the demon Prince's accidental bride

Throne Room – After the Fall

The dust hadn't even settled.

Lucien's motionless body lay cradled in Talia's trembling arms, his blood staining her golden armor. The throne behind her cracked again, whispering in ancient tongues.

The others stood frozen.

Even the Original King — centuries-old, master of rift and void — stared at Talia with something close to fear.

Because in that moment…

> Talia was no longer just a girl.

She was magic unchained.

Her golden aura turned blinding. Her eyes became orbs of light and darkness, swirling in eternal motion.

Mira (shielding her eyes): "What the hell is happening to her?"

Kael (softly): "She's becoming the Balance. The bridge between light and void…"

Talia stood up, gently laying Lucien down.

The entire throne room shook.

Talia (calmly): "You tried to break the world. You used love to poison power."

She looked directly at the Original King.

> "Now… I'll use love to destroy you."

The Original King raised both hands.

A storm of broken stars and shadows twisted around him. His voice echoed like thunder.

Original King: "You are just a girl! I have ruled time!"

Talia: "Then prepare to fall out of it."

She raised her arms.

And the world split.

The throne room disappeared. They were suddenly fighting across floating shards of reality:

A ruined battlefield with burning sky.

A frozen forest lit by moons.

A realm made of screaming mirrors.

Each time the King attacked, Talia matched him — not with just power, but with emotion.

His void blast met her grief.

His flame met her love.

His curse met her hope.

Kael jumped between shards, his blade infused with a dragon's fury, striking the King's leg, slowing him.

Mira cast illusions of past Kings around him, confusing his sense of time.

But the King still struck back — impaling Kael, slamming Mira through a shard.

Talia screamed.

She turned, seeing her friends fall… again. Her hands glowed too brightly. Her chest ached. Her legs buckled.

She wasn't sure if she was alive or just… burning.

Suddenly, a voice — soft, broken — echoed in her ears.

Lucien (from within):

> "You're stronger than him.

Not because of your magic…

But because of your heart."

Her breath hitched.

Talia: "Lucien…"

And just like that — she stood.

She summoned all the realms, all timelines, all the lives the King had stolen — and bound them into one final incantation.

Golden script spiraled in the air.

> "By love, by grief, by all I've lost —

I call the Balance.

Break this Crown."

The magic struck the King like lightning through soul.

He screamed.

His crown shattered.

His form dissolved.

The void… collapsed.

As the dust cleared, the throne shattered behind her.

Kael limped toward her. Mira clutched her bleeding side.

But all Talia could see was Lucien — still, cold.

She knelt beside him.

Talia (whispers): "You kept me sane. I never told you… but I loved you. I still do."

A tear fell on his cheek.

Nothing.

Another tear.

Suddenly—

> A faint glow in Lucien's chest.

His fingers twitched.

His lips parted.

Lucien (raspy): "…That better not have been a confession I missed."

Talia gasped, laughing through her tears.

Talia: "Lucien…!"

Kingdom of Ashenvale

The rift was closed.

The throne was gone.

But the people were rebuilding. Magic had been restored — not to rule, but to serve balance.

Talia now walked freely among the people, her magic no longer feared.

Kael trained new Guardians.

Mira opened a school for misfit spellcasters.

And Lucien… stood by Talia's side, still a shadow-born, but now free.

They sat under a moonlit tree, the stars above them restored.

Lucien: "So… what now?"

Talia (smiling): "Now we live. No crowns. No curses. Just us."

He leaned in closer.

Lucien: "Just us? Sounds dangerous."

She grinned.

Talia: "Good. I like danger."

They kissed.

Magic danced in the air.

And finally… peace.

Lucien's Fortress – Council Room

The atmosphere inside the ancient council room was thick with tension. The high glass windows flickered with flames, reflecting the fire sigils that now glowed on the wall—signs of a Demon Council summoning.

Talia stood in the center, wrapped in a black velvet cloak, her moon-sigil necklace glowing faintly at her throat.

Lucien: "You don't have to go. I can stand in for you."

Talia (smirking): "Last time you did that, three council members ended up in a healing pool for two weeks."

Lucien: "They tried to touch you."

Mira (walking in with a cup of chai): "Okay, okay, let's not repeat the lava-splash incident, shall we?"

Talia couldn't help but laugh. Mira's sass always lightened the mood, even in the darkest corners of the demon realm.

Talia (muttering): "I might be part goddess, part demon… but this realm is 100% drama."

Kael entered, his armor slightly dented, his hair tousled from sword practice.

Kael: "The council has made up their minds. If you don't show up, they'll summon the Eldritch Guard."

Lucien: "Let them try. I'll turn their summons to ash."

Kael: "Lucien, you can't burn every problem."

Mira (grinning): "Although it's kind of hot when he tries."

Everyone turned to Mira.

Mira: "What? I'm just saying the man looks good when he's angry."

Talia's laughter faded as her fingers traced the edge of her moon sigil. Deep inside, something was stirring. Memories she hadn't yet unlocked. Powers she hadn't yet dared to use.

---

Flashback – 17 Years Ago

A baby cried under the crimson eclipse. Irene—Talia's mother—stood alone in the temple, holding her in blood-soaked arms.

Priestess Aria: "You've cursed her, Irene. Born of moon and darkness... her fate is sealed."

Irene: "Or maybe... she'll be the one to break the curse."

Lightning cracked across the sky.

---

Present – Demon Council Grounds

Talia walked into the ancient hall, the floor glowing beneath her with fire runes. Twelve figures in hoods surrounded her, whispering incantations in a language she could barely understand.

High Demon Orax: "You are summoned, Child of Eclipse, to declare your loyalty—to demon blood or divine light."

Talia stood tall.

Talia: "I choose neither."

Gasps echoed. Orax narrowed his eyes.

Orax: "Then you choose war."

Suddenly, the flames around the room extinguished. A cold wind blew, and the moon sigil on her necklace burned blue. An ancient voice echoed—not from Talia—but from within her.

Voice (echoing through her): "I am not just of light or darkness… I am balance. I am rebirth."

The council members stumbled back.

Lucien (rushing in): "TALIA!"

But it was too late. Her eyes were glowing, her feet lifting off the ground. She was channeling something—someone—beyond herself.

---

Meanwhile, Back at the Human World

Mira's mom was making popcorn.

Mira's Mom: "You know… if the world ends, at least we'll have snacks."

Grandma Aria slapped the bowl out of her hand.

Aria: "This is not a TV show, Meena!"

Meena: "Says the woman who hides scrolls behind the spice rack!"

---

Back at the Council

Lucien grabbed Talia just in time, grounding her energy. Her body collapsed into his arms, unconscious but alive.

Kael: "What the hell just happened?"

Orax (pale and shaken): "The prophecy… it has begun."