Location: The Emberfall Steps – Two Days Before the Eclipse
POV: Caelis Thorne
The wind howled with the voices of the dead.
Caelis stood atop the flame-worn stairs of Emberfall Keep, his gaze fixed on the endless horizon where storm clouds boiled violet. Lightning flashed in silence. Not thunder—but a warning.
Thamaris was coming.
And with it, the unraveling of the world.
He turned to the crowd gathered below—the lords and warriors who had once knelt to different kings. Now, they faced him. Waiting. Some with awe. Others with fear. A few with hate.
No one wanted to follow a vampire who had once bathed in royal blood.
But Caelis didn't need their faith.
He needed their fire.
---
The Blade-Swearing
He drew his twin swords—one forged in cursed silver, the other in nightsteel bound with emberglass. Both had spilled blood for vengeance.
Now, they would bleed for survival.
"I will not promise victory," he said, voice like thunder breaking stone. "Not against a curse that devours reality. But I will promise one thing…"
He stepped forward, blade lifted.
"If Thamaris means to remake this world in darkness—then we will burn it first."
A hush fell.
Then a slow rise—cheers, weapons raised, war drums echoing.
The Ashbound Legion was reborn.
---
Unlikely Alliances
He met with the surviving factions behind closed walls:
Vensari Witches, their eyes glowing with stormlight, bringing spells long-buried.
Ironhowl Pack, the werewolf clan who once hunted him, now kneeling to the greater threat.
Crimson Seers, blind prophets who foresaw the death of time itself.
All agreed to one thing: the war wasn't for land or power.
It was for the soul of existence.
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A Message from the Edge
A raven arrived that night—its feathers smoldering.
It carried no letter. Just a rune, burned into its skin.
Ashren's mark.
Caelis clenched the hilt of his blade.
"He's close," he muttered.
And she is with him.
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Final Scene – Before the Eclipse
On the final night before the blood eclipse, Caelis stood atop the battlements.
Below him, the army waited.
Above him, the stars dimmed—one by one.
Behind him… Seris dreamed in flames.