Page 1:
Panel 1: Inside the Ember Vault, torchlight flickers across ancient stone. Armored warriors bow as Nyra leads Kael and Lira into the heart of the stronghold.
Crimson Flame Commander (to Lira):
“Your Majesty… welcome home.”
Lira (whispering to Kael):
“Why do I feel more like a prisoner than a queen?”
---
Page 2:
Panel 1: In a council room lit with blood-red glass, the leaders of the Crimson Flame sit in a circle. Kael stands protectively behind Lira.
Elder Flame (stern):
“The Hollow Crown grows bold. The Thorn Chain encircles the east.
If we strike now—with you at our front—we can reclaim the throne.”
Lira:
“You don’t even know who I am. I don’t remember ruling anything.”
Nyra:
“But your blood does.
And that’s all the throne obeys.”
---
Page 3:
Panel 1: Later, Kael storms into their shared quarters, throwing off his cloak. Lira follows, tense.
Kael:
“They want a symbol, not a person. You’re just a flag to them.”
Lira:
“I know. That’s why I need you beside me, Kael.”
Panel 2: He pauses, anger softening. She steps closer, hands touching his.
Lira (softly):
“Don’t protect me like I’m fragile.
Fight beside me like I’m yours.”
---
Page 4:
Panel 1: Silence stretches. Then he leans down, kisses her deeply—more urgent this time. A shared fire long restrained.
Kael (against her lips):
“You are mine.
But we burn together… or not at all.”
Panel 2: Shadows flicker around them as the firelight dims. Clothes fall. Touches become worship. Outside, snow begins to fall.
---
Page 5:
Panel 1: The next morning, Kael wakes alone. Lira is gone. A cold dread settles.
Panel 2: In a hidden chamber, Lira is seated before a glowing memory pool, surrounded by crimson priests.
Priest:
“We can awaken what sleeps inside you.
But memories come with pain.”
Lira:
“I want the truth.”
---
Page 6:
Panel 1: She touches the water. Flashes of a crown, a fire, a scream—her mother’s voice.
Panel 2: Suddenly—images of Kael as a child, hidden behind guards. Her father lifting a blade… toward a baby.
Lira (gasping):
“No… that’s not—”
---
Page 7:
Panel 1: Meanwhile, Kael confronts Nyra in a torch-lit corridor.
Kael:
“What are you hiding from her?”
Nyra (coldly):
“Truth. And love.
One will destroy the other.”
Kael:
“I’ll die before I let you use her.”
Nyra:
“You already are.”
---
Page 8:
Panel 1: Lira returns to Kael, eyes distant.
Lira:
“I saw something in the pool.
Kael… my father tried to kill you.”
Kael (quiet):
“I know.”
Lira (shocked):
“You knew?!”
Kael (pained):
“I was there. My mother died protecting me.
He called me a curse. A threat to the moonblood line.”
---
Page 9:
Panel 1: Lira steps back, trembling.
Lira:
“Then who are you, Kael?”
Kael (solemn):
“I’m not just an assassin, or a thief…
I’m the son of the man who tried to destroy your kingdom—
and the rightful king of the broken crown.”
---
Narration (final panel):
“Truth shatters. Love cracks.
And from the ruins… destiny rises with blood on its hands.”
---
[End of Chapter 9]
