Kael’Zareth resisted.

  Its wings flared, scattering fire across the skyline. The chains binding it strained violently as Malrec forced his will forward.

  “You kneel,” Malrec commanded.

  The demon’s voice shook the earth.

  “I endure.”

  The Crown cracked further.

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  Black fire leaked from the fractures, seeping into Malrec’s veins. His expression twisted—power and terror intertwining.

  Arin stepped into the ruined courtyard.

  He felt the fracture point clearly now.

  The place where the demon’s essence met the Veil.

  The place that could be sealed.

  But only through willing sacrifice.

  Kael stepped beside him.

  “You know what it will cost,” Kael said quietly.

  Arin did not look away from the towering demon or the crowned tyrant trying to command it.

  “Yes.”

  The Crown split again.

  Malrec screamed.

  Kael’Zareth rose to full height.

  The final balance trembled.

  And the choice that would decide the fate of the world stood only heartbeats away.