The palace gates trembled as Elaria approached.
Kael stood beside her, sword ready.
King Vaelor waited on the balcony above, his expression calm but calculating.
"So," he said coldly, "the lost heir returns."
"You stole everything," Elaria replied, her voice steady.
"I saved this kingdom from chaos," he snapped. Dark energy swirled around him—proof that he had never truly abandoned magic himself.
Hypocrisy wrapped in a crown.
The sky darkened as he unleashed his power.
But Elaria stepped forward.
She placed the Crown of Shadowfire upon her head.
The flames erupted around her—not wild, not cruel—but pure and commanding.
Shadowfire did not destroy blindly.
It burned corruption.
Vaelor screamed as his dark magic dissolved into ash.
When the flames faded, the false king was gone.