---
The sky was still burning from the fire Chirag had released. Even the gods seemed stunned by the power of his flames. But there was no time to pause—the war had only just begun.
Siya stood in the middle of the battlefield, her black blade glowing with dark light, her eyes scanning for the next wave of divine warriors. Her body ached, her breath was heavy, but her heart was steady.
Beside her, Lunara knelt with a wounded ruler in her arms, whispering a healing spell. More screams echoed in the distance, and explosions shook the ground beneath their feet. The gods were not giving up easily.
"Where's Chirag?" Siya asked, slashing through a glowing enemy with one swift motion.
"He's pushing toward the sky-temple," Lunara said. "He's going after Orkan and Elaen."
Siya's heart clenched. Chirag had promised he wouldn't face them alone. But she knew him too well. He was doing it because he believed he had to—because he couldn't let anyone else take the risk.
She stood tall, ignoring the blood on her arm. "I'm going to him."
"Wait—" Lunara called, but Siya was already moving, vanishing in a shadowy flash.
---
Chirag was climbing the floating stairs of light that led to the gods' sky-temple. Each step grew heavier as the divine pressure increased. His fire flickered around him like armor, and his eyes burned with focus.
Orkan and Elaen waited at the top.
"You came alone," Orkan said, sword in hand, his smirk cruel. "Foolish."
"I came with fire," Chirag replied, raising his hand as flames burst from his fingertips.
"Fire doesn't scare gods," Elaen said softly, stepping forward. "But love… that does."
Her words hit something deep inside Chirag. He remembered Siya—her voice, her strength, her sacrifice in the past. He remembered the way she always stood by him, even when he had nothing.
"She's not just my love," Chirag said. "She's my reason."
He lunged forward, striking with his fire-sword. Orkan blocked it with a massive blow that sent shockwaves in all directions, but Chirag didn't fall back. He pushed harder, flames swirling around his fists, his feet, even his voice.
"Every time you tried to destroy us," Chirag growled, "you forgot something important. We never give up."
---
Down below, Siya had reached the base of the sky-temple. She looked up at the glowing stairs and leaped onto them, her shadow magic propelling her upward faster than wind.
Flashes of fire and light filled the sky above her. She could feel Chirag's power growing, but it was wild—unstable.
"If he keeps pushing like that," she whispered, "he'll burn himself."
---
At the top, Chirag had landed a hard blow against Orkan, sending the god of war crashing through one of the temple's glowing pillars. But Elaen was faster than she looked. She summoned threads of energy that wrapped around Chirag's body, trying to trap him.
"You are not fate's chosen," she whispered. "You are an error in the story."
"I don't care," Chirag said, breaking the threads with a burst of inner fire. "I'll write my own ending."
Elaen raised her hands to summon a final strike—but a shadow crashed between them.
Siya.
She landed beside Chirag, her body already crackling with power. Her presence steadied him, brought his energy back under control.
"You promised we'd face them together," she said, a little out of breath but fierce.
He smiled. "I tried to keep you safe."
"You're not fighting for safety. You're fighting for everything. And I'm part of everything."
Their hands found each other—fire and shadow, together.
Orkan growled, standing back up. "Enough of this love-drama."
But he was too late.
Chirag and Siya's powers merged. A fiery shadow swept across the temple. Their combined energy created something new—a pulse that stopped the gods in their tracks.
Elaen stepped back, eyes wide. "Impossible… that's divine fusion."
"No," Siya said. "That's love."
---
The explosion of energy lit the entire sky. Orkan and Elaen were thrown back, not defeated but shaken. They hadn't expected this. They hadn't expected the connection between a human and a demon to overpower the oldest gods.
They vanished into light, retreating.
For now.
---
Silence fell over the battlefield. The gods had left. Their ships disappeared one by one. The sky cleared, and the stars slowly returned.
Cheers erupted from the demon ranks. Humans raised their weapons in triumph. Rulers nodded with quiet respect.
Chirag and Siya stood on the stairs of the sky-temple, holding each other's hands, surrounded by fading light.
"It's over," Siya whispered.
Chirag shook his head, smiling a little. "No. It's just the beginning."
---