Word of the Flame's awakening spread like wildfire.
From the obsidian gates of Vireos to the drifting nomads of the Searing Sands, stories traveled faster than horse or hawk. The Flameborn had risen. And the Circle—those who had once wielded dominion through fear, tradition, and selective truth—felt the tremor beneath their polished marble towers.
In a cold stone chamber deep beneath the Citadel of Iralith, Archon Velis stood at the edge of the reflecting flame, watching Ember's silhouette ripple across the mirrored surface.
"She touched the Core," murmured High Inquisitor Maelis behind him, her voice hushed with awe and dread. "And lived."
Velis's jaw tightened. "Worse. She merged with it."
"Then the prophecies—"
"Are unraveling," he snapped. "Everything we built was to keep that flame buried. She threatens not only our rule, but the order of the world itself."
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the steady crackle of the controlled ceremonial fire. Then Maelis leaned forward. "Shall I activate the Sigil Vaults? There are weapons even she won't understand."
Velis turned slowly. "No. Not yet. Let the world watch her rise. Let them hope. When the fire burns hottest—that's when we douse it."
—
Far from Iralith, Ember stood on a windswept plateau with Kaelen and her companions. The Spire now pulsed behind them like a distant heartbeat, steady but no longer ominous. The Flame within her had settled into something beyond sensation. It was intuition, connection—an awareness of the life around her and the pain woven through it.
Niall shaded his eyes. "You feel that?"
The wind had shifted. Clouds twisted unnaturally on the horizon, glowing faintly with blue lightning.
"They know," Kaelen said grimly. "The Circle will come. Not with politics or chains—but with fire of their own."
Lysra drew her blade, its edge gleaming. "Let them come."
But Ember raised a hand. "We can't meet them with vengeance. Not yet. The world needs to see the truth before it sees the flame. We gather allies, not just for war… but for rebirth."
Orin stepped beside her, voice low. "And if they won't follow?"
Ember's flame flickered in her eyes.
"Then we show them the light… or we become the storm."