Time froze the instant the Heartchain's tendrils pierced Lion's chest.
The Shadowheart met the ravenous filaments—but instead of being drained, it erupted in a corona of black-and-gold radiance so intense it seared the eyes.
The fifth chain shattered.
Selene's voice cut through the chaos: "A phoenix needs ashes to rise. A Shadowborn needs betrayal to awaken. Now—burn."
Her crystallized arm detonated.
Golden fire raced up the tendrils in a reverse cascade, flooding the Heartchain's core. Lion gasped as the heat hit him—not searing, but alive, weaving through the Shadowheart's darkness in perfect, furious harmony.
Marlena's scream pierced the air as the Heartchain unraveled. One by one, centuries-imprisoned Shadowkin souls burst free, streaking across the sky like meteors. The Dragon Queen's armor cracked, revealing withered hands clawing at her own face. "No... our agelessness—"
"There never was any." Lion's voice deepened, layered with the Shadow Prince's timbre. "Only theft. Only lies."
At the disintegrating core, the truth was laid bare—a still-beating heart encased in crystal. The first Archon's. Selene's flames coiled around it, yet hesitated.
"Mother..." The word was a breath, a eulogy. "Be at peace."
The heart crumbled to cinders.
And the volcano screamed.