NOVEL WEB Chapter 60: The Blood Oath
Recap – Chapter 59: The Fracture Beneath the Throne
In Chapter 59, Kai made a choice that changed everything.
Inside the ancient Hall of Echoes, where centuries of forgotten power had lain dormant, Velis attempted to seize divinity by merging with the godseed. She stood poised for transcendence—eyes burning with corrupted desire, cloak caught in a swirl of divine ash. But Kai, driven by a mix of instinct, fear, and raw willpower, made a devastating decision.
He didn't fight for control. He shattered the altar.
The explosion that followed was not just magical—it was personal. It scattered the godseed fragments, severing Velis' near-ascension and scattering divine energy into Kai himself. And though he survived, something inside him shifted. Permanently.
Back in Thale, the consequences rippled like tremors. The capital buzzed with whispers: What is Kai now? Mortal or god? Savior or ticking bomb? Every corridor was colder. Every ally less certain.
Nareth, ever the skeptic, challenged Kai's evolving power in open council. Lyra and Astra defended him publicly, but even their trust wavered behind closed doors. Loyalty hung by a thread, unraveling faster than anyone dared admit.
Velis, presumed defeated, lingered in the shadows. Her reflection appeared—if only for a moment—on shattered mirror glass. A haunting whisper: "You broke the godseed, but not me."
And so the chapter ended not in victory, but in fragmentation—of power, of loyalty, and of Kai's humanity.
The true war, it seemed, had only just begun.
Main story
Main Story – Chapter 60: The Blood Oath
I. 🏛️ The Silent Court
The great hall of Thale's inner palace was not made for silence—but tonight, it held its breath.
The war council gathered beneath the high, stained-glass dome, where light filtered in blood-red through depictions of ancient kings and forgotten gods. The long obsidian table reflected distorted images of those seated around it—ghosts within ghosts.
Kai stood at the head, cloak still torn from the battle in the Hall of Echoes, godseed markings faintly glowing across his neck and forearms. His presence was magnetic, terrifying—half man, half something else entirely.
Nareth leaned back in his chair, arms folded. His sword, still sheathed, was angled toward Kai like a threat that had yet to be spoken aloud.
"You carry the remnants of a dead god inside you," Nareth said. "Why should we trust that you haven't already become what Velis tried to be?"
Kai didn't answer immediately. His gaze swept across the room—to Astra, to Lyra, to Yuri, even to the younger generals who still wore bandages from the last battle. He looked tired. Not physically, but in the soul-deep way only those burdened with prophecy could ever be.
"I shattered the altar to stop her," he said finally. "And I'll shatter myself before I become her."
Lyra stood abruptly. "He risked everything to save us. If anyone here questions his motives, they're not paying attention—they're cowering."
Murmurs.
Astra nodded slowly. "The godseed may have changed him. But power only amplifies what's already inside."
"And if what's inside him is a crack?" Nareth asked.
There was no reply. Only the long sigh of torches burning too quietly.
The council adjourned in tension, unresolved and dangerous.
II. 🕯️ The Chamber of Runes
Later that night, deep within the belly of the palace, Kai stood before the Chamber of Runes—a forgotten place where old pacts were once made and older debts still whispered.
Walls of silver stone glowed faintly, inscribed with celestial glyphs that shifted when stared at directly. In the center was an altar—nothing divine, just a slab of dark stone with grooves for blood, water, and memory.
Lyra waited there, dressed not for battle, but for ritual. Her hood was down, revealing the full scar on her cheek—the one she never let heal with magic.
"I've never seen you hesitate," she said.
Kai didn't move. "This isn't hesitation. It's awareness."
"Of what?"
He looked at her. "That every oath binds something more than the people who swear it."
She stepped forward. "Good. Then you understand the weight of what I'm about to offer."
From her belt, she drew a ceremonial blade—jagged, curved, obsidian-tipped. She held it out to him, flat across both palms. "This belonged to my mother. She used it to swear loyalty to a king who broke her. I offer it to a man who might redeem us both."
Kai took the blade. His fingers trembled slightly—not with fear, but with the knowledge that this was not a vow he could undo.
He slit his palm first.
The blood fell on the altar, and the runes lit up.
Lyra followed, pressing the blade to her hand and letting it bite. She reached out, clasping his hand in hers. The mixture of their blood glowed—not red, but violet-gold, godseed-bright.
"I, Lyra Thorne, swear upon blood, blade, and memory to follow Kai to the end of the world or the edge of ruin—whichever comes first."
Kai repeated, voice low: "And I, Kai of Thale, bind myself to Lyra Thorne. In war, in truth, in betrayal—until the last mirror breaks."
The room darkened.
Not with shadow—but with silence. A hush so deep it felt like the world itself listened.
And then the altar pulsed once—accepting.
Kai stood alone for a long moment after the ritual ended, watching the blood on the altar slowly dry. It shimmered with residual energy, curling like mist across the stone as if reluctant to leave him. His heartbeat felt foreign in his chest—too slow, too deliberate.
He wasn't sure if the warmth in his veins came from Lyra's touch… or from the godseed still pulsing beneath his skin.
"Did you feel it?" Lyra asked softly, standing beside him now. "The magic didn't just accept us. It… recognized you."
Kai didn't respond right away. His jaw clenched. "I felt something," he said finally. "Like being measured."
She nodded. "You weren't just bound to me, Kai. That chamber—those runes—they awakened something in you. A mark."
"A mark?" he echoed.
Lyra traced a finger down the inside of his wrist, stopping at the edge of a faint glyph that hadn't been there before. It pulsed with soft violet light—just once—then vanished beneath the skin.
"I think you've just been claimed," she whispered, eyes wide with both awe and fear.
Kai pulled his sleeve down, breath unsteady. "By what?"
She didn't answer.
Somewhere deep in the palace, a bell chimed three times. Not the signal for a feast, nor alarm, but something older. A forgotten code.
A call not meant for ears—but for power.
III. ⚖️ Secrets Unravel
Outside the chamber, Astra watched.
She hadn't been invited. Not formally. But the magic tied to Kai's blood had called to her, painfully, across the palace.
She turned away before the ritual ended. Her lips moved silently in prayer—but her heart stung.
"I see now," she whispered to herself. "Every step forward with Kai means stepping away from him."
IV. 🧭 Nareth's Game
In the war map room, Nareth rearranged figurines on a carved board of the continent.
Yuri stood across from him, arms crossed.
"She's bound to him now," Yuri said. "And Astra will fade, quietly, the way loyal hearts do."
Nareth moved a silver piece—Velis' sigil.
"No," he said. "Astra will snap. And when she does, Kai won't see it coming."
"Cruel."
"Strategic."
Yuri leaned forward. "You think Astra is the key to breaking him?"
Nareth smirked. "I think emotions are weapons. And we've all been giving Kai too much love, and not enough war."
V. 🌑 Velis' Whisper
Far below, in the cursed mirror vaults where time bent like broken glass, Velis floated in a pool of shadow.
Ten mirrors surrounded her. One showed Kai. One showed Lyra. Another flickered with Astra—crying, alone in a chapel.
Velis smiled.
"Let them bind their blood," she whispered. "I'll bind their bones next."
Her reflection blurred—and in that moment, one of the mirrors cracked.
Not from pressure.
From prophecy.
End of Chapter CTA – Let's Set Fire to Fate
Another pact sealed. Another heart divided. Another war stirring beneath the surface.
📚 Add this book to your library to witness every betrayal, every kiss, and every god-forged twist as Kai's journey spirals into darkness.
💬 What do YOU think will break first—Kai's mind, Astra's loyalty, or Lyra's heart? Drop your theories in the comments. I'm reading every one.
🔺 Vote with your Power Stones if you crave more blood oaths, forbidden magic, and the next kiss that might just be a curse.
🔥 This is no longer a story. This is war. And together, we burn.
🔮 Preview – Chapter 61: A Prayer for Monsters
The blood oath is sealed… but peace has a price, and someone's already bleeding.
Astra won't sleep. Not after what she saw. Her prayer circle has turned cold, her visions clouded with symbols she doesn't understand. One name keeps echoing in her divine whispers—Kai—but this time, not as a savior.
As Kai and Lyra navigate their newfound bond, the political tides begin to shift. A council member vanishes. A traitor leaves behind a rune that only Kai can decipher… and it's written in Velis' voice.
And far across the fractured mirror lands, Velis prepares her next move—with a new pawn cloaked in light instead of shadow.
What happens when the only person who can destroy a god… starts believing they already are one?