WebNovels

Chapter 10 - Chapter 10 – The Fire Sovereign’s Accord

The obsidian gates of the Palace of Scorching Vow groaned open, revealing a corridor of molten gold and basalt pillars etched with sigils that pulsed like heartbeats. Lava rivers flowed beneath translucent glass floors, casting a reddish glow upward as Ryu and Luto stepped through the threshold. The air crackled—not with heat alone, but with history.

They passed beneath archways carved from star-fused stone, relics from forgotten wars. Flame-fed braziers floated midair, illuminating murals of titans locked in battle with gods, their weapons carved from the cores of dead suns. Each step echoed, slow and deliberate, until they reached the central chamber.

There, on a throne sculpted from the skull of a long-extinct flame wyrm, sat the Sovereign of the Fyr Domain.

Cloaked in living flame and volcanic crystal, his presence radiated pressure more than heat — like standing before a star that had decided to notice you.

And he… was smiling.

A Grand Entrance… Sort Of

"Ahhh, there you are!" the Fire Sovereign boomed with theatrical flair, standing from his throne. A cape of liquid magma trailed behind him, somehow not burning the stone it touched. "Apologies for the small mishap at the gates — terribly rude of my guardian, I assure you!"

Luto's eyes narrowed. "You mean the Myros-class entity that tried to turn us into charcoal?"

Ryu smirked, brushing soot from his bandana. "Honestly? Kinda fun warm-up."

The Sovereign laughed, his voice like a forge roaring to life. "Well, in his defense, unannounced mortals have been… problematic recently."

He stepped down from his throne with a booming stride and extended a hand, embers dancing from his gauntlet.

"Ignovar. Fire Sovereign of Cinderrath, Keeper of the Oath Flame, and reigning lord of the Fyr Domain. Welcome."

Ryu shook the hand. "Ryu. This is Luto. We're just two guys looking to break into a divine execution ground."

Ignovar raised a flaming eyebrow. "Straight to the point. I like you."

Luto crossed his arms. "We don't have time for ceremony."

"Then you're in the right place," Ignovar replied. "But be warned—answers here often cost more than questions."

The Accord & The Warning

They soon found themselves seated on an open balcony carved into the palace's spine, overlooking a river of glowing magma that branched like veins into the domain below. Crystal cups clinked as Ignovar poured a flaming liquid that steamed with memory.

"I have no allegiance to the divine," the Sovereign began, watching magma bubble in the distance. "But I've watched their games unfold across eons. What they're doing to your brother? That's not punishment."

He turned, face grim.

"It's theater. A message."

Luto's tone sharpened. "To who?"

"To all of us. A demonstration that even the strongest mortals cannot rise too high without being made an example. That's why they chose that execution ground."

Ryu leaned forward. "What is it really?"

Ignovar's eyes darkened. "Not a prison. A stage. Where rebellion is paraded, then broken, for all to see."

He waved his hand, and the magma below rippled like a mirror. An image flickered to life—a planet hovering just outside the edge of known divine perception. Cloaked in veils of starlight and temporal fog.

"Astradim," he said. "The Forgotten Sphere. It hides in the shadow of the gods' own sanctum. But there are records—old paths—hidden from even the angels. Go there, and you may find the fracture points in their system."

Ryu blinked. "Sounds shady."

Luto stood. "Sounds perfect."

A Day in the Palace – Ryu's Detour

They were allowed to stay for a day before the portal was prepared. While Luto conferred privately with Ignovar about divine enchantments and execution ward patterns, Ryu wandered the palace, firelight dancing across his shoulders.

In a wide training court surrounded by obsidian statues, Ryu stumbled upon a sparring session among the Fyr Domain's elite guard. Their leader, a towering woman with hair like solar flares and armor of blackened steel, tilted her head.

"You're the one who knocked over the Warden?"

"Guilty," Ryu grinned.

"Care for a round?"

What followed was a dazzling exchange of strikes—hers, calculated and crushing; his, flowing like wildfire, unpredictable and reckless. Sparks flew as the two danced through heat and flame, their silhouettes flickering in the backdrop of burning murals.

From above, Ignovar and Luto watched. The Sovereign laughed while stroking his chin.

"Is he… laughing while dodging?"

"He does that," Luto muttered.

"You're sure he's not an elemental?"

"Positive."

"Pity. He'd make a great one."

Before They Depart

When it came time to leave, Ignovar walked them to the teleportation ring himself—a swirling structure of volcanic glass and burning runes, glowing with dimensional heat.

"I'll be there when the time comes," Ignovar promised, hand resting on the hilt of a blade forged from oathflame. "If not to save your brother… then to burn the execution ground down in his name."

He turned to Ryu, tone suddenly solemn. "You carry more than rebellion, boy. You carry memory. Be mindful of what you remember—because memory shapes flame."

Ryu's gaze tightened, and he nodded once.

"Thank you, Sovereign."

"No. Thank you. The multiverse has gotten quiet without madmen like you."

Astradim – The Shadowed Sphere

The portal tore open like a scar through the sky, shimmering with restrained violence. They stepped through—

—and emerged into twilight.

Not night, not day. Just hollow silence. The sky was dark not with stars, but with absence. Floating in the sky was a mechanical sun, softly pulsing with artificial warmth, bathing the terrain in ghostlight.

Astradim.

A planet shaped by gods, then discarded. Its landscape was jagged and impossible, geometry that fought against perception—twisted towers and impossible bridges stretching into black clouds.

History here did not erode.

It lingered.

Hovering like dust in the wind.

And standing at the edge of a temple made from starbone and shattered divinity—

—was a tall man in faded robes.

His presence was suffocating. Ancient. His eyes gleamed with molten gold—burning with hatred and wisdom in equal measure. He said nothing. But the very air bowed around him.

A banished lesser god.

One who had defied the Seven Voices and paid with eternity.

They didn't yet know his name.

But they would.

Because his arrival… changed everything.

Across the Realms

And elsewhere, across the trembling strands of creation—

3 days remained until the execution.

And the gods had already begun preparing their final spectacle.

More Chapters