To wield Project Crownless, I had to pass the Trial of Flame—deep beneath the Academy, where fire wasn't heat, but memory.
Lilith stood at the edge of the pit. "If you fail, you forget everything. Everyone."
I stepped in.
The flames were cold.
They showed me every mistake. Every death. Every moment I hesitated. The weight crushed my spine. Burned my lungs.
But through it all—I remembered their faces.
Lilith's cold smirk. Yuria's fire. Valmira's quiet certainty. Seraphina's pride. Astraea's stubborn strength.
I stood.
The flames bowed.
I walked out alive.