Infernal Ascendancy
Chapter 54: Crimson Ascension

Chapter 54: Crimson Ascension

Val’Karas — Graveyard of Reason

The sky over Val’Karas never changed. It was stuck in a haunting twilight, smeared with shades of rust and deep violet. Thunder rolled across the heavens like a warning... but no lightning ever struck.

The land was dry and broken, riddled with glowing red cracks that pulsed like open veins—mana mixed with pain. Giant chains hung from the sky, some broken, others holding the bones of long-dead beasts with closed eyes, too old and forgotten to even remember their own names. Black spires stabbed through the ground like the spears of fallen gods, vibrating with corrupted divine energy.

A golden ripple in space opened with a low hum. A glowing portal emerged, and from it stepped Azreal, his long dark coat fluttering in the windless air. Floating beside him was a smaller figure, orb-like, with gentle blue runes circling its form.

Arian floated up and whispered, "My Lord... You shouldn’t stay here too long. This place—it isn’t natural. Not even for you."

Azreal looked up at the sky, silent for a second. Then he said coldly, "Then we’ll split up. We’ll find her faster."

Arian immediately objected. "No! My Lord, if something happens to you, there will be no one left to—"

"We move together, then," Azreal interrupted. "I’m not leaving without her."

The two moved through the silent, cursed land. Each step echoed like it was stomping on time itself. Faint whispers followed them, not from any mouth, but from the place itself—as if Val’Karas remembered every soul that had died here.

---

The Heart of Val’Karas

They reached the center of the realm.

In the middle of a broken plain stood a tall obelisk, ancient and pulsing with red light. Floating runes spun slowly around it, casting eerie shadows. A large magic circle was carved into the ground, bleeding a soft crimson glow into the air.

Azreal narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell was sealed here?"

Arian hesitated. "I... I didn’t think anyone could be sealed here. Maybe we should’ve brought Xaltheon."

"He doesn’t know this realm exists," Azreal said quietly. "That’s why I didn’t tell him."

"So this realm... it’s under the Third Gate, but even he—?"

"Yes. Now stop stalling. Can you track Aria or not?"

Arian hovered a moment, then glowed softly. "Trying... wait—her presence was here. But now—"

---

The Crimson Room

Far away, Aria’s eyes snapped open.

She was surrounded by flames. Holy flames. They danced wildly around her, but she couldn’t feel heat or pain—just... pressure. Like something deep inside her was waking up.

"What’s happening to me...?" she whispered. "It’s... burning... but it doesn’t hurt. Is this... death? No... It’s something else..."

The fire grew brighter, turning the entire room red and gold. She screamed as a sea of flames erupted from under her. It licked the walls, cracked the ceiling, and shattered the seals around her.

Watching from the shadows stood Sin, cloaked in dark red robes. A wicked smile played on his lips.

"Yes... This is it," he said, eyes gleaming. "The holy flames... The ones that will burn away the filth of this world. Burn, Aria. Burn like Azreal said... ’Burn Bright.’"

Her flames danced like they were alive, almost singing.

Just then, another figure approached Sin and whispered something in his ear.

Sin nodded. "Visitors, huh? Good. Let’s begin the next phase."

He turned back to Aria and stepped into the growing inferno. Two other figures joined him. Together, they formed a larger ritual circle around her. Flames roared again—and then, in a blink, they were gone.

Left behind were cloaked cultists, all kneeling, heads bowed.

"Our flame goddess... destined for our one true God. The one who will burn away the sins of mortals... and gods."

---

Azreal’s Room

Back in the room,tension was rising.

"There’s a traitor among us," Hulk said, fists clenched.

"I think so too," Sarah replied.

"Then we should stop Azreal from going to Val’Karas!" Hulk snapped.

"You’re too late," Sarah said, her voice calm. "He’s already there."

"Then we should warn Xaltheon—"

"He doesn’t know about Val’Karas."

Hulk turned pale. "Then what do we do?! Just sit around?"

Sarah spread a series of glowing papers across the table.

"These... are the files Azreal left behind."

Hulk scanned the words out loud:

Val’Karas... A land sealed away from the world.

Existing beneath the Third Gate of Hell.

A prison for broken laws, cursed gods, and silent screams.

The resting place of Y’tharion—the Exiled King of Hell.

Forgotten by the world, but not by fate.

Val’Karas is not just a prison.

It is a warning.

And now... it begins to awaken.

Hulk swallowed hard. "We can’t just sit here."

"You can’t follow him either," Sarah said. "You’d only get in the way. Our job... is to protect the gates."

---

Throne Room — Third Gate of Hell

High above, Xaltheon paced the throne room, his voice cold.

"Blight. Guard the gates. Double the patrols. Aria was taken right under our noses. That’s a stain on us all."

Blight nodded and vanished.

"We can’t let them gain another inch," Xaltheon muttered.

---

Fifth Gate of Hell

Dragos stood at the edge of the city, his cape fluttering in the dead wind.

"To all captains—Operation Shutdown is live. No civilians outside. Protect the women and children."

He looked to the crimson clouds above.

"Don’t die on me, Azreal."

---

Second Gate of Hell

"Everything’s ready, Lord Veymar," said a nearby guard.

Veymar grinned. "Good. Now, where can I find a little chaos to play with?"

---

Back in Val’Karas

Arian suddenly froze.

"My Lord... I—I can’t sense Aria anymore."

Azreal’s face darkened. "What?"

"I lost her. She’s gone. Not dead—just... blocked."

Azreal growled. "Then we search everything."

But as he stepped forward—his knees buckled.

"My Lord?!"

Azreal clutched his chest. His heart raced. The world began spinning. His breath grew heavy.

Then—his shirt burned away, and a strange mark on his chest pulsed with fiery light.

"It’s... it’s already activating?" Arian whispered. "But it was supposed to be dormant!"

Azreal fell to one knee, teeth clenched. "Not now—why now of all times?!"

He screamed as fire hissed from his body, smoke rising from his skin. The mark glowed brighter and brighter.

Then—the obelisk behind them began to glow.

Arian turned in horror. "No... Is it reacting to him? Is his mark... linked to the seal?"

But before he could finish his thought—

---

Final Gate of Hell — The Sealed Room

A burst of golden fire erupted.

Sin and the cultists arrived with Aria still engulfed in flames. She floated in the air now, her body shining, her hair turning to embers, her eyes glowing with divine fury.

Sin turned to a massive seal etched in the wall. "It’s almost time."

He walked over to Aria and drew a blade. Gently, he cut her palm. Blood flowed into a glowing tube. He walked to the seal and poured the blood on it.

The blood caught fire instantly.

Sin laughed. "This is it!"

Behind him, Aria screamed again as her flames exploded outward. Her chains snapped—one by one—until she floated freely, glowing brighter than ever.

The seal responded to her power, humming loudly, the magic circle spinning faster.

Her mark burned into her skin, spreading, changing. The same as Azreal’s.

The cultists chanted lowly. "She is the vessel... The flame goddess... destined to awaken our God..."

Back at Val’Karas

Azreal, lying on the burning ground of Val’Karas, clutched his chest as the seal behind him surged. The mark burned brighter. A memory flashed—of a woman with golden hair smiling at him.

"...Aria..."

Arian shouted, but his voice was distant.

The obelisk cracked.

Something inside was waking up.

Something... ancient.

And it remembered him.