The rune-sealed door pulsed with warmth, responding to the fire within Kael. As the others rested, something inside him whispered, Now. The gauntlet glowed faintly, matching the rhythm of the rune's heartbeat.
Kael stepped forward, placing his palm against the door.
A hum.
A rush of heat.
The runes flared, then dissolved into sparks.
The chamber opened.
Inside was silence.
At the center stood a blackened pedestal, on top of it was a scorched crown, split in half, and a blade forged from pure fire, it was dormant yet it radiated with power.
Kael approached slowly. As he reached out to the blade, voices echoed in his head.
"Bearer of broken flames… Will you rise, or will you burn?"
He gritted his teeth. "I'll rise."
The moment he grasped the hilt, fire surged through his body, visions flooding his mind, battles long forgotten, kings with eyes of flame, and the Black Flame King himself raising armies from ash.
Kael collapsed to his knees, gasping, but the blade didn't reject him.
It accepted him.
Outside, the chamber door sealed shut once more.
Meanwhile, Lyra paced near the collapsed eastern wing, uneasy.
Something about Oma didn't sit right, not just her powers, but her presence. Oma seemed too... perfect. too...nice.
Drawn by a hunch, she slipped into the ruined archives nearby.
Dusty and shattered Scrolls filled the space, she searched for nothing in particular, until she found a book with a blue wax seal which read.
"Children of the Second Flame."
She opened it and her blood ran cold.
A sketch. A girl. White hair. Violet eyes.
"Oma of the Icebound Flame: an experimental vessel forged from the ashes of the Black Flame King's soul. Designed to seduce, deceive, and control the new Heir, should one ever awaken."
"No…" Lyra whispered.
Outside, Oma sat by the fire, staring into the glowing embers. Eren approached her cautiously.
"You're not just here to help him, are you?"
She smiled softly. "Is anyone ever just here to help?"
He frowned.
Before he could speak again, the ground rumbled.
Kael emerged from the chamber, flames flickering across his body, the new blade strapped across his back. He looked stronger, his eyes clearer, but older.
Everyone turned to him. Except Lyra.
She stood at the edge of the ruins, the book in her hand, her gaze locked on Oma.
"Kael," she said, voice trembling, "we need to talk. Now."
....
....
Kael barely had time to breathe before Lyra threw the Book at his feet.
"Read the name on the second page."
Kael blinked. "Lyra, what...?"
"Read it."
He bent down, opened the page.
Oma of the Icebound Flame.
A vessel. A trap. A creation meant to manipulate him.
His hand clenched around the page.
Oma took a step forward. "That book is outdated. Misguided. I'm not...."
"You're a lier," Lyra snapped. "All this time, you were planted here. To twist him. To lead him to..."
"To what?" Oma's voice trembled...not with fear, but with fury. "To his destiny? To the truth of who he is?"
Kael stepped between them, confused and burning. "Is it true, Oma?"
She looked at him, eyes wide. "I… was made to distract you. But I chose to help you, Kael. I wasn't forced. I...."
The ground cracked.
A howl echoed from below.
Then an explosion of ash burst through the floor.
A monstrous figure rose: a knight clad in molten armor, crowned with black horns, flames oozing from every joint.
"The Warden of Ashveil." Eren gasped. "He's real…"
The Warden's voice boomed: "The flame has awakened. The Heir has returned… and must be tested!"
Without waiting, the Warden hurled a blast of dark fire toward Kael.
Oma threw herself in front of him, her ice magic clashing violently with the attack neutralizing it, but sending her flying back, unconscious.
"Lyra!" Kael shouted.
"On it!" she replied, already launching into battle.
What followed was chaos.
Lyra and Kael fought the Warden together, perfectly syncing their movements and slashing him with the flaming blade, Lyra dancing between shadows and steel.
The Warden was powerful, every strike forcing Kael to draw deeper on the new fire inside him. Lyra watched him closely, realizing that the more he used the blade, the more... he changed.
The fight pushed them to their limits. When Kael finally drove the flaming sword into the Warden's core, the creature let out a howl, then exploded.
Silence returned.
Oma stirred, groaning. Kael rushed to her.
Lyra stood back, watching, torn between concern and suspicion.
"Are we just going to forget she lied?" she asked quietly.
Kael looked up at her, eyes shadowed. "No. But I'm not forgetting she saved me either."
Lyra turned away, hiding the twist of emotion in her chest.
That night, the group slept uneasily.
Kael, Lyra and Eren didn't know what to make of the truth about Oma.
Oma on the other hand didn't know what else to do to prove her loyalty to the team. far below, something darker than the Warden stirred waiting for the Heir to descend even deeper.