The flames flickered low. The torches lining the chamber's walls trembled in their sconces, casting tall, quivering shadows. Henry crouched beside Seraphina, holding her limp form in his arms. Her body burned unnaturally hot, and her skin shimmered faintly with threads of golden light beneath the surface, like molten veins.
Across the chamber, the dark-robed figure remained still. No face could be seen beneath the hood, only swirling smoke and glinting, ember-like eyes. The Seeker.
"She is awakening," the Seeker intoned, its voice a mix of wind and ancient thunder. "The seal has weakened."
Lysara gripped her staff tightly, eyes narrowing. "What are you?"
The Seeker turned slowly toward her, yet did not move closer. "A remnant of truth. A shadow of prophecy. I was bound before your empires rose… and now, she stirs me."
Mason took a step forward. "Leave her alone. She's just a girl!"
A slow laugh rumbled from the Seeker's chest — low, cold, and mirthless. "No. She is the fire that burned the gods. She is not just a girl… she is Velithra Reborn."
The words hit like a tidal wave. Mason froze. Lysara's staff shook. Henry's breath caught.
Then—
Seraphina gasped.
Her body arched violently, and a golden symbol burst across her back — a blazing rune that hovered above her skin before branding itself with a hiss. She screamed as light flared in the room, momentarily blinding everyone. Mason shielded his eyes. The Seeker stood still, untouched.
Then the light vanished, and Seraphina slumped back into Henry's arms, unconscious once more.
The Seeker turned, fading into mist.
But before disappearing, it whispered one final message.
"Find the Flame Lorekeeper. Time is no longer your ally."
And then — silence.
---
Scene Two: Seraphina's Dream
In the depths of her unconscious mind, Seraphina found herself standing barefoot on cracked obsidian ground. Above her, the sky was a kaleidoscope of bleeding stars and flaming storms.
Ahead stood a woman cloaked in gold armor, wielding a spear made of sunfire.
She turned slowly.
Seraphina's breath caught in her throat.
The woman looked exactly like her — older, stronger, with eyes like burning dawn.
"You are not ready," the golden version of her whispered. "But you must become me."
Flashes of memory — a sword piercing a god's heart, a child torn from her arms, a kingdom reduced to ash.
Then the voice of the Seeker: "You chose defiance. And now the cycle begins again."
A phoenix screamed in the distance.
And Seraphina's vision went white.
Scene Three : Awakening
She awoke gasping for air, clutching her chest.
Lysara was beside her, a cloth pressed to her forehead. "Seraphina…?"
Seraphina tried to sit up, but her body protested. Her back throbbed — raw, burning — and when she turned to look in the mirror that Henry had angled toward her, she saw it.
A glowing mark between her shoulder blades. Circular, filled with spiraling runes and flame patterns.
"The Crest of Velithra," Lysara murmured in awe. "It hasn't been seen in a thousand years."
Henry said nothing. He was still staring at her like he barely recognized her.
Mason sat nearby, tense. "The Seeker knew you. Called you something else."
"Velithra," Seraphina whispered. "But… who is that?"
Before anyone could answer, the chamber's outer door creaked open.
An old man stepped in, his robes the color of soot and ash, trimmed with silver glyphs that shimmered like starlight. A long staff made of black crystal and bone rested in his hand.
His eyes — silver and ancient — locked on Seraphina immediately.
"I've come for you," he said softly. "The Reborn Flame. The one the stars foretold."
Lysara stood quickly, wary. "Who are you?"
"I am Kaelrin," he replied. "Lorekeeper of Ashara. I carry the forgotten truths of the Velithran Lineage."
Seraphina's heart beat harder. "Do you know what I am?"
Kaelrin nodded once.
"You are the beginning… and the end. And if you don't remember who you truly are soon, the Seeker will not wait."
He stepped forward, slowly, gently. Then bowed deeply.
"I've come to awaken your legacy, Velithra."
As he raised his hand, the mark on Seraphina's back flared violently—sending a pulse of energy through the chamber, cracking stone walls and making the torches explode.
Then Kaelrin whispered:
"But to awaken it... a price must be paid."
The room was trembling. Dust cascaded from the cracked ceiling as Seraphina stared at the ancient man whose words felt heavier than any blade.
"A price?" Her voice quivered. "What kind of price?"
Kaelrin lowered his staff gently to the ground. The humming of magic in the air subsided just enough for everyone to hear the thudding of their hearts.
"Memories," he said simply. "To awaken the flame within you… you must remember the life you lived before this one. And those memories—those truths—come at a cost."
Henry stepped forward protectively. "She's barely handled what's already happened. You want to drag her through more?"
Kaelrin looked at him with eyes full of understanding… and sorrow. "I do not wish her pain. But pain is part of truth. And without that truth, she cannot survive what's coming."
Seraphina sat up straighter, wincing slightly at the burn still glowing on her back. "I want to know. I need to know who I am."
Kaelrin gave a slow nod, then reached into his robes and drew out a crystal orb swirling with golden mist.
"This is an Echo Stone. It contains fragments of your past life—Velithra's final memories before she… you… were destroyed."
He extended it toward her. "Touch it, and the past will begin to unfold. But once you see it, you cannot unsee it. The echoes will change you."
Seraphina hesitated. She glanced at Mason, then at Henry and Lysara. They all looked worried—especially Henry, who was still kneeling beside her.
"You don't have to do this now," Henry whispered.
"Yes," she replied softly, her fingers already lifting. "I do."
She pressed her hand to the stone.
And the world disappeared.
Blinding golden light.
Then—fire. Screams. Ash.
Seraphina stood in a burning throne room, watching soldiers in gleaming obsidian armor storm the palace. In her reflection on the shattered glass floor, she wasn't herself—she was Velithra: crowned in flame, her eyes glowing like twin suns.
She turned—and there he was.
A man in silver armor, face shadowed by a helm shaped like a dragon's head. He held her gaze, sword in hand, blood running down his cheek.
"I told you," he said, voice breaking. "The gods would never allow this peace."
Velithra's hands lit with flame. "Then let them burn."
A blast of power erupted from her, incinerating the throne behind her, and the entire vision trembled, warping violently—
"Stop!" Seraphina screamed.
She was back in the chamber, breathing hard. Her skin was cold with sweat, and her mark had flared so bright that it lit the whole room.
Mason caught her as she slumped forward. "Seraphina!"
Kaelrin steadied his staff. "She saw it. The beginning of the end."
"What did you see?" Henry asked.
Seraphina's voice was hoarse. "A war. A betrayal. I… I killed thousands. I was a queen. A goddess. I don't know. But I was... powerful."
Kaelrin's eyes glinted. "You are powerful still. But power alone will not save you. There are forces that fear your return. The Seeker is only one."
Lysara frowned. "Then who else?"
Kaelrin turned to her, his expression grim.
"The Order of Hollow Stars. The ones who bound Velithra in the first place. They will come for her when they realize she's awakened."
A long silence followed.
Then Seraphina stood, her legs trembling but her eyes determined.
"Then let them come," she said.
Kaelrin smiled faintly. "You'll need training, allies, and answers. And I know where we must begin."
He turned toward the cracked northern wall.
"In the ruins of Solryn. Beneath the temple of fallen light, the Heartfire still burns. If we reach it before the Order… we may yet reclaim what was lost."
Just as he finished speaking, a loud boom echoed through the mountain.
Mason rushed to the chamber door and threw it open.
He froze.
From the shadows of the tunnel, cloaked figures emerged—armored in silver and black, bearing the crescent sigil of a broken star.
"They're already here," he breathed.
Kaelrin turned to Seraphina, his voice urgent.
"Run. The Heartfire must not fall into their hands."
The chamber exploded into chaos as the first of the Hollow Star sentinels burst through, and Seraphina's mark blazed like a sun.
A voice—deep and cruel—echoed through the tunnel: "Velithra… we meet again."