The castle trembled beneath them, the fractures in the stone widening as if the earth itself had taken a breath—and was now exhaling destruction.
Selene's golden fire flickered wildly, reacting to the energy that had been set loose. She had felt power before—the heat of battle, the pulse of magic in her veins, the weight of destiny pressing upon her shoulders—but nothing like this.
This was different.
It was as if the very fabric of the world had been split open, and something terrible was beginning to seep through.
Lucian's silver eyes darted around the crumbling hall, assessing their situation. "We need to get out of here. Now."
Valerian muttered a string of curses under his breath, his dark cloak snapping violently in the sudden whirlwind that had erupted inside the chamber. "Damn it, Selene. You don't just refuse the Abyss and walk away unscathed!"
Selene turned to him, her golden gaze burning. "I'm not walking away. I'm facing it."
But before Valerian could retort, the first consequence of her decision revealed itself.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled through the castle—a noise that wasn't just heard, but felt in the bones.
A low growl.
A predator's snarl.
Selene's breath hitched as the shadows along the ruined walls shifted, twisting and bending, forming something that should not have existed.
Then—
A pair of glowing red eyessnapped open in the darkness.
Lucian moved first, yanking Selene back as the creature emerged.
It crawled out of the abyss, its form fluid yet solid, dripping with darkness like ink spilling into the world. Its body was massive, shaped like a monstrous wolf but with limbs that stretched unnaturally long, claws that glinted like obsidian, and a mouth that split too wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
Valerian took a sharp step back, his voice barely above a whisper. "A Shadow Hound…"
Selene's grip tightened. The name was unfamiliar to her, but she didn't need to know what it was to understand.
It had been sent for her.
Lucian raised his sword, its silver light reflecting in the beast's hungry red eyes. "It doesn't matter what it is. We're killing it."
The Hound snarled, and the shadows in the room responded.
And then—it lunged.
A Battle in the Darkness
Lucian moved instinctively, his blade clashing against the creature's claws, sending sparks flying in the dim light. The impact shook the ground, but Lucian stood his ground, his muscles coiled with raw strength.
Selene threw up her hands, golden fire erupting from her palms. The flames shot forward, engulfing the Hound, but instead of recoiling in pain, the creature merely twisted, its form warping around the fire like it was made of liquid shadow.
"It's absorbing it!" Selene shouted.
Valerian cursed, stepping forward with a burst of his own dark energy, summoning spears of shadow magic and hurling them toward the beast. The projectiles pierced through its massive body—but instead of falling, the Hound grew larger.
Lucian's jaw clenched. "It's feeding on magic."
Selene's flames dimmed slightly as she forced herself to think, fast. If fire wouldn't work, then—
The Hound lunged again, its massive jaws snapping toward her.
Lucian intercepted, his blade slashing toward the beast's throat. The silver edge sank in, but instead of blood, pure darkness poured from the wound. The beast did not falter.
It was as if it couldn't be killed.
Selene's mind raced.Think, think, think!
The Hound landed on all fours, its mouth splitting open with a horrific screech.
Then, it spoke.
"You defied the Abyss."
The voice was not one, but many, layered and whispering, like the echoes of a thousand lost souls.
"And now, you will be unmade."
Selene's pulse spiked—but then something clicked inside her.
Her fire wasn't enough. Her strength wasn't enough.
But she wasn't just a wielder of the Celestial Flame.
She was bonded to it.
Selene exhaled sharply and let go.
Instead of forcing the fire outward, she let it pull inward, drawing it into herself, into her veins, into her very soul.
And something changed.
Her golden fire didn't burn outward. Instead, it condensed, her skin glowing like molten light. The power that had always fought to be released was now under her command.
Her eyes snapped open—no longer just golden, but blazing.
The Hound staggered back, as if sensing the shift.
Lucian noticed it, too. His silver gaze flickered toward her, recognition and awe flashing in his expression. "Selene—"
She didn't wait.
She moved.
With impossible speed, she surged forward, her body a streak of living flame. The Hound tried to twist away, but this time—Selene didn't attack its body.
She attacked its core.
She plunged her hand straight into the center of its chest, her fire fusing with the darkness, twisting, shifting, consuming it from within.
The beast let out a horrifying scream, its shadowed form splintering apart, unraveling at the seams.
And then—it was gone.
Not slain. Not destroyed.
Erased.
The room fell silent.
Lucian lowered his sword, his chest rising and falling as he stared at her.
Valerian broke the silence first. "What… did you just do?"
Selene looked down at her hands. The flames had settled, no longer wild, but controlled. For the first time, she truly felt the power of the Celestial Flame as something she didn't just wield—but something she was.
She looked up at Lucian, then at Valerian. "I ended it."
Valerian's expression darkened. "No. You did something worse."
Selene frowned. "What do you mean?"
Valerian's voice was low, edged with a warning.
"The Abyss doesn't send Shadow Hounds lightly." He stepped closer, his violet eyes sharp. "That wasn't just a test, Selene. That was a warning."
Selene swallowed. "A warning for what?"
Valerian exhaled.
"For what comes next."
End of Chapter Forty-Three