THE LAST BELL

The Black Flame.

“Stay back!” Axel shouted as he rose to his feet.

His eyes burned with black fire. His veins glowed like hot iron under his skin. The shadows around him twisted and turned, wrapping around his body like armor. Dark claws grew from his hands, and black wings spread wide from his back.

The soldiers froze in fear.

Sophia, wearing her bone crown, raised her hand. “Attack him now!” she ordered.

But her army did not move. Their weapons shook in their hands, and some even stepped backward.

“Do you hear me?” Sophia screamed. “Attack!”

Still, the soldiers trembled. None dared to face Axel. His presence was too much, too powerful.

Mason stepped forward. His jaw was tight, and his fists glowed with his own magic. “If no one else will fight him, then I will.”

“Mason, don’t!” Chloe cried out.

But Mason did not listen. He charged at Axel, shouting with rage.

Axel lifted his hand. The black fire leapt from his body like a wave. It struck Mason in the chest.

Mason screamed in pain. The fire spread across his skin, burning through him, crawling deep inside his body. He fell to the ground, writhing and screaming. His eyes rolled back, and his voice cracked into silence.

The army gasped. Some dropped their weapons. Fear filled the air.

Chloe’s eyes widened. She could not move. She could not even breathe. Her heart pounded as she stared at Axel. She felt fear, yes, but also something else. Something she could not name.

“He… he is not human,” one soldier whispered.

“No,” Rowan shouted, his voice strong and loud. He pointed at Axel. “Don’t you see? He is the true heir. The one we were waiting for. The destined ruler!”

The army began to whisper among themselves. Some looked at Axel with fear. Others with awe.

But then, a deep voice spoke from the shadows.

The Keeper stepped forward. His cloak was long, his face hidden. His voice was like stone. “Do not be blinded. That power is not his. It is the curse. And the curse will eat him alive.”

Axel’s burning eyes turned to the Keeper. His chest rose and fell as he tried to hold the power inside him. “I control it,” Axel said through clenched teeth. “It obeys me.”

The Keeper shook his head slowly. “No. You are the one obeying it. You cannot win this way. The flame is not a gift—it is a chain.”

Sophia laughed loudly. Her bone crown burned red. Her eyes shone with cruel joy. “Yes, Keeper. Tell him the truth. Let him know that he is nothing but a puppet. A cursed puppet.”

Axel’s fists tightened. His wings spread wider. “I am not your puppet,” he growled.

Sophia smirked. “Then prove it. Save her.”

Everyone turned at once.

Chloe fell to her knees. Her face twisted in pain. She coughed, and blood spilled from her lips.

“Chloe!” Axel shouted.

She held her chest. The black fire spread from her heart, glowing through her skin. The same fire that burned inside Axel now marked her. It spread fast, burning lines across her arms and neck.

“No, no, no!” Axel ran to her, catching her before she hit the ground. He held her in his arms.

Her body shook. Her eyes locked on his. “Axel… it hurts.”

Tears burned in Axel’s eyes. “I’ll save you. I promise I’ll save you.”

Sophia laughed again, her voice sharp like broken glass. “Save her? You fool. Your fire binds her to you. If she lives, it is only because the curse wants it. The more it grows inside her, the more it consumes her. Just like it consumes you.”

“Liar!” Axel shouted.

Sophia tilted her head, smiling. “Then go ahead. Save her. But if you try, the flame will take you both. If you kill it inside her, you will kill yourself too.”

Axel’s grip on Chloe tightened. His heart pounded in his chest. His black fire flickered around them both.

“Don’t listen to her,” Rowan shouted. “You are the heir, Axel. You can control it. You must!”

But the Keeper stepped closer. His voice was calm, but heavy. “She is right. The flame is bound to you. It does not let go. If you try to pull it from her, it will burn your soul away.”

Axel shook his head. “No… There has to be another way.”

Chloe gasped in his arms. Her hand reached up, trembling, brushing against his cheek. “Axel… if saving me means losing you… then don’t.”

“Don’t say that!” Axel’s voice cracked. His tears fell onto her face. “You’re the only one who ever cared for me. I can’t lose you. I won’t.”

Sophia’s cruel smile widened. “Then watch her burn. Or burn with her. Those are your only choices.”

The black fire on Chloe’s chest grew brighter. She screamed in pain, her body arching in Axel’s arms.

“Chloe!” Axel shouted, shaking. “Stay with me! Please!”

The army looked on in silence. Some were frozen in horror. Others were waiting, watching to see what choice Axel would make.

Rowan clenched his fists. “You can’t let her die, Axel! If you lose her, then everything we fight for is lost!”

The Keeper’s voice cut through the air. “But if he saves her, he loses himself. The curse will take him, and the world will fall.”

Axel’s hands trembled. His wings twitched behind him. He felt the black fire grow hotter inside his chest. He felt it pulling him deeper, urging him to give in.

Chloe’s eyes fluttered. Her voice was weak. “Axel… don’t let it… take you…”

“I can’t lose you,” Axel whispered. He pressed his forehead to hers. His tears mixed with her blood. “I would rather burn with you than live without you.”

Chloe’s lips parted. A small smile touched them even through her pain. “Then… stay with me.”

The fire around them flared brighter, wrapping them both in its dark glow.

Sophia’s laughter echoed across the battlefield. “Yes! Let the curse eat you both! Let the world see the true heir fall!”

But Rowan shouted, his voice full of hope. “No! Axel, you are stronger than her lies! Prove it!”

The Keeper raised his hand. “Decide now, Axel. Save her and be consumed, or let her go and save yourself. There is no other path.”

Axel stared at Chloe, shaking, broken. His heart tore in two. He could feel the curse pulling him closer and closer into darkness.

But he could not let her die.

His lips pressed against hers, a desperate kiss, a promise through fire and blood.

Her body trembled in his arms. The fire on her chest spread faster, binding them tighter together.

“Axel…” she whispered, barely able to breathe. “What… will you choose?”

The black flame roared higher, surrounding them both. The army stepped back in fear. Sophia’s laughter grew louder. Rowan cried out for Axel to fight. The Keeper lowered his head, waiting.

And Axel, holding Chloe close, felt the curse sink deeper into his soul.

He had to decide.

Would he destroy himself to save her, or let the curse take her life?

What choice would Axel make now?