Thorns of the Moonlit Throne
Volume 4 — Chapter 7: The Final Stanza
Writer: Sabbir Ahmed
The labyrinth had become a whirlwind of starlight and shadow, twisting with every caiku that Caelum Virex wrote. The air hummed with the rhythm of his verse, shaping reality around them—paths rose and fell, stars fractured, and the illusions of Arvandor's destruction surrounded Lyriana, Aryn, and Eryon.
"You endure far longer than expected," Caelum's melodic voice echoed. His quill traced glowing words midair:
"Unity bends but cannot break,
Hearts must tremble, choices quake,
Only final verse decides their fate."
Aryn swung his sword, cutting through a wave of starlight, but each strike was transformed into another stanza by the villain's quill. "We can't fight him like a normal enemy!" he shouted.
Lyriana's crown pulsed violently. "Then we don't fight him with weapons! We fight with what he cannot control: our hearts, our unity, our free will!"
Eryon spread his shadows wide, merging them with starlight to counteract the distortions. "We must move in perfect harmony, anticipate each line, and write our own verse with our actions."
Together, they advanced. Every step, every gesture resonated with their unity, stabilizing the shifting labyrinth. The illusions dissolved when they acted in perfect coordination, proving that trust and choice could defy even Caelum's cosmic poetry.
Caelum's eyes, bright as twin novas, narrowed. "You write… differently. Bold, unpredictable, chaotic even… Perhaps that is the strength of mortal hearts."
Lyriana lifted her hand, crown radiating full harmony of shadow and light. "We are more than lines in your poem. Our hearts, our bonds, and our choices create a verse no quill can dictate!"
The labyrinth shuddered violently. Stars and shadows collided, forming a sphere of pure balance around the trio. Caelum's quill quivered, unable to rewrite their unity. With a final, melodic sigh, he lowered the quill.
"You have… written your own final stanza," he said, almost in admiration. "Perhaps… there is more to harmony than perfection. Mortals… may endure after all."
Lyriana exhaled, holding Aryn's hand. "And together, we will protect our world—from prophecy, from poetry… from anything."
The Celestial Verse shimmered, finally yielding to their unity, as a new dawn of choice and freedom spread across Arvandor and the cosmos.