Ash swirled where the Cradle had once stood.
The others emerged slowly from the shattered remains—Kai limping, Lumeah carrying a barely-conscious Ashar, and Valec silent, still clutching the blue feather.
Amina stood in the center, her cloak scorched to the seams, Tarin resting in her arms. He stirred once, enough to whisper her name, before sleep claimed him again.
She didn't let go.
Not even when the sky darkened unnaturally.
---
Above the World
Black wings tore across the sky.
A great serpent of smoke and void uncoiled from the horizon, its mouth yawning open like a gateway to the forgotten dark.
Kai paled. "That's not a storm."
Valec's voice was grim. "It's the second seal."
"The Serpent of Silence," Lumeah whispered.
Amina looked up, tightening her grip on Tarin.
"We have to move."
---
In the Temple of Threads – The Red Weavers Gather
Dozens of cloaked figures bent over flaming maps.
A tapestry of worlds flickered between their hands, strands of fate unraveling by the moment.
"She's accelerated the convergence," one hissed. "The Phoenix has returned too soon."
"Because she carries its flame and her will," said another. "The laws no longer apply."
A tall figure stepped forward—face veiled in silver silk.
"We move the Gate," she commanded. "And begin the Trial of Ash."
A hush fell.
"Even the Heir of the First Fire will bow," she added. "Or she will burn with what she's created."
---
Elsewhere – The Blighted Throne
Deep in the Obsidian Wastes, an ancient throne cracked open. Black ichor oozed from its sides.
Chains fell away.
And a man with eyes like shattered glass rose from within.
"Amariel's echo burns again," he whispered, voice like rusted blades. "Then the Hunt resumes."
He turned to the figures kneeling before him—beasts in human form, cloaked in rags and blood.
"Find her. Strip her will. Bring me the fire."
And with that, the Pale King walked again.
---
Back with the Others
Night had fallen completely by the time they reached the shattered valley.
Amina created a small campfire with a thought—blue flame dancing quiet and low.
Tarin stirred again.
His eyes opened.
And they were no longer gold.
They were Phoenix-blue.
"I heard her voice," he whispered. "The First Flame. She said the fire isn't rebirth or destruction. It's truth."
Amina stared at him. "Whose truth?"
Tarin looked at her.
"Yours."
---
Dreams of the Past
That night, Amina dreamt of Amariel again—but she wasn't alone.
Valec stood beside her.
They stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a burning sea.
"You'll have to choose again," Amariel said. "And this time, not between light and dark."
She looked at Valec.
"But between love… and legacy."
Amina reached for him.
He backed away.
"You were never meant to save me," he said. "Only to end me."
She gasped awake.
---
The Next Morning
Kai found her sitting beside the dying fire.
He handed her a stone.
"What is it?"
"A fragment from the Cradle. It's still warm."
She turned it over.
Within it, faintly glowing, was a symbol she had only ever seen in one place—etched on the back of Amariel's blade.
"It's a key," she said.
"To what?"
Amina looked toward the horizon, where the Serpent of Silence coiled above distant mountains.
"To the place even Amariel feared."
Kai stood beside her. "Then that's where we go."
---
Elsewhere – The Seer Watches
"They move toward the Dead Gate," the Seer murmured. "Exactly as she once did."
"But she failed," said a voice behind him.
The Seer didn't look away.
"This one… might not."