When the third moon rises, the false gods tremble.
Because only one thing lives beyond their reach: the truth they buried.
The wind howled as Vaelryn and Kael reached the outer rim of the world—the edge of the Dead Sky.
A circular platform of obsidian jutted out over the abyss, suspended in nothingness. Floating above it was the Third Moon—massive, glowing violet like bruised light, pulsating with locked magic.
Behind it loomed the real sky, cracked like glass beneath pressure. Lightning forked between fractures in silence. The stars blinked nervously.
Vaelryn stepped forward.
"This is it."
Kael held the Map of the Dead. The third throne pulsed—drenched in violet and sealed with ancient script.
"This throne doesn't exist in any of the gods' records," he said.
"That's because it's older than they are," Vaelryn replied.
"They didn't build it. They tried to hide it."
**_The Seal of the Third Moon_**
At the center of the platform stood a pedestal with a basin of mirrored liquid. Floating above it, suspended by silver threads, was a mask—half dragon, half human.
Inscribed beneath:
"Only the one who burns with unbroken fire may break the seal.
Let blood touch moon. Let truth scream."
Vaelryn didn't hesitate.
She sliced her palm.
Drip.
Her blood hit the mirrored basin.
BOOM.
The Third Moon split open with a scream that sounded like galaxies being torn apart. The light turned black-purple and the air thickened into pressure.
From the rift poured smoke—alive, crawling, forming arms, legs, wings, eyes.
"He's coming," Kael whispered.
"No," Vaelryn said, as the mask shattered.
"He's awake."
**_The False God's Champion_**
The smoke coalesced into a towering figure—taller than any god they'd seen. His skin was translucent obsidian, with violet flame veins pulsing beneath.
Eyes: voids.
Wings: made of linked skulls.
Mouth: a fanged scream stretched into eternity.
"Name yourself," Vaelryn demanded.
It replied with a voice that bent air:
"I am the Warden of the Third Moon. The Chain-God.
You should have stayed dead, Flame-Eater."
He raised a hand, and a black halberd formed from the smoke.
"You want the third throne?
Then take it."
**_The Battle Beneath the Broken Sky_**
He struck first.
The halberd sliced through the air—reality warped in its path. Vaelryn dove, flames bursting from her back as she spun mid-air and launched a searing arc of dragonfire.
The Warden absorbed it—his chest burned with the mark of her flame, but he didn't stagger. Instead, he surged forward, smashing the halberd down like a comet.
Kael intercepted it.
CLANG!
His new sword, reforged with Vael's spark, caught the blow—but the impact sent him flying off the edge. Only his dagger lodged in the platform's crack kept him from plummeting into the void.
"I got you!" Vaelryn shouted, spinning in the air.
But the Warden turned his back to Kael and faced her.
"You were never meant to rise.
I was made from your failure."
"Then let's rewrite the design," she snarled.
**_Duel of Godspark_**
Vaelryn called her full flame.
Her body glowed golden-red, her veins casting light. The wings of molten fire burst from her back and wrapped her in armor of light.
The Warden raised the halberd.
He spun.
The impact shattered the edge of the platform.
Vaelryn dodged, twisted, and landed on his back, driving a spear of flame into his spine.
He screamed, wings flaring—but retaliated by slamming backward, crushing her into the platform.
She coughed blood but grinned.
"Is that all?"
Her hand ignited.
She pushed the flame into his skull.
**_Kael's Return_**
Kael climbed back up.
His eyes glowed faintly blue—Vael's rune burned on his chest, gift or curse, still unclear.
"Vaelryn! Get clear!"
He hurled a blade of crystal light.
It pierced the Warden's ribcage.
The god screamed.
Staggered.
Vaelryn took the opening.
She slammed both hands into his chest and whispered:
"Burn for the world you buried."
BOOM.
The Warden exploded in black-violet fire, dissolving into light.
**_The Throne Revealed_**
Where the smoke had been, a new throne now stood—floating, formed of meteoric stone and serpent bone.
Inscribed above it:
"Here sits the Lie they made into God."
Vaelryn stepped toward it.
Kael moved beside her.
"Is this the truth you were chasing?"
"No," she said.
"This is just the beginning of it."
As she touched the throne, it didn't burn. It welcomed her.
And the stars changed.
**_A New Threat Wakes_**
Far across the sky, the First Moon cracked.
In the deepest reaches of the Dead Sky, something stirred—older than gods, older than dragons.
A heartbeat echoed across realms.
One word carved itself into the air:
"Sireborn."
Kael stepped back.
"What… was that?"
Vaelryn's expression hardened.
"It's not a throne we're chasing anymore.
It's a war."
TO BE CONTINUED...
🔥 Chapter Hook — "The Third Moon Rises"
A throne older than gods.
A champion forged from failure.
A war that begins with a heartbeat.
🛡️ Who is the Sireborn?
🔥 What ancient secret still sleeps beneath the moons?
✨ And how many thrones must burn before the stars obey again?
📖 Next: Chapter 8 — "The Sireborn Pact"