CHAPTER 7 – The Sister Who Chose to Die
"NOW... CHOOSE WHICH ONE WILL DIE FIRST."
The voice of the ancient king echoed across the shattered cathedral.
Every stone trembled.
Every flame went dark.
Even time itself seemed to stop.
The gigantic armored hand reached toward Elena and Selene.
Neither sister could move.
Their Phoenix Marks burned so brightly that the entire cathedral glowed like the sun.
Adrian smiled.
"This is how every Phoenix bloodline ends."
He slowly walked toward the sisters, holding the ancient scroll high above his head.
"The King Beyond Death feeds on sacrifice."
"One sister dies..."
"The other becomes his Queen."
Selene tightened her grip on her sword.
She looked at Elena.
For years, she had dreamed of this moment.
She had imagined killing the sister who had stolen her life.
But now...
She saw something she had never expected.
Fear.
Not hatred.
Not arrogance.
Just fear.
Exactly the same fear she had felt as a little girl.
Suddenly...
Another memory burst into Selene's mind.
Two tiny hands reaching for each other inside a wooden cradle.
A silver bracelet broken into two matching pieces.
Their mother whispering,
"If you ever get lost... your sister will find you."
Selene gasped.
She reached into the armor covering her wrist.
Hidden beneath the leather was half of a tiny silver bracelet.
Elena instinctively touched the chain she had worn since childhood.
Without understanding why, she unclasped it.
It was the other half.
The two broken pieces floated into the air.
They clicked together by themselves.
A blinding golden light exploded across the cathedral.
Their mother's spirit burst into tears.
"The Promise Bracelet..."
"It remembers."
Adrian's face drained of color.
"No..."
"Destroy it!"
He lunged toward the glowing bracelet.
Too late.
The reunited bracelet released a wave of ancient Phoenix fire.
The ghost brides surrounding Adrian were instantly freed.
One by one, the women opened their eyes.
The darkness controlling them vanished.
Instead of attacking Elena...
They turned toward Adrian.
"You lied to us."
"You murdered us."
"You stole our souls."
Dozens of ghost brides surrounded him.
For the first time in his life...
Adrian looked afraid.
"No..."
"You belong to me!"
He tried reading from the ancient scroll.
But invisible hands grabbed his arms.
The spirits of every bride he had sacrificed dragged him to his knees.
The King Beyond Death roared in fury.
"You promised me the Phoenix Queen!"
Adrian screamed desperately.
"I can still give her to you!"
He reached for Elena.
Before he could touch her—
Selene stepped between them.
She raised her flaming sword.
Then...
To everyone's horror...
She turned the blade toward herself.
Elena's eyes widened.
"Selene! Don't!"
Selene smiled for the very first time.
A sad...
Peaceful smile.
"I spent my whole life believing I had no family."
She looked into Elena's eyes.
"But now I know..."
"I was never alone."
She turned toward the King Beyond Death.
"If a Phoenix must die..."
She took a deep breath.
"Then let it be me."
She drove the flaming sword into her own chest.
The world exploded in golden fire.
The King Beyond Death let out a deafening scream.
The Gate of Ashes began collapsing.
Adrian stared in horror.
"No..."
"That's impossible..."
As Selene fell into Elena's arms, the Phoenix Mark left her body like a blazing bird.
But instead of disappearing...
It flew into Elena's chest.
The two Phoenix Marks became one.
A pair of enormous golden wings burst from Elena's back.
The cathedral shook.
The sky split open.
And a voice older than time whispered from the heavens:
May you like
"The True Phoenix Queen has finally awakened."
To Be Continued...
