NOVEL NEXT Chapter 74: The Choice Made
Scene 1 – The Aftermath of Light
The golden explosion tore the void apart, a storm of fire and light that blinded eyes and deafened ears.
Kaelina felt herself slammed backward, chains tearing at her arms as if they wanted to rip her apart. The blast filled her lungs with heat, her skin stung with sparks. She coughed violently, choking on the metallic taste of blood as the roar of destruction faded into suffocating silence.
Her body trembled, pinned under the weight of half-shattered shackles still smoldering with golden fire. Every breath burned.
And then—through the haze, she saw him.
Jemil.
His silhouette stood at the heart of the devastation, hand still raised, glowing, trembling. His body was hunched like a man bearing the weight of a world, golden fire crawling across him in jagged veins. The curse's burning mark seared against his chest, pulsing in time with the colossal predator-blade that loomed behind him.
But what had he chosen?
Her heart raced. Did his hand close around the blade's hilt… or around her chains? The haze refused to give her the answer.
The predator's voice slithered into her skull, smooth as silk, sharp as knives.
Ahhh… the Chainbreaker chooses. But what is choice, little swordswoman? A vow is nothing but a wish whispered in fear. A chain, however… endures.
Kaelina bit her lip, blood spilling, eyes locked on Jemil. "Don't you dare…" she rasped.
The silence thickened, pressing like a weight against both their hearts.
Scene 2 – Suspense of the Choice
The haze wouldn't clear. It curled like smoke, deliberately veiling Jemil's decision.
He staggered forward, his body wracked with tremors. The curse crawled across him like molten chains, each vein glowing, each breath breaking. His fingers twitched violently, as if his own body resisted his will.
Kaelina strained against the shackles still wrapped around her wrists, her arms raw and bleeding. "Jemil… tell me you didn't," she whispered, her voice breaking.
The predator chuckled, its voice a storm of echoes.
Why ask him? Look at the mark. It burns because he obeyed. Because he is mine. Feel it in your chest, little vow-keeper. The bond you cling to—already unraveling.
Kaelina's teeth clenched, fury igniting in her eyes. "No. He's stronger than you. Stronger than this cursed lie."
But even as she said it, her heart faltered. She could see his body shaking, his lips parting in agony. His voice cracked as he forced out a single word—one that broke her breath in two.
"…Kaelina…"
She choked back a sob. Her vow had never felt so fragile.
The haze thinned slightly. Enough to show his outline—arm outstretched, hand clenched. Yet whether around the hilt or her chains, she could not see.
The predator's whisper curled around her ear, intimate, poisonous:
You want him to resist. You want him to choose you. But tell me, girl—when his vow shatters under fire, will you still bind yourself to ashes?
Kaelina shook her head violently, fighting the words back. "He won't break. He's not like you."
But her heart hammered, the dread unbearable.
Scene 3 – The Choice Revealed
Finally, the haze began to break. Golden motes drifted down like dying stars. Jemil's silhouette came into sharper focus, and Kaelina's heart slammed against her ribs.
The predator's laughter crescendoed.
Now see. See the truth of your fragile vow.
And then the light revealed it.
Jemil's hand—was not on the hilt.
It was wrapped around the chains that bound Kaelina's wrists. His knuckles were bloodied, skin blistered from the curse's heat, but he held the shackles with a grip like iron.
Kaelina gasped, a sob ripping free. Relief and awe crashed into her chest so violently it nearly toppled her.
"Jemil…"
The predator's laughter cut off, sharp and bitter. Its voice rose in fury.
You spurn me? You deny power itself?
Jemil's jaw clenched, teeth grinding as the curse seared brighter across his body. His veins lit like molten fire, his chest nearly cracking under the burning mark. Still, he ripped the chains apart with a roar. Golden shards exploded outward, dissolving into sparks as Kaelina fell forward, freed at last.
She caught herself on her sword, gasping, her body breaking—but her eyes, her vow, blazed with pride.
Jemil staggered, his body aflame, every heartbeat pounding like a forge. He looked at her through the haze of pain. "I don't… need your blade," he spat at the predator, voice raw. "My vow is stronger than your whispers."
The void convulsed. The predator roared in fury, chains whipping violently, crashing like thunder across the chamber.
Then BURN with the vow you cling to!
The curse erupted fully, golden fire racing across Jemil until he looked forged from molten chains, his body cracking under the strain. He staggered but remained standing, his hand still outstretched toward Kaelina.
And in that searing, breaking moment—she knew without doubt. He had chosen her.
Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 75: Wrath of the Predator
The predator has been denied.
Jemil's choice shattered the golden shackles, defying temptation, and choosing Kaelina over the promise of eternal chains. But victory comes with a price—the curse burns hotter than ever, threatening to tear his body apart from the inside.
The predator does not retreat. Furious, humiliated, its blade trembles with wrath, chains multiplying like serpents, lashing to bind not just Kaelina but every wife who bears a vow to Jemil. The void becomes a battlefield where vows are tested not in whispers, but in war.
Kaelina's vow has been proven, but can it endure against the predator's full rage? Jemil staggers, his body aflame with the curse, every heartbeat hammering against the breaking point. The predator knows his weakness—and now, it will exploit the one truth even Jemil cannot deny: vows can inspire, but chains… chains never let go.
When the next strike falls, it won't be temptation—it will be annihilation.
🔥 The predator has dropped its mask—no more games, no more whispers. This is pure wrath, and Jemil must endure both the curse burning through him and the predator's full fury. Kaelina has proven her vow, but will it be enough when the void itself becomes their enemy?
⚔️ The battlefield of vows is about to erupt, and every strike could be their last. Don't miss the clash of wrath, vows, and chains—because this next chapter will decide whether Jemil's bond is his salvation or his undoing.
✨ Continue reading to witness vows tested, chains shattered, and wrath unleashed in Chapter 75: Wrath of the Predator!