overexertion.
Lucian grabbed her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded.
"I'll live."
He stared at her.
"That wasn't an Anchor technique."
She smirked.
"No. It wasn't."
Lucian's breath trembled.
"You're evolving too."
Kaelis's voice softened.
"We evolve together."
But the War Guard were not defeated.
Their captain raised a new resonance seal.
"EXECUTE DELTA FORMATION!"
Lucian's eyes widened.
Kaelis tensed.
"Oh no—"
Twelve halberds pointed downward.
Crimson sigils formed around them.
The Marshal shouted:
"UNBOUND HEART—MOVE!"
Kaelis grabbed Lucian's hand.
"Run!"
Lucian activated hybrid flame—
But the entire arena trembled.
The Trial forced them to remain on the platform.
Lucian cursed.
"We can't escape—!"
Kaelis's eyes sharpened.
"Then we take it head on."
The War Guard unleashed their formation—
A massive, spiraling burst of Crimson Dominion resonance—
Lucian and Kaelis stared it down.
Lucian clenched Kaelis's hand.
Kaelis squeezed back.
Then—
Together—
They stepped forward into the blast.
Hybrid and Anchor resonance surged.
The Trial Platform cracked.
And the explosion swallowed them whole—
Light drowning out everything—
Until only one sound cut through the devastation:
**A single footstep.**
From within the smoke—
A towering figure approached.
Clad in obsidian armor with six crimson halos.
Lucian's breath froze.
Kaelis's grip trembled.
The Marshal went white.
"…the Emperor himself."
The dust parted—
Revealing the one man the entire Arena World feared.
The Emperor's voice rumbled:
**"UNBOUND HEART.
YOU HAVE SURVIVED MY WAR GUARD."**
He stepped forward.
**"NOW FACE ME."**
Dust parted.
Silence stretched.
And the Emperor stepped into the Trial Arena.
He walked without haste, without tension, without the slightest hint of exertion. The air bent around him. Crimson halos rotated behind his back like the rings of a dying star.
Kaelis's fingers dug into Lucian's arm.
"Lucian—don't move."
Lucian couldn't have moved even if he wanted to.
The Emperor's presence pressed on his lungs like iron chains.
The Marshal—one of the four strongest in the Outer Ring—fell to one knee instantly.
"Your Majesty…"
The Emperor didn't acknowledge him.
His gaze was locked on Lucian.
A gaze so sharp Lucian felt it peel him open from the inside.
"Unbound Heart," the Emperor said.
The arena shook with each syllable.
"You survived the Sentinel. You shattered a Titan. You endured the War Guard."
Lucian found his voice.
Barely.
"You're… the one the Sovereign fears."
Kaelis hissed:
"Lucian—stop talking—"
But the Emperor smiled.
A quiet, terrible smile.
"The Sovereign does not fear me.
He fears that someone like _you_ might surpass me."
Lucian's heartbeat stumbled.
Kaelis's blade trembled.
The Emperor raised his hand.
Not to strike—
To examine.
"To think… an Unbound Heart would emerge in my Domain. Centuries since the last one died."
Lucian swallowed.
"You killed them?"
The Emperor tilted his head.
"No.
I inherited their corpses from the Sovereign.
Your kind are not allowed to live."
Kaelis stepped forward instinctively.
"Then you'll have to kill both of us."
The Emperor's gaze flicked to her.
Kaelis froze instantly.
Lucian grabbed her hand.
"Kaelis—stay behind me—"
"No."
Her voice shook—
Not in fear—
In rage.
"I am NOT losing you. Not to him. Not to anyone."
The Emperor regarded her with mild curiosity.
"An Anchor willing to die for her Heart is common.
An Anchor willing to evolve into an Ascendant is not."
Kaelis's breath hitched.
Lucian felt heat rise through his Core.
"Don't touch her."
The Emperor's eyes narrowed.
"Ah. So you _do_ understand."
Lucian forced himself to stand straighter.
"This Trial is for command. Not execution."
The Emperor laughed quietly.
"The Trial of Command is whatever I declare it to be."
He raised his hand—
And the platform jerked violently.
Lucian gasped as a spike of pain lanced through his chest.
White-gold flame sputtered wildly, like a candle hurled into a storm.
Kaelis grabbed him.
"Lucian—Lucian look at me—what's happening?!"
Lucian winced.
"The Emperor's… resonance… it's overriding the Trial—
forcing my Core to respond—"
Kaelis pulled him close, anchoring his trembling body against her.
"Hey. Hey. Breathe. Don't you fade on me—"
The Emperor studied him like one might study a puzzle box.
"The Unbound Heart is rewriting itself.
But your mutation levels are incomplete.
You cannot withstand my presence."
Kaelis shouted:
"Then back off! You're killing him!"
The Emperor didn't move.
"He must break—or he cannot ascend."
Lucian collapsed to one knee, choking as his Core ruptured with unstable light.
Memories flickered—
Shatterfield
the Ash Pits
the Sentinel
Kaelis's hand on his face
Kaelis calling his name
Kaelis refusing to leave him
He whispered:
"Kaelis…"
She knelt with him, gripping his face.
"I'm here. I'm here. Stay with me."
Lucian's hands clawed into the ground.
His flame split into three unstable arcs, ripping through the arena floor.
The Emperor's voice deepened.
"Pain is the threshold.
Endure it, Unbound Heart."
Kaelis snapped.
"HE DOESN'T NEED YOUR APPROVAL!"
She wrapped her arms around Lucian, pulling his collapsing resonance against her own.
She pressed her forehead to his.
"Lucian. Listen to me.
You're not alone.
You hear me?
You. Are. Not. Alone."
Lucian's flame spasmed—
Then steadied.
Kaelis tightened her hold.
"That's it. Match me. Match my breath. Sync with me. Sync with me—Lucian—look at me—"
His eyes found hers.
Her resonance flooded into him—
Not enough to counter the Emperor—
But enough to anchor him against the rupture.
The Emperor's eyes widened slightly.
"Impossible…
You are stabilizing him through raw resonance alone."
Kaelis didn't look at him.
"Shut. Up."
Lucian's Core pulsed violently again.
The Emperor lifted his hand.
"He will break.
It is the way of all Unbound Hearts."
Kaelis rose in front of Lucian, sword in one hand, the other bracing his chest.
Her voice was a whisper of steel.
"No.
You don't decide his fate."
Lucian grabbed her wrist.
"Kaelis—stop—it'll kill you—"
She met his gaze.
"I choose this."
White resonance flared across her body.
Too much.
Far beyond safe limits.
Lucian's breath caught.
"Kaelis—NO—your Core can't handle that—"
She pressed her palm over his heart.
"I won't let you die.
Not to him.
Not to the system.
Not ever."
The Emperor stepped forward.
"What are you doing?"
Kaelis didn't look away from Lucian.
Her voice cracked—but held.
"I'm giving him my resonance.
All of it."
Lucian jerked.
"KAELIS—YOU'LL BURN—"
Her smile was small, broken, furious.
"Better me than you."
Lucian's vision went white.
Kaelis unleashed her Anchor Core—
pushing her resonance into him like a shock of pure light.
Lucian screamed—
his flame erupting violently.
The Marshal shielded his face.
The Emperor's eyes widened.
"That is forbidden.
No Anchor survives full transfer—"
Kaelis whispered into Lucian's ear.
"Live."
And her resonance shattered.
Lucian caught her as she collapsed into him.
"KAELIS!"
Her body trembled violently.
She was burning up.
Lucian tightened his grip.
"No—no—NO—Kaelis—stay with me—don't do this—don't leave me—"
She smiled weakly.
"I said… I wouldn't let you die…"
Lucian's flame exploded outward.
White-gold-green spirals roared across the arena.
The Trial platform cracked.
The sky turned white.
The Emperor shielded his eyes.
"What—what is this resonance—?!"
Lucian rose—
Kaelis limp in his arms—
eyes blazing with a flame no Unbound Heart had ever awakened.
His voice thundered:
"DON'T TOUCH HER."
A system message erupted before him:
### **UNBOUND HEART EVOLUTION — STAGE BREAK**
**Ascendant Bond Achieved**
**Hybrid Flame Capacity Doubled**
**Anchor Resonance Integrated Temporarily**
Warning: Anchor life-force dangerously unstable
Lucian's Core stabilized—
stronger—
hotter—
deadly.
He faced the Emperor.
"You hurt her."
The Emperor stepped back.
For the first time—
He looked unsure.
Lucian lowered Kaelis gently.
Then rose.
White flame spiraled around him like a living storm.
The Emperor's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Unbound Heart… what have you become?"
Lucian answered:
"Someone who won't let you take her.
Someone you should fear."
The Trial platform shook—
A new system message appeared:
### **TRIAL OF COMMAND — PHASE TWO**
**Claim the Arena from the Emperor.**
**OR DIE.**
Lucian bared his teeth.
"If claiming it means fighting you—
Then that's what I'll do."
Kaelis's voice trembled faintly behind him.
"Lucian… don't… lose…"
He didn't look back.
He couldn't.
He stared at the Emperor and let his flame roar.
"I won't."
Lucian stood in the cracked arena—
white-gold-green flame coiling around him like a living storm.
Kaelis lay behind him, barely breathing.
The Emperor watched him with a curious, unsettling stillness.
"You evolved past protocol," he murmured.
"You touched a resonance bond forbidden since the Primordial Arenas."
Lucian didn't answer.
His chest heaved with a rage that came from a place deeper than memory.
"You nearly killed her," Lucian whispered.
The Emperor tilted his head.
"She made her choice."
Lucian's flame snapped.
"You gave her no other choice."
At that, the Emperor finally drew his weapon.
A single sword—obsidian black, etched with Sovereign sigils that bent the light around it.
The air temperature dropped ten degrees instantly.
Kaelis—half-conscious—whispered:
"…that blade… is carved from a Sovereign core…"
Lucian didn't look back.
He stepped forward.
"Let's finish this."
The Emperor raised his sword.
"Then come, Unbound Heart.
Show me the power you would use to defy the Sovereign."
The Emperor vanished.
Lucian's Core screamed in warning—
He raised his arms—
**CLANG!!**
The Emperor's blade met Lucian's crossed forearms, slicing sparks through the air.
Lucian slid backward several meters, boots carving grooves into the arena.
The Emperor appeared again—behind him.
Lucian spun—
**CLANG!**
White-gold light met red-black steel.
Lucian was fast.
The Emperor was faster.
Each strike dented the ground.
Each movement cracked the arena floor further.
Kaelis watched through half-lidded eyes.
"…don't… lose…"
Lucian's heart throbbed painfully.
He stepped harder into the fight.
The Emperor lashed outward—the blade slicing the air in a wide arc.
Lucian ducked and countered with a hybrid burst—
"HEARTFLARE—PULSE III!"
The razor-thin pulse shot forward—
But the Emperor cleaved through it with a single stroke.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"He cut the pulse—?!"
"Yes," the Emperor replied calmly.
"Your energy attacks are meaningless against me."
Lucian snarled and punched forward—
Hybrid Impact detonating against the Emperor's chestplate.
The Emperor slid back half a step.
Only half.
Lucian grit his teeth.
Kaelis had given everything.
He couldn't fail now.
The Trial Platform trembled violently, cracks spiraling outward like veins of molten silver.
The system voice echoed:
### **WARNING: POWER LEVEL EXCEEDS ARENA CONSTRAINTS**
**Stability collapsing**
**Resonance overload imminent**
The Emperor frowned.
"You are destabilizing the Domain."
Lucian wiped blood from his lip.
"Good."
The Emperor stepped forward slowly.
"You misunderstand.
If this Trial collapses, your Anchor dies first."
Lucian froze.
Kaelis's faint voice reached him:
"…Lucian…"
The Emperor continued:
"Her resonance is unstable.
If the arena ruptures, she will be crushed between collapsing layers."
Lucian's fists trembled.
He glanced back at her.
She was barely conscious—breathing shallow, flame flickering like a dying ember.
He turned back to the Emperor.
"What do I have to do?"
The Emperor lowered his blade slightly.
"Submit the Trial.
Kneel.
Acknowledge me as your Commander."
Lucian's heartbeat hammered.
Kneel?
Submit?
Let Kaelis fall into his hands?
Never.
Lucian snarled.
"I'll die first."
The Emperor sighed.
"Then she dies with you."
Lucian's flame erupted violently.
Kaelis whispered:
"…don't listen… don't you dare…"
He couldn't.
He wouldn't.
So he did the only thing he could.
He **broke the Trial.**
Lucian slammed both hands into the arena floor and roared:
**"ASCENDANT—CATA—CLYSM!"**
The air exploded.
White-gold-green flame surged outward in a spiraling shockwave.
The Trial walls fractured.
The sky tore open.
The Emperor staggered backward—eyes widening for the first time.
"You—what have you—"
The system shrieked:
### **UNBOUND HEART — ASCENDANT CATAKERNEL AWAKENED**
**Cataclysm Slot Activated**
**Ability Forming: ASH-HEART RUPTURE**
Kaelis raised her head weakly.
"…Lucian… stop… it'll kill you…"
Lucian pushed harder.
He didn't care.
He needed power—
ANY power—
to protect her.
His flame surged—
eating the edges of his own life-force—
The Emperor raised his blade, slicing through the blast.
"UNBOUND HEART—ENOUGH!"
Lucian didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
Wouldn't stop.
His flame detonated outward—
A vortex of hybrid resonance that tore the arena into spiraling shards of red and gold.
Kaelis screamed:
"LUCIAN!!"
And then—
**everything collapsed.**
Stone. Light. Air. Sound.
A shockwave so massive it swallowed the entire War Ring.
The Emperor slammed his blade into the ground to anchor himself.
Lucian was swallowed by light.
Kaelis vanished beneath the rupture.
The arena's sky shattered.
And the Emperor whispered, barely audible:
"…Ascendant Cataclysm… he awakened it… prematurely…"
Slowly—
Slowly—
The light faded.
Lucian lay in the center of a crater—
half-conscious, flame flickering, body barely holding shape.
He forced himself onto one elbow.
"Kaelis…"
He crawled toward her—
Every inch agony.
He reached her side.
She was breathing.
Weakly.
Barely.
He cupped her cheek.
Her skin was cold.
"Kaelis… please… stay with me…"
Her eyelids fluttered.
"…idiot…
…don't… destroy the city…"
Lucian choked out a laugh-sob.
"I wasn't trying to destroy anything."
Her fingers brushed his wrist.
"…try harder next time…"
Then her hand fell limp.
Lucian's heart froze.
"KAELIS—KAELIS—NO—NO—"
The Emperor approached, dust swirling around him.
Lucian snarled through his tears.
"Don't touch her!"
The Emperor raised his hands.
"I am not here to harm her."
Lucian clutched Kaelis to his chest.
"She needs a healer—NOW."
The Emperor nodded.
"And she will have one.
You have proven your worth."
Lucian's head snapped up.
"…what?"
The Emperor looked at him with something shockingly close to respect.
"You passed the Trial of Command."
Lucian stared.
"But—I didn't submit—I didn't kneel—I didn't—"
"You took command," the Emperor said softly.
"By breaking the Trial itself.
That is what an Ascendant does."
Lucian blinked.
"…so the Trial… wasn't about obedience?"
"It was about will."
Lucian tightened his hold on Kaelis.
"And what happens now?"
The Emperor extended a hand.
"Now, Unbound Heart—
You walk the path of an Emperor-Killer."
Lucian's blood went cold.
The Emperor finished:
"And I will teach you how."