NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: The Queen Descends
🌌 Scene 1: Tensions Before the Storm
The arena still echoed with the distant roar of the Beast King's trial, a spectacle etched into the memories of every soul across the continent. Jemil stood silently by the grand window of the palace's sky chamber, gazing at the swirling clouds that hovered over the floating citadel. His title as Mythical Beast Commander had spread far and wide, and yet the weight of that honor felt like chains tightening around his chest.
Vel'Zara's silhouette appeared in the shadows behind him, her wings folded neatly but her presence as sharp as the blade she wielded. Her voice cut through the silence like a whispered thunderstorm. "She's coming."
Jemil's hand tightened around his tea cup. "Who?" His voice was calm, but beneath it lay the flicker of a flame — unease, old and familiar.
Vel'Zara did not turn to meet his gaze. "The one you forgot. The oath you broke. But she never forgot you."
Outside, thunder rumbled deep and slow, a warning that churned the air even though the skies remained clear and starlit. Somewhere far beyond the floating arena, a storm was gathering — and it wasn't one Jemil could outrun.
💃 Scene 2: Arrival of the Storm Queen
A crack of violet lightning split the sky above the arena's center. Time seemed to pause as the portal shimmered open, its edges sparking with celestial energy. From within, a figure stepped forward — regal and fierce, draped in flowing obsidian robes that flickered with embers of flame. Her hair cascaded like silver fire, trailing behind her in waves that caught the light of the stars.
Around her, six ethereal swords orbited like moons, humming with ancient power. The crowd fell into stunned silence, whispers tumbling like shattered glass.
"Is that… Seraphira? The Queen of Zynhara?" a spectator gasped, clutching their companion's arm.
"She vanished five years ago — no one thought she'd ever return."
"Why now? Why here?"
Jemil's heart pounded as her gaze locked onto his. Those eyes were flames tempered by ice — familiar, yet distant.
"You abandoned our oath," Seraphira's voice rang out, clear and unforgiving. "You dared to form new bonds… as if I never existed."
Flare, standing close by, blinked in shock. "Hold up — that's another wife?!" Her usual playful smirk faltered for the first time.
Vel'Zara's lips curved in a bitter smile. "Technically… she was the first."
Jemil's soul nearly staggered. Memories he had tried to bury surged like a tidal wave — promises, betrayals, and the fragile threads of love torn asunder.
⚔️ Scene 3: Her Challenge
Seraphira stepped forward, the weight of centuries seeming to press down with her. But she did not come alone. From the portal emerged four figures — elite summoners sworn by a celestial contract, their eyes burning with loyalty and fierce purpose.
"I challenge Jemil of Riftbound," Seraphira declared, her voice steady as steel, "to a Judgment Duel. Should I win, your current contracts will dissolve. Your wives will return to their true beast forms."
Gasps erupted across the arena. The stakes had never been higher.
Jemil's gaze narrowed as he composed himself. "And if I win?"
A faint, enigmatic smile curved her lips. "Then I shall rejoin you… fully."
The air thickened with tension. Jemil's wives bristled, each radiating fierce protectiveness.
Kaelira's voice was low and threatening. "You don't just walk in here and claim what's ours."
Aezha's glare cut sharp. "We answer to no one — especially not a ghost from the past."
Mira stepped closer to Jemil's side. "He isn't a prize in your ego game."
Seraphira's gaze never wavered. "Then fight for him. Prove your worth."
With a ripple, the arena transformed. The floating battlefield was now a sprawling constellation of stars and ancient cosmic energy, constellations pulsing beneath their feet like silent judges watching over the duel.
"Summoner Jemil," a voice boomed, "choose your champions. You may not face this alone."
⚔️ Scene 4: Chaos in the Constellation Arena
Jemil's choices were clear. Flare, Vel'Zara, and Mira — embodiments of his passion, power, and purity — would stand with him.
Seraphira's team summoned beasts from realms long forgotten:
A massive Void Serpent, its scales shimmering with the darkness between stars.
A Sky Leviathan that churned the air with every beat of its colossal wings.
A Puppet Warden, strings of cosmic energy binding it to her will.
And a haunting mirror-clone of Jemil himself, a shadow forged from a timeline where darkness had consumed his soul.
The battle erupted in a storm of power and fury.
Mira's ethereal shields shattered Seraphira's illusions, bending light like fragile glass. Vel'Zara moved with lethal grace, weaving through arcs of lightning that crackled like silk threads. Flare summoned a blazing meteor, hurling it with reckless abandon into the Leviathan's massive form, sending it crashing to the ground in a shower of sparks.
Jemil faced his mirror self — a duel of wills and shattered futures. Their fists collided, reality bending around them with every strike.
"You're not me," Jemil growled, eyes blazing. "You're what I refused to become."
Calling upon his deepest bond, he unleashed Spirit Splitter: Mirrorbreak Fist!
The blow shattered the mirror realm, splintering his clone into shards of fading light.
With their leader defeated, Seraphira's champions faltered — one by one, they fell beneath Jemil's team's relentless onslaught.
👑 Scene 5: Heart Over Oath
Breathing heavily, Jemil stood over Seraphira, the storm of battle settling like a hush across the stars.
"You could've come back," Jemil said softly, voice cracking with years of buried pain.
She looked away, voice brittle. "You were supposed to wait. But you forgot me."
He knelt beside her, hands trembling. "No. I buried you… because I thought you died that day."
The silence between them was heavier than any war cry — a fragile moment suspended in time.
Then Jemil extended his hand.
"We can start again. No crowns. No thrones. Just truth."
Seraphira's gaze flicked to his wives, who exchanged hesitant nods.
Slowly, she took his hand.
And for the first time since her descent, she smiled — not as a queen, but as a woman reclaiming what was once lost.
💬 End of Chapter 20
📌 Call to Action:
🔥 What do you think about Seraphira's dramatic entrance?
💬 Drop a comment: Are you Team Seraphira or Team OG Wives?
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