CHAPTER 63: CHAPTER 63 – THE WEIGHT OF CHAINS

Recap of Chapter 62: Chains of the Heart

The feast illusion shattered, and the Mistress revealed her battlefield: chains that fed on the doubts, fears, and jealousies within Jemil and his wives. Lyra’s fire faltered, Kaelina’s sword arm froze, and Nyssa’s illusions turned against her—all twisted into weapons of bondage. Yet Jemil refused to yield. He declared he would bear the weight of every doubt, every chain, if it meant protecting his wives. That defiance rekindled their bond, snapping the bindings the Mistress had set. But she only escalated, tearing the world open and dragging them into a void filled with chains that stretched forever.

Main Story

The ground trembled as the feast hall crumbled. Fine marble tiles split into jagged shards before falling into endless black. The walls peeled away like parchment, dissolving into mist. The chandeliers, the banquet, the throne—all gone.

Now only one platform remained: a cracked slab of stone floating in a void.

Around it, chains filled the sky. Not dozens. Not hundreds. An ocean of them. Some swayed like serpents, their links glowing faintly with molten veins. Others hung unmoving, thick as towers, as if holding up invisible stars. Each one hummed with a low metallic note, vibrating through the chest, through the bones, through the heart.

Jemil staggered to his feet, chest heaving. The golden marks of the curse blazed brighter now, wrapping around his arms and chest like living fire. He clenched his fists. "So this is her true arena..."

The Mistress hovered above them, draped in her black and gold finery. Chains coiled from her shoulders, wrists, and waist like a living crown, weaving through the void as if the universe itself obeyed her. Her eyes glowed a cruel, entrancing shade of violet.

"This is the battlefield of bonds," she said softly, her voice echoing as if spoken by many mouths. "Here, every step you take will bear the weight of your love. Every link you break will carve into your hearts. Do you dare face yourselves?"

Her smile deepened, and she raised one hand. "Let us see which snaps first—your body... or your love."

The chains screamed.

A tidal wave of them surged forward, thousands of links crashing like a storm of iron serpents. The sound was deafening—like war drums struck against the sky.

Jemil raised his arms, golden curse erupting into flame. The first chain struck him, the impact shaking the platform and cracking stone beneath his feet. Pain flared through him, bones groaning under the pressure, but he didn’t falter.

Behind him, Lyra leapt forward. Her crimson hair whipped in the storm as her flames burst wide, wrapping the nearest cluster of chains. The heat melted steel, links dripping like molten wax before shattering. She snarled, fire reflecting in her eyes.

"For every one I burn, two more appear," she growled.

Another wave struck, forcing her back.

Kaelina roared, her blade singing as she cut through three chains at once. Sparks rained like shooting stars, painting her in silver light. She shifted into stance again, every muscle tense, the edge of her sword glowing from the sheer force of her strikes. "Endless... they’re endless!"

Nyssa lifted her trembling hands. Her illusions blossomed outward, dozens of spectral copies dancing across the platform. Each caught a chain, deflecting it just enough for the real wives to strike. But as each illusion burst like glass, Nyssa flinched.

"They... they feed on us," she gasped. Her voice shook, her lips pale. "Every fear, every doubt—the chains take it and grow stronger. She’s binding us with ourselves."

The Mistress tilted her head, smirking. "Clever girl."

She extended her hand, and a shadow fell across the platform.

From the abyss below, a single titanic chain rose. Its links were larger than houses, glowing with molten gold, every movement dragging sparks that seared the void. When it slammed into the stone, the entire platform shook violently, nearly throwing them all to their knees.

The Mistress’s eyes glittered. "This one is forged from the weight of your love, Jemil. If you falter, it will crush them all."

The chain tilted downward, its impossible weight swinging toward Lyra.

She braced herself, fire bursting to its peak. "I’ll stop it—"

"NO!" Jemil dashed forward, curse-light blazing around him. "Not her—ME!"

The massive link crashed into him, slamming his body onto the stone. The sound cracked through the void like thunder. Dust and sparks erupted, flames licking across the platform.

Jemil’s arms trembled as he pressed against the steel, golden veins burning across his shoulders, down his chest, into his heart. Pain seared him, so hot it felt as if his skin might peel away.

"Jemil!" Lyra screamed, tears glittering in her firelight.

His jaw clenched. Blood seeped from his lip, but his eyes glowed with resolve. "I told you... I’ll carry it!"

The chain pressed harder, forcing him down. Golden blood splattered across the stone, burning where it touched.

Kaelina sprinted to him, her sword cutting into the massive link. Sparks flew, but the chain didn’t even dent. She dropped the blade, pressed her forehead against his back, her voice breaking.

"You’re insane. Sharing your burden—that’s what wives are for. Don’t you dare take it all alone!"

Lyra fell to his side, pressing her burning palms against the chain. Flames danced over her arms, searing the steel. "Then let me burn with you!"

Nyssa stumbled closer, her body trembling as her illusions wrapped around Jemil’s arms—not to bind, but to brace. "Idiot," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "We chose these chains too. Don’t you dare think they’re yours alone."

Their voices—desperate, furious, unyielding—broke through his pain.

Together, their strength surged into him. Lyra’s fire flared, Kaelina’s sword-arm steadied his frame, Nyssa’s illusions reinforced his grip. The Mistress’s chain groaned, cracks snaking across its surface.

Jemil roared, curse blazing across his entire body like molten sunlight, and with a final heave he hurled the massive link aside. It shattered into glowing fragments that fell into the abyss like falling stars.

For the first time, the Mistress’s smile wavered. "...So. You’ve chosen to suffer together."

The chains writhed faster, angry, alive. The void thundered as dozens—no, hundreds—of titanic links rose from the abyss, blotting out the horizon.

"Then suffer," she whispered, her voice spreading like poison across the sky. "Until your love weighs you down to nothing."

The battlefield dimmed. Thousands of chains trembled, ready to descend in a storm that could erase them.

Jemil staggered to his feet. His chest heaved, sweat and golden blood dripping, but his eyes burned with fire. His wives stood around him, battered but unbroken.

He clenched his fists, the curse blazing like a second sun.

"Let her come," he growled, his voice shaking the void. "We’ll carry it all. Together."

The chains screamed—and fell.

Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 64: The Breaking Point

The Mistress unleashes the storm in full: an avalanche of chains from every direction, a sky collapsing into iron. Jemil and his wives must fight in absolute unity, each strike and each breath tied to the others.

But the golden curse is spreading faster, burning Jemil alive even as it fuels him. The weight of chains is nothing compared to the weight of his heart—and when the breaking point comes, either their love will blaze brighter than the abyss... or Jemil’s body will collapse under the strain.

CTA

🔥 The battlefield is no longer illusion—it’s a war of chains forged from their deepest fears.

💔 Jemil swore he would carry everything, but now the curse is burning him alive.

⚔️ His wives stand unshaken, yet the Mistress is far from finished.

✨ Don’t miss Chapter 64: The Breaking Point—the storm of chains will test whether love can carry what even gods cannot. The next clash could shatter their world, or bind them forever.