Chapter 2569: Story 2570: The Battle of Seven Hearts

The crimson wave erupted across the black plain.

It moved like an endless ocean of darkness, swallowing mountains, ancient ruins, and everything caught within its path.

Victoria Kane stood at the center of the storm.

Her seven radiant wings stretched across the crimson sky, each carrying the power of one ancient virtue.

The Dawnblade burned brightly in her hands.

"Hold the line!"

Arkon raised his enormous sword.

A golden barrier appeared before the seven successors.

The crimson wave struck.

BOOM!

The impact shook the entire realm.

Arkon slid backward, his feet carving deep trenches into the black ground.

Seraphine lifted her crystal bowl.

"Compassion!"

Silver light flowed through the barrier, strengthening everyone connected to it.

Cole Mercer felt the warmth surge through him.

He smiled.

"Now that’s teamwork."

Thalen drew his radiant bow.

"Hope."

His arrow flew into the darkness and exploded into thousands of golden sparks.

Every spark became a tiny light.

Lucas stared upward.

"He made the darkness smaller."

Thalen smiled.

"Hope does not destroy darkness."

"It shows others where to stand."

Lucas immediately raised his own bow.

"Then I’ll stand with you."

He released three radiant arrows.

The darkness split apart.

Cole fired through the opening.

Selene and Roland charged forward, cutting through crimson roots that crawled toward the successors.

Above them, Azrakar released a thunderous roar.

The ancient guardian slammed its enormous fists into the ground.

Golden memories erupted across the battlefield.

Forgotten civilizations appeared within the light.

Their voices echoed through the realm.

"We remember."

"We remember."

"We remember."

The First Hunger screamed.

"Silence!"

A violent shockwave exploded outward.

Azrakar was thrown across the plain.

Victoria flew toward him.

"Azrakar!"

The guardian crashed against a distant mountain.

Golden cracks spread across its ancient body.

Victoria placed her hand against its stone hide.

"You protected memory."

"Now memory will protect you."

Golden symbols awakened across Azrakar’s body.

The cracks slowly closed.

Nearby, Ordan raised his enormous shield as another crimson wave approached.

Cole rushed toward him.

"Need help?"

Ordan smiled.

"That is what sacrifice means."

He planted his feet firmly.

The attack struck.

The shield absorbed the entire force and redirected it toward the heavens.

The crimson energy exploded like a dying star.

Father Gabriel looked toward Malachor.

"Can wisdom defeat something like this?"

Malachor shook his head.

"Wisdom does not defeat."

"It reveals what must be done."

He pointed toward the enormous crimson eye beneath the earth.

"Look closer."

Victoria turned.

Seven enormous chains surrounded the eye.

Ancient symbols covered each one.

Dr. Evelyn Brooks opened Elias Crow’s journal.

The pages filled rapidly.

The First Hunger cannot be defeated while the Seven Seals remain broken.

Evelyn’s eyes widened.

"The guardians were never meant to destroy it."

"They were meant to seal it."

Victoria understood.

"So that’s why it wanted the Living Dawn."

Nox’Rath nodded.

"It needs your power to complete itself."

Victoria raised the Dawnblade.

"Then we’ll give it something else."

The seven successors gathered around her.

Courage.

Compassion.

Hope.

Sacrifice.

Freedom.

Wisdom.

Memory.

Seven streams of light connected their hearts.

Victoria thrust the Dawnblade into the ground.

Golden chains erupted across the battlefield.

They wrapped around the crimson roots and descended beneath the black plain.

The First Hunger roared.

"YOU CANNOT BIND ETERNITY!"

Victoria stared into its enormous eye.

"We aren’t binding eternity."

"We’re giving it a choice."

The seven golden chains reached the eye.

One by one, the ancient seals began to reform.

Then...

A black crown appeared above the crimson eye.

Victoria froze.

Nox’Rath whispered,

"Valerius."

A familiar voice echoed across the realm.

"You thought I abandoned my throne?"

The First Hunger’s eye widened.

Crimson energy surged through the crown.

Valerius’s laughter filled the sky.

"The Hunger was never my weapon."

A terrible silence followed.

"It was my prison."

The seven seals suddenly shattered.

The entire realm began collapsing.

And from beyond the crimson sky...

Valerius returned.

Not as a king.

But as the prisoner who had finally been released.