The Hero’s Harem is Trying to Kill Him

Recap – Chapter 58: Velis Makes Her Move

The Hall of Echoes, long sealed by ancient powers and lost knowledge, finally opened again—and not by accident. In Chapter 58, we saw the return of a ghost from Kai's past: Velis, once the Sword of the Empire and his most trusted general, now transformed into something terrifying. Consumed by her visions of a doomed future where Kai would burn the world from atop a throne of ash, she made a deadly gamble—she would take the godseed, awaken its power, and destroy him before destiny could.

Kai, along with Lyra, Astra, and Yuri, braved the trials of the Hall's illusions. The altar did more than test their strength; it pulled at their secrets. Lyra relived the massacre that shaped her loyalty. Astra was forced to witness the exile of her ancestors. Yuri's silence hinted at a betrayal yet to come.

But the true confrontation was between Kai and Velis—not just physically, but emotionally. She did not hate him. She still loved him, in a way only war-forged souls could. And it was that twisted love that made her try to end him. Not out of cruelty, but out of mercy.

The battle between them ruptured the altar. Kai, forced to choose between killing Velis or letting fate run its course, did neither. He shattered the altar instead, absorbing a fragment of the godseed himself and dooming Velis to be consumed by the collapsing rift.

Her last words were not of rage. They were of warning. "You'll see," she whispered, "when the fire wakes up in you."

…something stirred.

Velis may be gone. But her war is only beginning.

I. Return to the Capital – The City That Feared Its Savior

Thale did not welcome its champions with cheers. No rose petals. No triumphant horns.

Instead, a dull wind swept through the cobbled streets, carrying the scent of ash and old blood. Citizens peeked from behind shutters. The priests offered no blessings. Children were ushered indoors.

Kai rode at the head of his weary group, but he didn't feel like a general.

His new armor, reformed by the collapsing godseed altar, shimmered in golds and blacks that changed color with the sky. No longer metal—it was something else. It whispered when he moved. It hummed even in silence.

A boy dropped a flower in front of Kai's horse. The animal froze, eyes wide with fear. The flower had burned to cinders the moment it touched the golden glow surrounding Kai's boots.

He dismounted quietly. Walked the rest of the way. Alone.

Behind him, Lyra's gaze flicked between the townspeople and Kai's glowing form. "They look at you like you're cursed."

"I feel cursed," Kai muttered.

II. The Council Convenes – Tension in the Throne Hall

The Citadel of Thale loomed as gray and cold as ever, but inside the council chamber, heat crackled—not from flame, but from the tension between allies.

High Consul Nareth stood behind the obsidian table, arms folded in his rich crimson robes, his expression unreadable.

"You return with the godseed inside you," Nareth began. "Velis is gone. Yet I sense her stain remains."

Kai didn't flinch. "She's beyond reach. The altar is destroyed."

"But the power isn't," Astra added, her tone sharp but controlled. "Kai absorbed it. And I believe he's the only reason any of us returned alive."

"That is precisely what concerns me," Nareth replied.

From the side, Yuri leaned into the shadows, his hand subtly tapping the hilt of his dagger.

Lyra slammed a fist on the table. "This is madness. We stand here because he saved us."

"And now he's no longer one of us," Nareth said coldly.

Silence. Heavy and brutal.

Kai's voice finally cut through. "Then maybe I was never yours to begin with."

III. Behind Closed Doors – Doubts in the Dark

That night, Kai stood alone on the balcony of the high tower, staring at the twin moons. His reflection in the window beside him flickered—not just with light, but with something else. His eyes—sometimes golden, sometimes void-black—kept shifting when he wasn't looking directly at them.

Astra joined him quietly.

"You're unraveling," she said.

Kai didn't deny it. "How long before I lose myself completely?"

"Maybe you already are," she whispered. "But… it doesn't mean you're lost."

He chuckled bitterly. "Is that how you justify staying near me? In case I need to be put down?"

"No," Astra said softly. "In case you need someone to pull you back."

IV. Lyra's Confession – Fractures in the Heart

Later, in Kai's private war chamber, Lyra finally confronted him. Her face was pale from exhaustion and fury.

"I had dreams," she whispered. "Of you. Not as the man I loved. As something else. Fire. Teeth. Wings made of screams."

Kai said nothing.

"I need to know," she continued, "if you're still in there. If I'm still fighting for the Kai I knew… or if Velis was right."

He stepped closer. Too close.

"I wish I knew myself."

She placed a hand on his chest, over the godseed's echo.

"Then don't lie to me. When the time comes… if you're no longer you… I'll be the one to end it."

He nodded.

And silently hoped it wouldn't be necessary.

Kai sat alone in the council garden long after the others had left, the ancient marble bench cold beneath him. It had once been a sanctuary—he remembered sitting here with Velis, long before she turned traitor. She had laughed then, her head tilted to the stars, free. Now her absence echoed louder than her betrayal.

The godseed inside him pulsed again. Not a throb, but a memory—hers. A fragment of Velis, sealed inside him like a splinter under skin.

He clenched his fist. Power had returned with him, but something else had stayed behind in that ruined altar. His certainty. His soul, maybe.

And yet, the throne called. The war whispered.

"Who am I now?" he muttered.

A sudden gust blew across the garden, scattering crimson leaves like falling embers.

No one answered. But something inside him laughed.

V. Flashback – The First Doubts of Velis

The fire crackled softly.

Years ago. Before the rebellion. Before any of it.

Kai and Velis sat in a ruined watchtower, sharing stale wine and stories. She had just earned her fourth star of command. He had just refused a king's offer.

"You believe in fate?" she had asked suddenly.

Kai scoffed. "No. I believe in action. In consequences."

Velis swirled her wine. "I used to think like that. But lately… I see threads. Invisible ones. Binding us to things we can't change."

"Then cut the threads."

"You don't cut fate," she whispered. "You fall on it."

That night, she kissed him.

Not from love. But from fear.

VI. Below the City – Velis Lives

In the lowest vaults beneath Thale, where even magic dared not whisper, a mirror cracked.

A whisper coiled from the darkness.

Velis stepped forward, bare feet on frost-kissed stone, her eyes entirely black. A crown of shadow rested on her brow.

"The fracture has begun," she murmured.

She raised her hand—and flames reversed, dancing downward.

Kai's heartbeat echoed in her mind.

"You absorbed the godseed… but it never stopped being mine."

She pressed two fingers to her lips and whispered: "See you soon, Commander."

Then she vanished into the mirror's reflection.

⚔️ A throne questioned. A soul unraveling. A shadow returned.

Kai's power has saved the kingdom—but it may be the very thing that destroys it.

Velis still moves in the dark. Lyra questions her loyalty. Astra keeps secrets.

And the godseed whispers louder with every breath Kai takes.

📚 Add this book to your library—because the storm that's coming will test every bond, every belief, and every vow.

💬 Sound off in the comments—is Kai becoming a hero, a monster, or something far worse?

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🔥 The world won't end with a sword. It will end with a kiss, a scream, and a god who forgot how to be human.

🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 60: The Blood Oath

A council divided. A kingdom unraveling.

As rumors of Kai's transformation ripple through Thale, an assassination attempt sends shockwaves through the palace—and it's not aimed at Kai, but at Lyra. The blade used? One forged in godseed flame.

While Kai hunts for the traitor within his inner circle, a mysterious envoy arrives from the East bearing a blood-soaked banner and a name long thought buried—Iraleth.

Astra receives a cryptic message from her fallen ancestors: "The fire awakens beneath the sea."

And in a secret sanctuary, Velis forges an unholy pact with the last surviving Herald of the End.

In Chapter 60, alliances will fracture, and the truth behind Kai's rebirth will finally surface—one betrayal at a time.

Next time: A dagger in the dark. A kiss that tastes like a curse. And a prophecy no one dares speak aloud.