Chapter 55: Embers and Shadows
The roar of the crowd, following the declaration of the draw, felt like a wave of fire and shadow spreading through the Citadel. For a moment, the multitude couldn't decide whether to cheer or remain silent: the combat between Eris and The Fallen had been so fierce, so visceral, that many took a moment to comprehend that they had just witnessed the birth of a double legend.
I. The Tremor of the Protagonists
Eris, still on her knees at the edge of the arena, felt her skin burn and her soul tremble. Sweat mixed with blood on her forehead and, for the first time in a long while, the fire inside her felt as sweet as it was painful.
The Fallen, with his side bleeding and the shadow fluctuating around him, fixed his gaze on Eris. There was no hatred in his eyes, only a spark of something more dangerous: respect and hunger for the future.
"We are not so different, Morningstar," he whispered, his voice a low lightning bolt. "Just different monsters."
Eris let out a hoarse laugh, a puff of scalding steam that dissipated part of the miasma.
"Then stay close. I need worthy monsters if I want to be a legend."
Between them, there was no friendship. Only the recognition of two fires that would never accept being extinguished.
The healers intervened, covering both of their wounds with spiritual ointments and bandages.
One of the doctors, while treating Eris's hand, murmured: "I have never seen anyone burn Vile Qi like you, miss."
Eris smiled, weary. "The trick is to burn the fear first."
II. Reactions of the Protagonists
Kael ran down the stands and knelt beside his sister, pride flickering in his golden gaze.
"I knew you would burn until the end, but..." His voice trembled, sincere. "Promise me that next time you won't let yourself be consumed just to defeat a monster."
Eris leaned on his shoulder, too exhausted to feign toughness. "I promise... but only if you promise you won't let the clan turn you into a marble statue."
Kael smiled, squeezing his sister's hand. "Statues don't roar."
Violeta and Lyra approached, exchanging looks of concern and admiration. Violeta, always serene, wiped a cold cloth over Eris's forehead. "You knew you couldn't win... and yet you gave everything."
Eris looked at her, defiant even in defeat. "That makes us Morningstar, doesn't it?"
Lyra nodded, with her own shadow dancing in her gaze. "And sometimes, you have to look monsters in the eye to remember who we are."
III. The Disciples and the Clan
On the upper balconies, the younger disciples argued heatedly.
"Did you see how Eris absorbed part of The Fallen's Qi and returned it as fire?" "And that last technique, the Lotus of Extinction? I didn't know it could break shadow."
A boy from the branch family, eyes shining with awe, murmured: "I want to learn to burn like that... but I also want to understand how The Fallen resisted without losing himself completely."
A young girl, an apprentice healer, added: "Maybe true strength isn't letting your power decide your path, but your will."
Bets for the upcoming duels skyrocketed, and rumors of alliances and internal challenges were already being heard: "Do you think you could face The Fallen and remain standing?" "Only if I have the whole clan covering my back, and even then..."
IV. Among the Outsiders
In the guest box, Lord Varian of the Star Ice Empire exchanged a tense look with his advisor. "The demonic lineage should never have prospered here," the old man whispered, unsettled.
Varian did not look away from Eris and The Fallen, both now surrounded by healers, both still vibrating with a Qi impossible to measure. "And yet, look how darkness and fire are forged into something new. Perhaps it is time to learn from the enemy, not just fear them."
Saira, the daughter of ice, gripped the scabbard of her sword. "I will never fear that which has the heart to challenge me like that."
A spy from the Western Empire was compulsively writing down every technique, every expression, every reaction. "The Morningstar tournament is a breeding ground for calamities... and miracles," he wrote, overwhelmed.
V. The Pillars, Mentors, and Strategists
In a side room, Cedric, Xylia, and Elowen were analyzing the duel:
"The Fallen absorbs and corrupts, but he also fears the void inside him," Cedric explained. "Eris forced him to fight with honor," added Xylia. "That is something not even the ancestors could achieve with demonic lineages."
Elowen, applying ointments to her own disciples, concluded: "The tournament is not just strength. It is memory; it is a promise not to repeat the same mistakes. If we forget the shadows, we will be lost when the true darkness arrives."
Kael joined the conversation. "Do you think The Fallen wants to stay now... or is he just looking for revenge?"
Cedric sighed. "Perhaps both. Or maybe, like everyone here, he just seeks someone to witness his struggle."
VI. The Council of Elders
In the hidden chamber, the elders debated in tense whispers: "Do we allow The Fallen to continue competing?" "What if his lineage corrupts the next generation?"
The voice of the Supreme Elder, more tired than fearful, put an end to the debate. "Today, both have shown the will to fight, not for destruction, but for belonging. The clan that fears its own shadow is doomed to extinction." "The tournament continues. Let the Morningstar legend embrace both the ember and the shadow."
VII. In the Shadows
The Fallen rested in the gloom of the infirmary, away from the noise. A trembling healer changed his bandage. "Does it hurt?"
The Fallen smiled, his eyes shining with a dark gratitude. "Only what is still worth it."
Lyra peeked through the threshold, hesitating whether to enter. "I saw you hesitate before the last strike," she said, finally.
"I hesitated because I never wanted to destroy, only to prove I exist," he admitted.
Lyra nodded. "No one here forgets those who roar in the dark."
He held her gaze for a moment. "Do you think the clan can forgive what I was?"
Lyra smiled faintly. "Here, no one is just what they were, but what they burn to be."
VIII. The Patriarch and the Promise
Alone in the tower, Samael meditated. The system showed him the threads of destiny, now more tangled than ever: "Eris and The Fallen have opened a fissure in the heart of the clan, but they have also woven a bridge."
He rested his hand on the railing, looking at the sleeping city: "Let the flame not be extinguished, nor the door to the shadow be closed. Only then will the Morningstar clan be eternal."
IX. Epilogue: Night of Embers
That night, the air smelled of ash and the scent of healing herbs. The apprentices dreamed of flames illuminating the darkness, of monsters choosing to protect instead of devour. Almost no one slept completely.
In the pavilion of the pillars, Eris opened her eyes when Kael brought her water. "Are you still there?" "Always," he replied, sitting beside her. "Do you think it was enough?" Kael didn't answer, he only squeezed her hand.
In the infirmary, The Fallen looked at the moon from his cot, feeling that, for the first time in a long while, the thirst for revenge could turn into something resembling hope.
Under the night, the Star Tree dropped a single incandescent ember and a black feather, intertwined in the grass, as an omen that the clan no longer feared roaring on the border between light and gloom.