The chamber sealed behind Ember, but the warmth of the First Flame lingered in her chest like a second heartbeat. As she climbed back toward the surface, the air felt changed—cleaner, charged with purpose. Outside, the wind had shifted. The sky, once bruised with stormlight, now shimmered with streaks of dawn.
Her companions waited in a half-circle at the edge of the ruin, weapons near at hand. But when they saw her, something in their postures eased.
"You were gone a long time," Kaelen said. "We were starting to worry the ruins had taken you."
"They did," Ember replied. "But not in the way we feared."
Lysra tilted her head. "You're different."
"I remember more now. Not just what was taken from us—but what we're meant to be."
Before anyone could question her, the sky darkened. Not with clouds—with wings.
A flock of great shadow-birds circled overhead, their cries mournful, echoing across the ruins. They landed in a wide arc, revealing figures astride them: cloaked riders bearing silver-threaded banners, marked with a symbol Ember had seen only once—in the vision of the First Flame.
Kaelen's hand moved to his sword. "The Skykeepers."
Ember stepped forward before weapons could be drawn. "They remember. Let's hear what they've remembered."
The lead rider dismounted. Beneath his hood, his face bore flame-scars—not of battle, but of ceremony. He bowed low.
"Ember Solara," he said. "We have watched from the heights. We saw the ruins stir. We felt the Flame breathe again. We are the last of the Skykeepers, guardians of the memory. And we have waited centuries for the one who walks with the First Flame."
Ember blinked. "You believe it's me?"
The rider removed a small crystal vial from his cloak. Inside danced a single ember—familiar, almost identical to her own Flame's glow.
"When the Flame shattered, we were entrusted with a spark. We were told it would awaken only in the presence of its kin. Today… it flared."
He held it out.
"Take it. With your flame and ours… the memory begins to live again."
As Ember touched the vial, the ember within surged—and merged into her hand without resistance.
A second heartbeat joined her own.
And the First Flame was no longer alone.