The sky above them burned like a canvas of blood and ash, the air thick with the scent of smoke and the promise of devastation. Amina's heart raced as she sprinted alongside Valec, the tremors beneath her feet growing stronger with every step. The earth groaned in protest, the world itself seeming to crack under the weight of the approaching threat.
The Lord of Flame was coming.
But Amina didn't know if they were ready. She could feel the power of the flame inside her, pulsing, waiting for her command, but the question lingered—was she the one who could wield it, or was she already becoming a pawn in a much larger game?
"Keep moving!" Valec shouted, his voice harsh with urgency. "We don't have time to waste!"
Amina's gaze was fixed ahead, where the shadow of the Lord of Flame loomed ever closer. The figure was enormous, a silhouette made of shifting embers and crackling infernos, its form obscured by the blinding light of its own power. Even from this distance, the sheer force of its presence was suffocating, pulling at her very soul.
"This is it," Amina whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. "This is what we've been preparing for."
"You think we're ready?" Valec's voice was sharp, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon. "We're not even close."
Amina didn't answer. Instead, she reached deep within herself, calling upon the flame. It answered, rising like a tide, a wave of fire and energy that threatened to consume her. But she held on, forcing herself to focus. She was the flame. The flame was her.
But even as the power surged through her, there was doubt. Could she control it? Could she stop the Lord of Flame, or would she burn alongside him, consumed by the very fire she sought to control?
Valec's voice broke through her thoughts. "Amina, we have to—"
But before he could finish, the ground beneath their feet cracked wide open, sending both of them stumbling. The sky overhead erupted in a flash of searing white light, and the world seemed to hold its breath.
From the depths of the crack, a figure emerged.
It was not the Lord of Flame.
It was worse.
Amina froze as the figure stepped into the open, its presence radiating an overwhelming power that made the very air seem to bend and warp. Cloaked in shadow, with eyes that burned with an unnatural fire, the figure moved with an eerie grace, as if it were both part of the world and completely separate from it.
"Who—who are you?" Amina's voice trembled, her body instinctively pulling back, though she couldn't tear her eyes away from the figure.
The figure's lips curled into a smile, but there was nothing warm about it. "I am what you seek," the figure said, its voice a low, melodic hum that reverberated through Amina's bones. "I am the flame you cannot control."
"No…" Valec growled, his hand reaching for the blade at his side. "This isn't possible."
But Amina could see the truth in the figure's words. The flame—it wasn't just a force. It was a being, a consciousness, an entity that had existed long before any of them had even been born.
"You… you're the First Flame," Amina whispered, her heart sinking.
The figure's smile widened, and it stepped closer, the air growing even hotter with its presence. "I am not the First Flame, girl. I am the one who shapes it. The one who forged it, and the one who has been waiting for you to arrive."
Amina took an instinctive step back, the flame inside her surging in response to the being's words. The power roared, a wild thing, tugging at her like an unruly beast. She was starting to lose control.
"The flame…" she gasped, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. "It's been guiding me... not to stop the Lord of Flame, but to… to awaken something else."
The figure's laugh echoed like thunder in her ears. "Not just any flame. The flame of creation, of destruction. The flame that has been bound for millennia. And now, it seeks its true master."
Valec moved closer to Amina, his expression grim. "We need to get out of here. This is not something we can fight."
Amina shook her head, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. The Lord of Flame had been their enemy—he was the one who threatened everything. But this being… the true force behind the flame… was something even more dangerous.
"Where will you run?" the figure purred, its voice wrapping around them like chains. "You cannot escape what you are. You cannot escape what I have made you."
Amina felt the weight of the words sink in. The flame—she wasn't just a wielder. She was a vessel. The flame had chosen her for something far greater, and whether she wanted it or not, she was already bound to it. She could feel it now, coursing through her veins, a force of nature that could not be stopped, a destiny that could not be avoided.
But there was one thing she knew for certain: she couldn't face this alone.
"Valec," Amina said, her voice barely a whisper.
"I'm right here," he answered, his eyes hard, unwavering.
"I need you," Amina said, the words falling from her lips with a weight she hadn't expected. "We need to fight together. Whatever happens next, we need to face it together."
Valec didn't hesitate. He reached out, taking her hand in his. "We fight. Together."
But before they could move, the sky above them exploded with a deafening roar, and the Lord of Flame appeared in the distance, his fiery form a blinding beacon of destruction. He was here.
The real battle had begun.