Chapter Thirty-Six– The Fire That Remains
The morning mist curled low over the Forest of Life, thick and heavy like breath from a sleeping beast. Kael walked ahead, blade strapped to his back, his eyes flicking toward every broken branch and shadow. Beside him, Lira followed, her fingers still faintly glowing from the ember beneath her skin.
They were searching for the Shrine of Liberty, the heart of the third fire that once belonged to Lira's father, Sarius.
"Do you feel it?" she asked quietly, her voice brushing the silence like wind through leaves.
Kael nodded. "Something… watching. Or maybe waiting."
Suddenly, the earth beneath them trembled. A tremor, not enough to shake them off their feet, but enough to make every bird take flight.
Out of the trees, Greenwolf emerged, holding a scroll, his green armor now partially scorched by ash.
"I've found something," he said, unrolling the parchment.
It depicted three flame sigils—Life, Death, and Liberty—connected by a spiral path that ended in the center of the forest.
"It's here," Greenwolf said. "But it's locked. Sealed by a guardian of the fire."
Deeper in the Forest – Shrine of Liberty
They reached it by midday—a clearing surrounded by twisted trees that looked burned from the inside. In the center stood a monolith of glowing crimson stone, inscribed with the emblem of a rising phoenix.
Lira stepped forward.
"I remember this," she whispered. "I've dreamed this place since I was a child."
The stone pulsed. A voice echoed—not through the air, but inside their heads.
"Daughter of Flame, why have you come unproven?"
A burst of flame shot toward her—Kael rushed to shield her, but the fire passed through him harmlessly. Lira's eyes glowed, her voice steady.
"To finish what my father started."
The air stilled.
Then the shrine split open.
And from it emerged a figure, tall and draped in fire-threaded robes, with burning eyes and a crown of ash.
"I am Azuron, Warden of Liberty," it said. "You wish to inherit the Flame? Then prove you have the will to be free."
Trial of Liberty – Lira's Test
Without warning, Kael was pushed back by an invisible force. He slammed into a tree, gasping as the world around him vanished into a void of fire and shifting light. Only Lira and Azuron remained in the clearing.
Lira stood her ground. Azuron raised a hand, and fire took form—into her father, Sarius, burning with golden flame.
"You must destroy what you love," Azuron said. "You must choose freedom over everything else. Show me."
Lira trembled. "That's not freedom. That's sacrifice."
Azuron's voice deepened. "Then learn: even liberty has a price."
The flame-image of Sarius charged her, sword ablaze. Lira barely blocked with her own weapon—instinct guiding her as if her blade remembered the shape of its enemy.
They clashed again—and again—each time, Sarius spoke.
"You left your family behind!"
"You are not strong enough!"
"You carry a fire you don't deserve!"
Lira screamed and drove her blade through the illusion's chest, breaking it apart in an explosion of embers.
Azuron stepped forward. "You did not hesitate."
Lira dropped to her knees. "I didn't want to… but I had to."
Azuron studied her. "You understand the burden. The flame is yours."
He extended his hand. The ember in Lira's arm surged and blazed across her whole body for a moment before calming, forming a mark of a phoenix over her heart.
"You are now the Bearer of Liberty."
Back to Kael – The Message from Andrew
As the world returned, Kael fell to his knees, panting. But something was different. On the ground beside him lay a folded parchment marked with Andrew's seal.
He opened it slowly.
Kael,
I have seen the path you walk. You understand little, but you act much. That is your strength… and your doom.
The Fire of Liberty is now alive again. So the balance begins to tilt.
Seek the Fire of Death next. But beware—its bearer lives still. And he serves no side but his own.
—A
Kael turned toward Lira, who still burned faintly with golden light, her eyes shimmering with something new—power… and sorrow.
"I'm not the same," she said softly. "I saw things. About my father. About the war. Kael… there's more we don't know. A lot more."
Kael nodded. "Then we find the next fire. And after that… Andrew."