Interlude – Chapter 26: The Night Before the Storm
The trials were complete. The flames of 11 powerful women now danced within the core of Eric Aivor's being—each unique, divine, and fiercely loyal.
The Trial Plane, once a battleground for pain and growth, had reshaped itself once more—this time into a sprawling celestial palace hovering above a lake of stars. Crimson skies shimmered overhead, and the moon bore Eric's sigil: a dragon wrapped in scarlet flame.
They gathered here—Rias, Grayfia, Shiva, Death, Sun, Creation, Astaroth, Akeno, Koneko, Yasaka, and Ophis—each of them having faced their deepest truths. And now, for the first time, they could breathe as one.
The grand hall pulsed with soft magic. There was no throne—Eric refused one. Instead, he stood in the center, dressed not in armor, but in a deep crimson robe etched with draconic glyphs. His aura was calm, his eyes… human.
They didn't surround him as servants or subordinates.
They stood with him as equals, each one bearing a trial-mark etched onto their skin, glowing softly in the presence of the others.
Rias stepped forward first, her fingers brushing his. "We were 11 flames, and now we're one hearth."
Grayfia nodded. "He didn't just guide us. He saved us—from ourselves."
Shiva smirked. "I was a goddess of war… now I'd burn a cosmos just to keep this peace alive."
Akeno reached out and laced her fingers through his. "I never thought I'd find forgiveness. You gave it without judgment."
Even Death, usually silent, spoke. "I once walked alone between realms. Now… I follow your steps willingly."
Koneko stood close, her tail swaying. "You never asked us to change. You just saw us."
Ophis spoke last. "He gave silence meaning. I do not understand love… but I feel it. That is enough."
Eric looked at all of them, his heart full.
"I never wanted to rule. I just wanted to protect," he said. "But you all showed me what I was missing. A king isn't defined by strength… but by the hearts that stand with him."
He extended both arms.
And they came to him—every one of them.
They encircled him, arms wrapping around one another, no distance between them. Magic shimmered around them, drawing their souls closer. The flames from their trials lifted skyward, spiraling into a great scarlet star that hovered above the palace.
The Scarlet Dragon King stood at its center—not just a warrior, not just a legend—but a man who had earned the love of goddesses, queens, and primal forces.
And in the silence that followed… he whispered one truth to them all.
"No matter what comes next, we face it together. You are my heart, my flame… my family."
The storm was coming. But now, he didn't face it alone.