⚔️ March of the Undying Court
The sky wept ash as the Undying Court took its first steps into the realm of the divine.
Six queens walked beside Lucien: each radiating a terrifying presence—ice, flame, blood, steel, void, and soulfire. Behind them followed legions of the dead—reborn warlords, forgotten titans, cursed beasts—each tethered to the pulse of the Crown.
At the front stood Lucien.
His armor blackened by voidsteel. His eyes flickering with Crownlight. The air warped around him—too heavy with power for reality to stay calm.
Ahead: the Bastion of Illumyn, first gate to the divine realm. The seat of the minor gods. A city of golden spires floating above clouds that glowed with grace.
A place the gods said could never fall.
He intended to break it.
⚠️ Warning From the Heavens
They crossed into the Radiant Vale—an unnatural place. Flowers hummed with hymns. Clouds sang like choirs. Every step closer to Illumyn burned a bit of mortal soul.
Lucien felt it in his bones. The realm hated him.
Then the sky split—and a voice like thunder roared across the world:
"Lucien Graves. Cease. Turn back. We offer clemency. For you. Not for them."
It was the God of Mercy.
Ardana spat. "Liar. He offered us mercy when he burned our kingdom."
Kaelira laughed. "Now he begs."
Lucien raised the Crown to the sky.
"You fear us. As you should."
⚔️ Siege of the Divine Bastion
The battle began with light.
Blinding, scorching, holy light.
The gods' defenders—Radiant Knights and Seraphim—descended on wings of burning gold. They struck from all directions.
But the Undying Court was ready.
Velka froze an entire wing of seraphim in midair. Ardana split the heavens with firestorms. Thal'Zira turned the divine blood into weapons. Kaelira danced through Radiant Blades, cutting faster than prayers. Serael unleashed heavenly fire more divine than theirs. Nerexa ripped open a void gate beneath the spire, swallowing part of the city whole.
And Lucien?
He strode into the fray and unmade angels with his voice.
The Crown pulsed with every kill. The Court's power surged.
💔 Fracture Among Queens
As victory loomed, Nerexa pulled Lucien aside into a warped reality pocket mid-battle.
"You need to stop."
"What?"
"Every soul you bind feeds the Crown. But it's not infinite. If you keep pulling this much, it will consume us."
Lucien stepped back. "You're the one who told me we had to strike first."
"Yes. But I didn't mean suicide."
He looked around at the flaming sky.
"Then why are you still here?"
Her eyes—full of stars and sorrow—lowered.
"Because I still believe in you. But if you let this power blind you… you'll lose us."
She walked away.
Back into the battle.
Lucien didn't follow.
🏛️ Fall of Illumyn
With the final divine gates broken, Lucien reached the heart of the Bastion—a pulsing orb of godlight called the Sanctum Core. It glowed like a miniature sun, pulsing with belief.
Velka reached to freeze it.
It screamed.
Serael shouted, "No! That's not energy—it's living faith! It will explode—"
Lucien placed his hand on it.
The Crown flared.
The Core cracked.
And divine belief—ten thousand years of worship—died.
💀 The Aftermath
Illumyn collapsed.
Its golden towers fell. Its temples crumbled. The sky over it darkened. The Radiant Vale turned cold.
And high above in the Celestial Spire, the High Gods watched in silence.
The God of Chains whispered, "He's no longer mortal."
The Goddess of Truth spoke, "He was never meant to wear the Crown."
The God of War just smiled.
"Let him come. I'll give him a war worth writing into eternity."
🖋️ End of Chapter 8
📣 CTA (Call-to-Action)
The Undying Court has made its first divine kill. But at what cost?
Is Lucien losing control… or simply becoming what he was always meant to be?
🗡️ Comment: Which queen do you trust the least—and why?
🔜 Next Chapter: "A Throne Made of Bones"
In the ruins of Illumyn, Lucien finds a relic of the First Necroking—a throne built from the ribs of a dead god.
But sitting on it comes at a price: one queen must be sacrificed…
Expect betrayal, hard choices, and the first real fracture in the harem.