The silence between Amina and Kai burned louder than a war drum. The truth, now exposed like a raw wound, hung between them—too sharp to ignore, too painful to immediately heal.
"You're a Flame-Borne," Amina whispered, eyes wide, lips trembling. "Just like Valec was."
Kai didn't respond. Instead, he turned to face the dying lantern light, his silhouette carved sharply against the stone wall. The flickering flame mirrored the chaos flickering behind his calm facade.
"I was," he finally murmured. "Before I chose exile… before I betrayed the throne of flame."
Amina's breath hitched. "You… betrayed Amariel?"
Kai's jaw tensed. "I betrayed everyone."
He turned, eyes glowing faintly with residual emberlight. "When Valec fell, I didn't stop him. I followed him. For a time, I believed the world had turned against us both. I fed my anger… until it nearly consumed me."
"You were one of the shadow generals," she said, the realization dawning. "The Ember Reapers."
He nodded. "I was known as Raelus the Flame Reaper."
Amina's knees buckled, but she caught herself. "But you saved me… again and again. Why?"
Kai's voice was hoarse. "Because when I saw you… I saw what I should have fought for long ago. Innocence. Hope. A new flame."
She looked away. "You lied to me."
"I protected you," he said sharply. "The truth is a burden, not a gift. Especially when your destiny is bigger than your understanding."
Amina stepped back. "You sound just like Amariel."
He flinched. "Then maybe she was right to leave me behind."
The silence that followed was heavy. Neither of them moved, but the distance between them widened like a growing rift.
Suddenly, the shard in Amina's satchel glowed with violent intensity. She snatched it out. The blue flame had turned crimson.
"The shard is reacting," she said.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "Something's happened."
Then the sky outside screamed.
From the watchtower window, they saw it: the horizon ablaze—not with fire, but with pure shadow. A dark wall surged toward them, blotting out stars, swallowing light, screaming in a thousand anguished voices.
"The Obsidian Tide," Kai whispered.
Amina turned to him. "What is it?"
"It's not an army," he said grimly. "It's a plague. A living storm. Valec's last resort."
The tower began to tremble.
Kai grabbed her arm. "We need to move. Now."
"But where?" she cried.
"To the Ashen Grove. Amariel's true temple lies hidden beneath it. If we reach it before the Obsidian Tide, we might find the only thing that can stop him."
"What is it?"
"The Eternal Flame," he said. "The origin of all fire. The last untainted spark."
They sprinted from the tower, Kai leading them down a hidden path through the ravine. The forest loomed ahead, twisted by years of neglect. But deep beneath it, ancient power waited.
Amina's heart pounded—not just from running, but from fear. Not of Valec. Not even of the Tide.
She feared Kai.
And the part of herself that still trusted him.
Far away, in the obsidian heart of the storm, Valec stood atop a throne of broken gods. The Obsidian Tide swirled around him like a living sea of despair.
"They run," said the shadow creature at his side.
Valec smiled faintly. "Let them."
"But they seek the Eternal Flame."
Valec's voice grew cold. "Then we must reach it first."
The creature bowed. "Shall I kill the girl?"
Valec turned, eyes burning with something unreadable.
"No. Bring her to me. Alive."
Deep in the forest, beneath layers of ancient bark and shattered roots, Amina and Kai stumbled upon a stone gateway covered in vines. Carvings of phoenixes, dragons, and suns adorned the arch.
"This is it," Kai said, placing a hand on the center sigil.
Amina held her breath.
Light pulsed from his palm, and the ground split open, revealing stairs spiraling downward into an abyss.
Kai glanced at her. "Still trust me?"
She hesitated. "No. But I trust the mission."
They descended together, the air thick with smoke and memory.
The chamber at the bottom was a cathedral of fire.
Flames danced without fuel, floating mid-air, whispering forgotten truths. At the center of the vast cavern, a single orb blazed—a sun in miniature.
"The Eternal Flame," Amina whispered.
Kai dropped to one knee. "She still breathes…"
But the moment Amina stepped forward, the chamber reacted violently. A wave of heat surged toward her, knocking Kai back.
Amina's eyes widened as voices flooded her mind.
"Chosen… blood of both… bearer of balance…"
She collapsed.
Kai lunged forward, but an invisible force kept him at bay.
Then the flame changed.
It wasn't red.
It wasn't blue.
It became white.
Pure.
Terrifying.
And beautiful.
Amina floated in the air, arms outstretched, eyes glowing.
Kai screamed her name, but she didn't hear.
Her mind was in another plane.
She stood on a battlefield. But the soldiers were not men. They were memories. Choices. Lies. Betrayals.
In front of her stood three figures: Amariel, Valec, and… Kai.
All burning.
All broken.
"Choose," a voice whispered.
"Choose the flame that will reshape the world."
Amina gasped. "I—I can't."
"You must."
Back in the chamber, Amina's body glowed brighter. Kai stepped back, shielding his eyes.
Then—
Everything went still.
She landed on her feet, the white fire coiled around her like a cloak.
Kai dropped to one knee. "Amina?"
She turned.
But her eyes were not her own.
They were flame.
And shadow.
"Valec is coming," she said in a voice not fully hers.
Kai stood. "Then we stand and fight."
Amina's lips curved into a strange smile.
"No… we burn together."