The Flame Temple hadn't felt this quiet in centuries.
Even with the murmur of monks in distant halls, the temple's heart—where the sacred flame once roared—sat dimmed, like a candle fighting to stay alive in the wind. Amina stood alone before the altar, her reflection flickering in the polished obsidian walls.
The shard that had sealed Ashkar rested in her hands, still pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. Its glow had changed since the battle—neither flame nor shadow, but something in between.
She didn't know whether to feel victorious… or afraid.
"Amina," a voice called softly.
She turned. Kai stepped into the chamber, his frame still wrapped in bandages, but his eyes clear and unwavering. "The council is waiting. They've called an emergency session."
"Another one?" she sighed.
He nodded. "They say the shard has begun reacting to something… or someone."
Her jaw clenched. "Ashkar."
Kai's eyes flickered. "Or worse."
Council Chamber – Flame Temple
The circular hall was alive with tension. Twelve robed figures surrounded the obsidian table, murmuring among themselves. At the center was the Flame Map—an enchanted projection showing the world's ley lines, glowing like rivers of molten light.
Except now… one of those lines had gone black.
"Something is draining the flame's essence," Elder Thalos began gravely. "What you faced wasn't the end. It was the beginning of a chain reaction."
"Other sealed beings?" Amina asked, stepping forward.
Elder Yurei nodded grimly. "Ashkar wasn't alone. There are more like him—ancient entities imprisoned long before humans discovered the Flame. They are waking."
Kai's expression darkened. "And we just rang the bell."
A younger monk burst into the chamber then, panting and wide-eyed. "S-south of Velhara. Villages… burned. Survivors speak of a woman who walks in fire, but leaves cold in her wake."
Amina and Kai exchanged glances.
This wasn't over.
Later That Night – Amina's Quarters
The moonlight cast silver shadows across Amina's room, but she found no peace in its glow. The shard sat on her table, quiet… for now.
She stared at it for a long moment before whispering, "What are you becoming?"
As if answering, the shard flared once—brief but blinding. Visions slammed into her mind: frozen deserts, flaming oceans, chains of light shattered in the void.
And then… a face.
Not Ashkar's.
A woman's.
Eyes like molten gold. Skin that cracked with every breath, leaking flame. And behind her… an army of shadows that walked like men.
Amina stumbled backward, gasping.
A knock came at the door.
Kai.
She opened it before he could knock again.
"You felt it too?" he asked.
Amina nodded. "There's another coming. A woman—more powerful than Ashkar. The shard showed me."
Kai's jaw clenched. "Then we leave at first light."
Two Days Later – Velhara's Border
The village of Maren had once been a haven of traders, farmers, and laughter. Now it stood as a graveyard. Ash and cinders blanketed everything. No bodies. Just burnt clothes. Empty homes.
The wind howled through broken windows like the cries of the lost.
Amina crouched by a charred toy doll, her fingers trembling. "She didn't just destroy this place… she erased it."
Kai pointed toward the earth. "The ground's cold. Like the flame was sucked out of it."
A crackling sound echoed behind them.
They turned sharply.
A figure stood atop a hill. Female. Cloaked in crimson and gold. Her hair burned upward like a torch, yet frost curled around her steps.
"Who are you?" Amina called.
The woman raised a hand, and suddenly Amina's vision blurred. The air shimmered, distorting like heat haze. Kai staggered.
Then the woman spoke, her voice both seductive and haunting. "You carry the shard. I've come for it."
Amina straightened. "You'll have to kill me first."
A smirk. "As you wish."
Without warning, she flung her arm downward, and a wall of fire surged toward them—but it wasn't hot.
It was cold.
Amina summoned her flames, forming a barrier, but it cracked under the strange fire's pressure.
Kai threw a dagger, but it turned to ice mid-air and shattered.
This wasn't normal fire. It obeyed different rules.
"I am Elira, the Frostfire Empress," the woman declared. "Ashkar was a pawn. I am the Queen of Ruin."
Elira descended the hill slowly. "Your flame is strong, Guardian. But it is untempered. Let me show you what true power is."
Amina glanced at Kai. "Run."
"I'm not leaving you—"
"Now," she shouted.
Reluctantly, Kai dashed for cover as Amina charged forward, unleashing a beam of pure white flame from the shard. Elira caught it with one hand—and smiled.
"Good," she purred. "You are worthy."
Back at the Flame Temple – That Same Night
The Flame Map cracked.
The black ley line split into five more.
The Elders stared, horror on their faces.
"The others…" Elder Thalos whispered. "They're waking."
And far below the temple, in the deepest catacombs long sealed by fire and blood, a heartbeat echoed—
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM.