Three days had passed since the whispers began.
Amina, Kai, and Valec stood at the edge of the Shattered Expanse, where jagged stone cliffs opened like broken ribs across the horizon. Wind howled through the skeletal trees. Fire no longer danced here—only shadows and memory.
"This is where Amariel was born?" Kai asked, drawing his cloak tighter against the bitter cold.
"No," Amina said, eyes distant. "This is where she was made."
Valec stepped beside her, his movements slower now, as though the divine blood within him was growing uncertain. "This place feels wrong."
"It is wrong," Amina whispered.
The ground beneath their feet pulsed. Not with life, but with something older—something watching.
Deeper into the ruins
The path led them into a cavern of obsidian stone. Carvings lined the walls—ancient, glowing faintly with emberlight. Scenes of Amariel's ascension, of her fall… and of beings even she bowed to.
The Celestials.
Tall, faceless silhouettes with rings of flame for eyes. Fingers like blades. No mouths, but commands etched into the cosmos.
Kai stopped before one of the carvings. "They made Amariel… to fight something."
Valec's voice was hoarse. "What could scare a god?"
Amina stared at the last panel.
A prison made not of stone—but of names.
Unspoken names.
Cursed names.
She reached out, fingers trembling, and touched the symbol etched at the center.
It pulsed.
The earth groaned.
And the vision hit her like lightning.
The Vision
She was Amariel again—golden, fierce, and weeping.
Kneeling before a council of the Celestials, her voice ragged with rage.
"He deserves a chance!"
"He defied the Flame."
"He became the flame," she cried. "Valec was born of fire, but not of corruption."
One Celestial turned its flaming gaze toward her.
"Then suffer with him."
A blast of energy struck her chest—tearing through her spirit, splitting her soul across time.
She screamed.
Back in the cavern
Amina collapsed, gasping.
Valec caught her, but his hands burned on contact. She looked up, eyes shimmering with pain.
"They cursed her," she said. "They cursed us."
Kai backed away from the carvings. "We need to leave."
But the exit was gone.
The stone had closed.
And in its place stood a figure—a girl, no older than ten, with ash-white hair and hollow eyes.
"You opened the gate," she said softly.
"Who are you?" Valec asked.
The girl smiled, revealing teeth made of obsidian.
"I'm the First Flame's daughter," she whispered. "And Mother wants you back."
The walls trembled.
Fire erupted from the ceiling.
And from the shadows... the Celestials stepped forth.