I Was the Stepping Stone novel Chapter 16

Chapter 1

I was the most noble Phoenix-blooded goddess on the continent of Aetheriel. The King of gods had granted me the right

to choose one of our kind to be my betrothed.

He said, whoever I chose would become the next King of Gods.

In my past life, I had chosen Aether North, my childhood companion.

In order to help him survive the agonizing trial of flame and ascend to become King of gods, I had even offered him my

own Heartflame Core.

But when he ascended and sat crowned upon the Throne of gods, the only thing I received in return was a divine

flame-forged sword through my heart.

He held the woman who had once stolen my identity-a refugee from the Feathergale tribe-and, without a shred of

hesitation, raised his sword against me.

“If you hadn’t insisted on marrying me,” he spat, “Shael would never have suffered so much!”

“If I didn’t need your Heartflame Core to help Shael undergo rebirth and become a goddess, I never would’ve gone through

this farce with you! This throne was mine to claim-with or without you!”

He stripped me of all my divine power and carved out my Heartflame Core with his own hands.

I collapsed into a pool of blood, watching as he reverently offered my Core to that Feathergale girl.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the very day I was to choose my husband.

King Dravon looked at me kindly and asked, “Serin, have you decided who you will choose as your consort?”

Before I could answer, Aether suddenly stepped forward and dropped to one knee.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “I know Serin has feelings for me, but my heart belongs to Shael. If this marriage must proceed, I

demand that Shael could also be my wife.”

The hall fell into chaos. The gods and goddess around us turned to me with expressions of pity, mockery, and disbelief.

The moment our eyes met, I knew-Aether had been reborn too.

Smiling, I looked at King Dravon and calmly made my choice.

What Aether didn’t know was that without me, he would never become the next King of gods.

That night, on my wedding night, Aether knelt in the snow for an entire night, begging me to take back a single decision…

The pain of having my Heartflame Core torn from me had been so intense, it felt as if my body were set ablaze.

Just when I thought death was inevitable, the pain vanished.

Chapter

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I jolted awake, soaked in cold sweat.

“Serin, have you decided who to choose as your betrothed?”

The familiar question and surroundings shook me to my core.

The Consort Selection Ceremony.

I had been reborn-to the very day of choosing a husband in the Dravon family!

“Your Majesty, I…” I had barely begun to speak.

From among the gathered gods, Aether suddenly dropped to his knees.

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He looked straight at the King and declared, “Your Majesty, I know Serin loves me, but my heart belongs solely to Shael! She and I have pledged our lives to each other under the eyes of Heaven! If I betray her, I will be cursed, cast into the path

of beasts for all eternity!”

Gasps rang out through the crowd. The King’s expression darkened at once.

Even the most aloof gods turned their heads in shock.

Everyone knew I represented the entire Starfire family. Whoever married me would become the next King of gods.

Aether’s declaration was as good as renouncing his claim to the throne.

For a moment, the air grew tense, the hall charged with restless energy.

But then Aether added, “I know Serin can’t let go of me, so I’m willing to take her as my secondary wife. I’ll care for her for

the rest of my life.”

King Dravon’s voice thundered across the chamber. “Insolence! That lowly Feathergale girl-how dare she presume to

stand equal to the goddess of Starfire?”

“She dares seduce you into this foolishness over a mere oath? I will kill her myself, and that so-called vow will be broken!”

At the King’s threat, a flicker of hatred crossed Aether’s face.

He turned to me, eyes full of contempt. “Why are you just standing there? Didn’t you say you’d rather die than not marry

me? I’m giving you your chance-take it already.”

“You’ve taken so much from Shael. If she weren’t so kind and forgiving, I would never let you share a husband with her.”

His words made me want to laugh.

That Shael-just a wandering Feathergale refugee-had once been mistaken for me and now actually dreamed of

becoming a phoenix.

When I was a child, the war between gods and demons had left the Starfire family devastated. All of the children had been

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