Page 144 of The Curse of Golden Blood
The wind carried more than just sound as I flew. It carried the taste of blood and burning stone, the electric charge that preceded lightning, the metallic tang of power being unleashed without restraint. Something had gone terribly wrong in that palace of glass and light.
The palace grew larger as I approached, its impossible architecture becoming clearer with each wingbeat. Towers twisted toward the sky like frozen flames, their surfaces reflecting light in patterns that made my eyes water. Bridges of solid starlight connected the various wings, arcing gracefully through air that shimmered with residual magic.
Then I saw the breach in the throne room's wall. Glass and stone scattered across the courtyard below like deadly rain. Through the gaping hole, light poured out in waves so intense they turned the air itself visible.
I landed hard on the courtyard's marble surface, my boots skidding on debris. The heat hit me immediately, a wall of roasted air that should have been impossible for anything to survive. But through the shimmering distortion, I could see two figures suspended in midair.
Miralyte floated at the center of a miniature sun, her body wreathed in flames that put the actual star to shame. Light poured from her skin like liquid gold, forming patterns in the air that spoke of power older than kingdoms. Her hair had become strands of living fire, whipping around her face as raw energy crackled between her fingers.
She had ascended.
Across from her, matching her height above the ruined courtyard, Ylvena hung in the air like a second sun. The High Sovereign of the Sun Court had shed all pretense of mortality, her form blazing with stolen starlight. Wings of pure radiance spread behind her, each feather a concentrated fragment of solar fire.
Both of them were drawing power directly from the sun itself. The actual star above us flickered and dimmed as its energy was channeled downward, creating an artificial twilight that painted everything in shades of amber and blood.
"Magnificent," Ylvena's voice carried clearly despite the distance, each word edged with centuries of accumulated pride. "This is what you were always meant to become, sister. A goddess of destruction, finally embracing her true nature. Do you feel it, little sister? The rage? The need to destroy everything that has ever hurt you?"
"I am not your sister." Miralyte's response cracked like thunder, power rippling outward in visible waves.
Pelbie. I could see her body now, crumpled near the base of the ruined throne. Even from this distance, even through the heat distortion, the pool of blood around her was unmistakable.
Miralyte's scream of rage nearly shattered what remained of the palace windows. Light exploded from her in all directions, forcing us to shield our eyes or be permanently blinded. When the initial burst faded, she had grown brighter still,her form barely distinguishable from the raw power that surrounded her.
"You killed her to hurt me," Miralyte snarled, each word accompanied by another pulse of deadly radiance. "Just like you killed Emystra. Just like you killed everyone who ever dared to love someone more than they feared you."
"Love is weakness!" Ylvena's own power flared in response, creating a second sun that turned the twilight into something resembling dawn. "I have ruled for centuries without it. I have built an empire from strength alone."
"You have built nothing. You are nothing. A hollow thing wearing a crown that was never meant for you. I will burn your court to the ground!"
The two forces clashed in midair, light meeting light with a sound like the world ending. The courtyard cracked beneath our feet. Ancient statues toppled. Fountains evaporated instantly, leaving only scorched stone behind.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. This was not victory. This was exactly what Ylvena had orchestrated from the beginning.
The others had caught up, spreading out behind me in a defensive formation—the vessels who had trained relentlessly with their weapons of choice, Karys with her twin blades gleaming, Gryven's massive sword already drawn, Narietta's bow nocked and ready. The entire Thunder Court had mobilized, but none of us could approach the two ascending figures. The heat would have reduced us to ash before we took three steps.
I had never felt so utterly useless.
The energy was no longer contained to the courtyard. It was spreading outward in waves, consuming everything it touched. Trees withered to ash. Stone crumbled to dust. The very fabric of reality began to fray at the edges.
"Mira." I pushed myself upright, fighting against the hurricane of power that threatened to tear me apart. "Mira, stop."
She did not hear me. Could not hear me. The rage had consumed her entirely, and with it came power beyond anything the world had ever known. Power that would level mountains, drain seas, turn cities to memory.
"This is not you," I shouted over the growing maelstrom. "Mira, look at me. This is not who you are."
Ylvena's laughter rose above the chaos, triumphant even as her own form began to dissolve in the face of such overwhelming force. "She cannot stop now. The rage has her. It will consume everything, just as I knew it would. My greatest victory."
I stumbled forward, wings spread for balance against the winds that could have shattered stone. Every step was agony. Every breath burned my lungs. But I had to reach her.
"Mira," I called again, closer now. Close enough to see the tears streaming down her face even as power poured from her like liquid starlight. "Please. "
The power continued to build. Continued to spread. If she did not find control soon, there would be nothing left to save.
"Let her go, Ylvena!" The words tore from my throat before I could stop them. Both figures turned toward me, their attention like the weight of falling mountains. "It is I whom you want, is it not? Take me. Leave her be."
"Your turn will come soon enough, Lord of Thunder. But first, I will finish what I started here."
She raised her hands, gathering power for what would surely be a killing blow. Light coalesced between her palms, taking the shape of a spear that could have pierced the heart of the world itself.
