The cavern roared, chains trembling, shadows spiraling upward in storms of black fire. Kael's heart pounded like a drum as he raised the Moonsilver Sword, its silver runes blazing brighter than ever before.
Isolde's scream tore through him. Golden fire raged around her, her eyes no longer her own—two suns burning with the Shadow King's will. The Crown of Dawn blazed, pouring its light into the last chain, weakening it further with every pulse.
Varrow laughed, broken and bloodied, his voice carrying over the thunder. "Strike, Prince! Bind her flame in steel, and she dies by your hand. Strike me, and the chain falls. Either way, the king rises!"
Lady Elira's voice strained against the chaos, her chant faltering as cracks spread through the last rune-lit link. "Kael! Choose!"
---
Kael's grip tightened. Every word, every heartbeat, every memory with Isolde burned through him. Her laughter in the Silverwood. Her trembling trust in Haldrith. Her fire meeting his blade in perfect harmony.
He would not lose her—not to shadow, not to chains, not to prophecy.
His roar shook the chamber as he brought the sword down—not upon her heart, not upon the chain, but upon the crown itself.
The Moonsilver Sword struck the Crown of Dawn in a burst of molten silver and gold. Light and shadow exploded outward, hurling Kael back, shattering stone, silencing every voice at once.
Isolde collapsed, the crown torn from her brow, its fragments scattering like falling stars across the cavern floor. The mark on her hand still burned, but its fevered light dimmed.
For a breathless moment, she lay still.
Then her chest rose, a gasp of air escaping her lips. Her eyes fluttered open—gold fading back into the familiar warmth he knew.
"Kael…" she whispered, weak but hers again.
He pulled her into his arms, shaking with relief. "I'll never let him take you. Never."
---
But triumph was fleeting.
The last chain, no longer fed by the crown's fire, shuddered once—then shattered with a deafening crack.
The Shadow King's form surged upward from the abyss, vast and terrible, his crown of black flame burning brighter than the sun. His laughter rolled like thunder, filling the Hollow.
At last. The chains are gone. I am free.
Varrow fell to his knees, bloodied but exultant, his eyes glowing with devotion. "My king… the world is yours again."
Kael rose, sword blazing, Isolde leaning against him, fire still trembling in her veins.
The Shadow King loomed above them all, vast wings of shadow unfurling, his gaze falling on Kael and Isolde as though they were sparks waiting to be snuffed.
The final battle had begun.