The city of Flammensang was bleeding magic.
From the towering Crystal Spires to the ash-strewn commons near the university walls, power shimmered in the air like a rising storm. Every House, every faction, every hidden sect moved their pieces across the grand chessboard — and at the center of it all, Maximilian Kriegswald stood like a burning brand no one could ignore.
Tonight would be the first real strike.
And not everyone would survive it.
The Summit of the Houses
Within the vaulted Chamber of Embers, the Summit of the Houses convened. Carved from obsidian and wreathed in living flame, the chamber was a relic from the Age of Creation, a place where once even gods had spoken.
Now, the nobility of Flammensang filled its blackened seats:➤ The Dawnborne, proud and haughty.➤ The Silberhain, cold and calculating.➤ The Morgensturm, ever the watchers in shadow.➤ And the Grauwind, wounded and vengeful after their losses.
The center dais remained empty—for now.
Maximilian stood in the shadows with Lirael at his side, both wearing the ceremonial garb of Independent Claimants. His name had been placed among the candidates for the Flamebound Heir, and tonight, he would have to make his first move in the political battlefield.
High Chancellor Drachenfels raised his staff, and the chamber fell into absolute silence.
"Let the War of Words begin."
Character Choice: Align or Defy
One by one, House Representatives made their offers: alliances cloaked in veiled threats.
➤ The Dawnborne offered wealth and armies—if Maximilian pledged loyalty.➤ The Silberhain offered forbidden knowledge—if he married into their bloodline.➤ The Morgensturm offered protection from assassins—if he swore to become their puppet.➤ The Grauwind offered vengeance—vengeance against all who had wronged him.
Maximilian listened.
Then, he stepped forward to the dais.
His voice was low, but the power behind it was undeniable. "I will swear to none of you."
A ripple of shock passed through the chamber.
"I walk a different path," he said, the faint gleam of Soulfire in his eyes. "And those who would shackle me—" his gaze swept across the assembly, cold as winter stars, "—will find only ruin."
The first real battle lines had been drawn.
He had made his choice.
Now, they would make theirs.
Battle Erupts: Blades in the Dark
That very night, under cover of mist and falling embers, the first assassination attempt came.
In the lower courtyards of the university, Maximilian found himself ambushed by a kill-team of elite mercenaries: seven figures wrapped in blood-slick runes and shrouded in the cloaks of the Nightbound Sect.
The leader stepped forward, his face hidden behind a golden mask."For your arrogance, Kriegswald. The Houses have decreed your death."
Maximilian summoned his Soulblade without hesitation.
The battle erupted in a storm of steel and sorcery.
➤ Blades that split the air itself.➤ Runes that unraveled spells mid-cast.➤ Shadows that consumed mana like starving beasts.
But Maximilian was no longer the boy who had entered the university gates.
He was evolving. Fast.
Channels of Stellar Threads spun around him, weaving armor from the fabric of the cosmos itself. His Soulblade sang as it cleaved through spell and flesh alike.
Still, he was outnumbered—and the assassins were prepared for him.
Betrayal Revealed: The Shattering of Trust
It was not the assassins that nearly killed him.
It was the betrayal.
Halfway through the brutal skirmish, Maximilian sensed it—a sudden void in the battlefield, a withdrawal of mana from his flank.
He turned, only to see Alwin, his supposed ally, his friend... stepping back. Disengaging.
Abandoning him.
Their eyes met—Alwin's filled with guilt, shame, and grim acceptance.
The realization hit Maximilian like a blade to the gut.
Alwin had made his own choice.
A choice that meant Maximilian was now truly alone.
With a roar of fury, Maximilian unleashed a Nova Pulse—a wave of pure Stellar energy that incinerated the courtyard's center, vaporizing several assassins in a heartbeat.
He fought like a star gone mad.
He survived.
Barely.
But something inside him had changed.
Something had died.
Aftermath: The Seeds of War
The sun rose over Flammensang the next morning, a sickly, blood-tinged light.
Whispers spread like wildfire:"An assassination attempt—failed!""Maximilian survived!""Alwin von Eibenwald—traitor?"
The Houses moved swiftly to distance themselves from the Nightbound Sect, but the damage was done.
The Summit was broken.The fragile peace between factions was shattered.And Maximilian... Maximilian knew that the next battles would not be fought with words or secrets.
They would be fought with blood.
He stared out over the city from his tower balcony, the scars from the night still fresh across his skin.
"I will not bend," he whispered. "Not to them. Not to fate. Not even to the gods."
Far below, hidden in the shadowed alleys, agents of forgotten powers stirred. The Forgotten Pantheon had seen the chaos.
And they smiled.
End of Chapter 33: The First Flames of Betrayal