The palace had never been this loud.
Rhea stood at the edge of the throne room, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles whitened. Outside, the empire trembled—literally. Every few minutes, a distant quake rolled under the marble floors, shaking dust from the ceiling and sending servants fleeing through the halls.
The Emperor sat on his throne, surrounded by terrified ministers and generals. The four dragon gods stood at the back of the hall, half-shadowed but impossible to ignore. Their presence filled the room, thick and suffocating.
Rhea refused to look at them.
Especially the fire one.
She didn't trust her heartbeat around Kaelith.
Her father's voice cracked through the room, forced loud enough to steady the panicking crowd. "Report. Now."
A trembling messenger knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty—the southern mountains have erupted again. Lava is flooding the nearby settlements."
Kaelith's jaw clenched. Rhea could feel the heat spike across the room.
Another minister spoke. "The rivers in the west have swallowed two more villages."
Seryon's shoulders tightened.
A third: "The northern cliffs have collapsed. The sea is rising unnaturally."
A fourth: "Shadow beasts were seen emerging from the eastern mines."
Draeven's eyes darkened, jaw flexing.
Each report made Rhea feel smaller, weaker, more overwhelmed. Her lungs tightened. Her heart felt wrong in her chest—hot, thudding, out of rhythm.
"And what of the sky?" the Emperor demanded, gripping the arms of his throne so tightly his knuckles nearly split.
A priest stepped forward, pale as bone. "The fracture… is widening."
Whispers exploded through the hall. Panic rippled like a wave.
Rhea's breath stumbled.
The wind outside began to howl.
Her chest burned—heat gathering beneath her collarbone.
She pressed a hand over her heart. A faint golden glow pulsed beneath her gown.
Not again.
Not now.
Please, not now—
Aelion appeared beside her before she could collapse. She hadn't seen him move, but suddenly he was there, wind curling around his calves like obedient dogs.
His voice was soft, nearly a whisper. "Breathe, Rhea."
She tried.
She couldn't.
Seryon stepped to her other side, lifting her chin with gentle fingers. "Look at me. Follow my breath."
A warm wave washed through her chest.
It helped.
Until Kaelith stepped forward and ruined everything.
"Why do you fight it?" he demanded, voice low, fire smoldering under his tone. "Why pretend you're not what you are?"
Rhea flinched. "Please, not here—"
"Because the world is breaking," Kaelith snapped. "And you're pretending you can stay human."
Draeven's voice rumbled. "Kaelith."
"No," Kaelith hissed. "She needs to hear this."
The entire hall went silent.
Even the Emperor swallowed hard.
Kaelith took a slow step closer. "Your mark is waking. Your magic is reacting to ours. Your pulse is syncing with the realms. And still—still—you resist."
Rhea backed away instinctively, her spine hitting the edge of her father's throne dais.
Kaelith advanced another step. "You think the empire just conveniently collapsed today? You think the rivers rose because of chance? You think the sky cracked because the weather felt dramatic?"
Rhea shook her head, eyes burning. "Please stop…"
Kaelith's voice dropped lower, like embers whispering. "It's because of you, Rhea."
Seryon grabbed his arm. "Enough."
Kaelith threw him off with a burst of heat. "No. She needs to understand—"
Aelion's wind sliced between them. "You're scaring her."
Kaelith snarled. "She should be scared. Everyone else is."
Rhea's knees weakened. She felt the burn in her chest intensify—hot, pulsing, dangerous.
Her father stood. "Stay away from her!"
Kaelith turned slowly toward the Emperor.
Mistake.
A wave of heat exploded across the room, making the air ripple like a mirage. The guards drew back, sweating, panting. Ministers collapsed. Priests fainted.
Kaelith wasn't even looking at them.
His eyes were on Rhea.
"You think protecting her helps?" he growled at her father. "Human kings cannot shield what belongs to the realm."
Draeven stepped forward, stone cracks spreading beneath his boot. "Control your fire."
Kaelith's lips curled. "Make me."
Flame burst around his fists.
Seryon responded instantly—water swirling around him in a defensive barrier. "Rhea cannot breathe with your fire suffocating the air."
"I'm teaching her!" Kaelith snapped.
"You're tormenting her," Seryon bit back.
Aelion's voice cracked like thunder. "Enough."
Wind slammed into Kaelith, pushing him back several steps.
Draeven raised a hand, shadows snaking across the floor like living vines. "If you push her too hard, you will hurt her—and then I will hurt you."
Kaelith's flames roared higher. "Try."
"STOP!"
The word tore out of Rhea's throat before she realized she'd screamed it.
A shockwave burst from her body—golden, blinding, raw.
A pulse so powerful it rattled the hall.
Windows shattered.
Torches erupted.
Water from the fountains rose like spirals.
Shadows trembled.
Wind howled.
The marble cracked beneath her feet.
Everyone froze.
Even the dragons.
Rhea stood shaking violently, hand over her glowing heart, breaths coming too fast.
Aelion stared at her, stunned. "Your core… it's awakening."
Seryon's eyes widened. "The mark—Rhea, your mark—"
Kaelith inhaled sharply, fire extinguishing instantly. "It's… burning."
Draeven stepped closer, voice soft, reverent. "You're becoming the Heart Core."
Rhea shook her head again and again, tears spilling. "I don't want this—I can't do this—I don't know how—"
Aelion approached her first, slow, careful. "We will teach you."
Seryon followed. "You will not do this alone."
Draeven knelt. "You were never meant to."
Kaelith stared at her like she was both a miracle and a storm. "The decision is here, princess. Now."
The Emperor stepped between them desperately. "She is my daughter—she will not leave with you—"
A gust of wind shoved him back gently but firmly. Aelion didn't even look at him.
Rhea trembled violently as the four gods closed in, forming a protective circle without even touching her.
Chaos thundered outside the palace walls.
The sky cracked again.
The land trembled.
People screamed.
And all four gods looked at her as one.
"You must choose," Aelion said quietly.
"Now," Seryon added.
"Before the empire collapses," Draeven murmured.
Kaelith's voice was the softest it had ever been.
"Rhea… come with us."
Her tears fell.
Her pulse glowed.
Her destiny loomed.
And with the world falling apart outside the palace walls, Rhea whispered the single, trembling truth:
"I… I don't want to lose anyone."
Aelion took her hand gently.
"With us," he murmured, "you won't."