Chapter 0038: The Dawn of Ruin
The moment the throne shattered, an eruption of dark flame consumed the Hollow Kingdom's core. Raiden barely had time to react before the ground beneath him buckled, and the walls began to fracture. The once-dominant presence of the Hollow King, now broken and dispersed, left an oppressive silence in its wake. The entire room trembled, as though the very fabric of the kingdom was in the process of being unraveled.
Raiden stood amidst the rubble, breathing heavily. His body burned with intensity, the Hollow Flame inside him still flaring, but now it felt different—no longer a force of mindless destruction, but something more controlled. More purposeful.
He looked down at his hands—still glowing with golden fire—but this time, it wasn't just power. It was choice.
"I did it," Raiden whispered, almost in disbelief. "I chose."
But the echo of the Hollow King's voice still lingered in the air, an ominous reminder of what had been left behind.
"You cannot escape the flame, Raiden. It will consume you. It will consume everything."
Raiden shook his head, stepping away from the crumbling throne. He was done with the past.
The Kingdom in Ruin
As the throne room continued to collapse, Raiden turned toward the grand exit. The Hollow Kingdom was falling apart—its once-imposing halls were now little more than ruins, crumbling under the weight of its own demise.
But Raiden's mind wasn't on the crumbling world behind him. His thoughts were on the future—the land that awaited him beyond this kingdom, and the war that had yet to be waged. The real battle was far from over.
Vaeryx. Her face appeared in his mind's eye once more, her voice calling to him. "You are not alone in this fight, Raiden. Come back to me. Let's burn a new path, together."
The realization hit him like a thunderstrike: Vaeryx was waiting for him. She was more than just his ally—she was his anchor, the person who had kept him grounded in his darkest moments. And despite everything that had transpired in the Hollow Kingdom, she was still out there, fighting, waiting for his return.
Raiden clenched his fists, fire coursing through his veins. He wouldn't let her down. Not again.
The Rebel Forces
As Raiden made his way toward the exit, the crumbling remnants of the Hollow Kingdom echoed with the sounds of battle. His footsteps rang out in the empty halls, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. The land was changing, and the old order was being swept away by the power of the flame. But who would rise to fill the void? Who would challenge the broken kingdom?
Raiden could already sense the presence of other forces gathering—forces that had been lying in wait for the fall of the Hollow King. Among them, he could feel the pressure of Tyran's armies, those loyal to the Hollow King, now in disarray. They wouldn't remain passive for long.
As Raiden exited the kingdom's crumbling walls, he came upon a battlefield—Tyran's soldiers, their armor still gleaming despite the smoke that lingered in the air. But they weren't the only force present. At the far side of the field, a dark army emerged from the shadows—formed from the remnants of the Hollow King's rule, bound by the very fire Raiden had just broken.
The two forces were about to collide.
The Flame's True Price
Raiden stood at the edge of the battlefield, his eyes scanning the chaos before him. The Hollow King's fall had left an unstable void. His enemies were now disjointed, unsure of their purpose, and many of them were now fighting for survival, not dominance.
But that wasn't the real battle.
The real battle was inside him.
The Hollow Flame had consumed his very soul—the power within him was not just raw destruction. It was the will to reshape the world in his own image. Raiden could feel it pulsing, urging him to seize control of this moment. To burn the past. To burn the world of the Hollow King, and to build something new.
But as he stood there, the weight of his choice began to sink in. The power that flowed through him, that had once felt like a gift, now felt like a curse. It was unstoppable, a force that could ravage everything in its path.
And Raiden knew that no matter how much he wanted to reshape the world, he couldn't do it alone. He couldn't let the flame inside him consume everything he had left.
A New Path
Raiden turned toward the distant battlefield. He could see Vaeryx's banner raised high, her forces rallying around her. She wasn't just fighting for survival; she was fighting for the future, for a world where the flame didn't dictate the lives of its people.
And Raiden realized something vital: he didn't want to rule.
He never had.
But he could fight.
With that, Raiden's flames dimmed slightly, the intensity turning into a focused, controlled inferno. He wasn't going to burn the world down. He was going to reshape it—not from a throne of ashes, but from the battlefield.
Vaeryx needed him. The world needed him.
He wasn't the Scorched Heir anymore. He wasn't a king.
But he was Raiden, and he was ready to fight.
The battlefield was a wasteland of chaos, the sounds of clashing steel and the cries of battle filling the air. The ground was scorched by the remnants of the Hollow King's reign—barren, twisted, and full of ash. But amid the chaos, Raiden stood at the edge of the battlefield, his golden flames flickering with controlled power.
Across from him, Vaeryx stood tall, her figure outlined against the blood-red sky, her dark armor a stark contrast to the flames that burned in her eyes. Her banner, adorned with the sigil of the Phoenix, fluttered proudly above the soldiers who rallied beneath it. They had fought hard, and now, they stood on the cusp of victory.
Raiden's heart pounded in his chest as he locked eyes with Vaeryx. For so long, they had fought separately, each struggling with their own demons. But now, they were united—not as mere allies, but as forces that would change the world.
The Choice of Fire
Raiden could feel the Hollow Flame stirring within him, a force that sought to consume everything in its path. But now, after all that had happened—the death of the Hollow King, the betrayal, the struggle—Raiden knew the flame wasn't just a destructive power. It was a choice. A choice to rebuild, to renew, or to burn everything down.
He glanced toward Vaeryx, her fierce gaze unwavering. She had always been a beacon of hope for him, even when his own heart was lost in the fire. And now, with her at his side, he could feel that same hope stirring in his chest.
"Vaeryx," Raiden called, his voice carrying across the winds that howled through the field. "The time has come. We fight not to conquer, but to create."
Vaeryx nodded, her expression fierce yet filled with understanding. "Then let the flame burn for something greater."
The Rebel Forces Unite
As the words passed between them, the battlefield shifted. The soldiers of Vaeryx's rebellion, once scattered and divided, now moved as one. The enemy forces of Tyran and the remnants of the Hollow King's army hesitated, unsure of their next move.
For the first time in the war, the balance of power was tipping.
Raiden's flames rose higher, a towering inferno that lit the sky, but this time, the fire was different. It wasn't the all-consuming destruction he had once wielded. It was controlled, shaped by his will to forge a new path. As his flames swept across the battlefield, they did not destroy—they purified.
The soldiers of Tyran faltered in their advance as the flames danced before them, a wall of fire that pushed them back. But rather than retreat, they rallied, recognizing the shifting tides of power.
This was no longer a war for control. It was a war for reconstruction, for reclamation of a world left in ruin by greed and corruption.
The Battle Rages On
Vaeryx led the charge, her soldiers following her without hesitation. The battle between the armies of Tyran and the Phoenix Rebellion raged on, with Raiden at the center of it all. His flames encircled him, a protective barrier that allowed him to move with fluid grace across the battlefield.
Raiden fought not just with his power, but with his will—each strike an echo of the choice he had made to shape his future. He was no longer a prince of destruction. He was a warrior of renewal.
As he advanced, his golden flames illuminated the path ahead, cutting through the darkness of the battlefield. His mind raced, strategizing, calculating, and always remembering the one true goal: to rebuild.
The Shattered Forces of Tyran
At the head of Tyran's forces stood General Orin, a man whose reputation had been built on brutality and fear. But as the flames surged toward him, he saw the inevitable. The Hollow King's power was gone, and with it, the foundation of the army he had once commanded.
Orin's eyes narrowed as he saw Raiden's approach. The air itself seemed to crackle with the raw power emanating from the Scorched Heir. He had once feared the Hollow King, but now, he feared Raiden even more.
"You should have fled when you had the chance, General," Raiden called, his voice cutting through the din of battle.
Orin's eyes flickered, but he stood his ground. "I do not run from a fight, boy," he snarled, raising his sword. "We'll see if your flames can match my steel."
The Final Duel
Raiden stepped forward, his flames flaring in intensity, but he held himself back. He wasn't here for mindless destruction. He wasn't here to burn the world down. He was here to end it—to end the cycle of power that had left the world in ashes.
"You've been given a choice, General," Raiden said, his voice firm, but not cold. "This isn't a fight for dominance. This is a fight for the future."
Orin raised his sword and lunged, but Raiden was faster. He sidestepped the blow and reached out with his flames, enveloping the blade in golden fire. The steel melted in his grasp, the heat bending it into molten liquid.
"You'll never control this world again, General," Raiden declared, his voice steady and unyielding. "This flame will burn away all that remains of the past. A new world will rise from the ashes."
The Turning Point
As Raiden stood victorious, the remnants of Tyran's forces began to falter. The power of the Hollow Flame, controlled and focused, had shifted the balance of the battlefield. Tyran's soldiers, now leaderless and in disarray, began to retreat.
But Raiden knew the fight wasn't over. The real war—the war for the soul of the world—was just beginning. This battle had been the first step, and now, he had to ensure the flame would burn for something greater than power.
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(To be Continue...)