Seraphina hovered high above the grand healing sanctum in the Celestial Palace, cradling Lumina’s broken body in her arms. Ever since Lumina got hurt she has finally shown herself to the world. Well, she needed to save her niece and the worst part was she couldn’t be taken away from the Celestial realm because she would be exposed to more beings that don’t want the existence of Lumina.

Silver and violet energy crackled around them both. She closed her eyes and unleashed her full power without reservation.

Wave after wave of light blasted into Lumina. The first surge mended shattered bones with audible cracks.

The second surge closed deep wounds and restored torn flesh. Surge after surge followed, each one stronger and brighter than the last.

The sky above the palace split open with light. Silver flames danced across Lumina’s skin as Seraphina poured centuries of accumulated power into her niece. The entire sanctum trembled.

For the first time in her life, Lumina’s body glowed with pure, unrestrained enchantress light.

Seraphina’s face tightened as sweat beaded on her forehead. She channeled even more power, determined to bring her niece back from the edge of death.

A sudden chill swept through the sanctum.

Seraphina’s eyes snapped open. She sensed them before they appeared.

The Three Sages arose at the far end of the hall, their milky white eyes glowing with cold starfire.

"Stella..." Seraphina called Stella, who fell to her knees, even though Stella was sure that Seraphina was to be trusted it still didn’t hide the fact that she feared Seraphina.

"So this is where the last rat hides," the first Sage rasped, his voice like grinding stones. He stepped forward slowly, black robes trailing across the marble.

The second Sage laughed, a dry, mocking sound. "Look at you, Seraphina. Still playing mother to abominations. How pathetic."

The third Sage tilted his head, studying Lumina’s glowing form. "Hand over the girl. Her blood belongs to us. We will purge the abomination once and for all."

Seraphina gently lowered Lumina onto a raised crystal platform. She turned to face the Sages, her silver hair whipping in the wind of her own power. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Stella," she called again without looking back, her voice steady and commanding. "Protect Lumina with everything you have. Do not let them touch her."

Stella stepped forward, drawing her blades with trembling hands but fierce determination.

Seraphina walked out to meet the Three Sages in the center of the sanctum. Her hands glowed with lethal silver light.

"You will not have her," Seraphina declared. "It will be over my dead body." Even though Seraphina feared that most of her powers had been used to save Lumina and she wouldn’t be able to fully face the three sages she was still not backing down.

The first Sage smirked. "That can be arranged." Without warning, the fight exploded.

The first Sage thrust his hand forward. A torrent of chains erupted from the ground, whipping toward Seraphina like living serpents. She spun gracefully, releasing a crescent wave of silver fire that shattered the chains mid-air.

The second Sage attacked from her left, summoning swirling orbs of starfire that rained down like meteors. Seraphina raised both hands and created a shimmering shield that absorbed the impacts before exploding outward, forcing the Sage to leap back.

The third Sage moved with terrifying speed. He appeared behind her and slammed a palm strike infused with crushing gravitational force into her back.

Seraphina cried out as she smashed into a pillar, cracking it down the middle. She pushed herself up immediately, blood trickling from her lips, and retaliated with a blazing beam of pure enchantress energy that forced all three Sages to scatter.

For several minutes, Seraphina held her ground. She moved like a storm of silver light, dodging, countering, and landing powerful strikes. The sanctum walls cracked. The floor split open. Her power lit up the entire chamber.

But the Sages were ancient for a reason.

They began coordinating. The first Sage bound her legs with void chains while the second bombarded her with starfire orbs. The third Sage slammed her repeatedly with gravitational pulses, crushing her body from all directions. Seraphina fought viciously, tearing through their spells and landing deep cuts across their robes, but she was tiring.

One final combined assault struck her. Void chains wrapped her arms. Starfire burned her shoulders. Gravity crushed her downward. Seraphina dropped to one knee, breathing hard, blood flowing freely from multiple wounds. Her silver glow flickered.

The Three Sages approached slowly, their milky eyes triumphant.

"Now," the first Sage hissed, "we take the girl."

They turned toward the crystal platform where Lumina lay unconscious.

Stella charged forward with a desperate cry. She fought bravely, slashing at the Sages with enchanted blades and throwing protective spells. But she was no match for them.

The second Sage backhanded her with a starfire orb. The impact sent her flying. The third Sage followed with a gravitational slam that crushed her against the wall. Stella slid down, coughing blood, her body broken.

She still tried to rise and the first Sage ended it with a void spear through her chest. Stella gasped, eyes wide with pain, then went still. Her blood pooled across the floor.

The Sages stepped over her body and moved toward Lumina.

At that exact moment, the sky outside shattered.

A deafening chorus of roars shook the entire Celestial Realm. Seven massive dragons burst through the clouds for the first time in the realm’s ancient history.

Their scales gleamed with starlight. They descended like living calamities, wings generating hurricane winds that shattered windows across the palace.

The dragons opened their jaws and unleashed a unified blast of dragon fire. The flames, infused with celestial and Drakonis power, engulfed the Three Sages before they could react.

They all screamed as the fire burned through their protections. Their robes ignited. Their skin blistered and charred.

They tried to flee, but the dragons circled and bathed them again in merciless flames. The Sages burned brutally, their screams echoing across the sanctum until only charred remains hit the ground.

The dragons then turned their attention to the platform.

The largest dragon lowered its head and gently lifted Lumina’s body with careful claws wrapped in controlled fire. The other six formed a protective formation around it.

Ashen appeared at the entrance of the sanctum, badly injured and swaying on his feet. Blood soaked his clothes. Deep gashes covered his arms and chest. Yet he staggered forward with pure determination.

He reached the platform, looked at Stella’s lifeless body for a painful second, then climbed onto the largest dragon’s back. With great effort, he took Lumina’s body into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.

Nobody could stop them, not even Seraphina had the power to stand.

The seven dragons rose into the sky with powerful beats of their wings. They carried Ashen and Lumina high above the Celestial Realm.

Their roars shook mountains. They flew in a wide, majestic arc across the entire capital, circling the realm once, twice, three times. Each circle sent waves of power across the land.

On the seventh and final circle, the sky tore open with brilliant silver and crimson light. The dragons released one last unified roar that vibrated through every soul in the Celestial Realm.

Then they ascended through the rift, carrying Ashen and Lumina’s bodies away to safety.

Seraphina, barely conscious on the floor, watched them disappear with a faint, bloodied smile.

"Elena... this might not be the happy ending I always prayed for them. It is far from perfect. But I truly hope they will have the best life together from now on."

She closed her eyes, a faint, bittersweet smile touching her lips.

"No more war or adult interventions. Just the two of them... free to choose their own path, their own future."

Seraphina let out a tired breath.

"Perhaps forcing her to get MARRIED TO THE DRAGON PRINCE AGAINST HER WILL wasn’t as cruel as I once believed. Maybe this was the only way they could finally be together without the world trying to tear them apart."

She opened her eyes one last time, gazing at the fading silhouettes in the distance.

"Live well, Little ones."

THE END