Amina awoke to silence—not the peace of dawn, but the eerie stillness after something ancient has stirred.
The crater was cold now. The sigil in its center still glowed faintly beneath the ash and ruin. Around it, the land had gone quiet—as if even nature dared not breathe.
Ashar stood at the rim, arms folded. His eyes were locked on the glowing lines in the earth, unreadable.
"They're watching us," he said.
Amina pushed herself up. "Who?"
He turned, face grim.
"The ones who laid these seals."
Far from the ruined valley, in the Temple of Whispering Glass, deep within the Mountains of Eleshar, a hooded council gathered.
Thirteen seats—twelve filled.
"The first has awakened," intoned the Seer.
Another figure, armored in starlight, leaned forward. "So... the Flamebearer lives."
"They've broken protocol," said the cloaked one to her left. "It wasn't supposed to activate yet."
"They didn't break anything," the Seer whispered, placing a shard of obsidian onto the floating map. "It responded to the girl."
The last seat remained empty—its occupant long missing. And yet, a voice echoed from it, cold and ancient.
"Then we must prepare the trials. If she survives them... she may yet stand among us."
Back at Camp
Kai leaned over the fire, sharpening his blade. "So we're dealing with an entire network of these... seals?"
"Yes," Aric said. He unrolled a half-burned scroll, the symbols shifting under his touch. "They were used centuries ago to bind the Primal Beasts beneath the earth. Thirteen in all."
"And we just cracked the first?" Kai muttered.
Amina nodded, still staring at the sky where the red beam had vanished. "And they know. Whoever 'they' are."
Ashar threw a log into the fire. "They won't wait long. If the seals fail, the world burns."
Suddenly, a rustling.
Everyone jumped to their feet.
From the shadows emerged a figure, limping but proud. His robes were singed, face cut, but eyes alive with clarity.
"Master Vorn!" Aric exclaimed.
The sage stumbled into view, held upright by a staff twisted from skywood.
"I told you... not to awaken the blade..." he rasped.
Amina stepped forward. "We didn't have a choice."
"No one ever does," Vorn muttered. "But choices have prices. The Flame chose you, Amina—but so did the Trials."
She frowned. "What trials?"
He looked up, and for the first time, she saw fear in the old man's eyes.
"The Flame doesn't just burn enemies. It burns you. You must prove you're worthy of wielding it. Or it'll consume everything you love."
Later That Night
Amina couldn't sleep.
She stood alone near the edge of the crater, Flameblade sheathed on her back. Stars blinked overhead, uncaring and cold.
"Are you afraid?" Ashar asked, stepping beside her.
"Yes," she admitted. "But not of dying. Of failing."
He looked out into the distance. "You won't. We've seen what you can do."
She turned to him. "You don't know what I carry."
He paused. "Then tell me."
Amina hesitated. The fire inside her flared in her chest, aching. But then—
"The serpent wasn't just a beast," she whispered. "It spoke to me… inside my mind. It knew my name. My past. It called me 'Daughter of Flame.'"
Ashar's eyes narrowed. "That's a title from old prophecy."
"Then the prophecy is real," she said. "And I'm right in the middle of it."
Somewhere Else
A forest cloaked in silver mist.
A girl with silver eyes opened her journal. Sketches of fire, serpents, and a girl with a blade lined the pages.
"So she lives," she said softly.
Behind her, a shadow moved.
"What will you do, Elyra?" asked the figure.
She smiled faintly.
"I will find her. Before they do."
The Journey Begins
The next morning, the group stood at the edge of the valley, looking east.
Aric pointed toward a mountain range etched in black on his map. "Next seal lies in the Maw of Rithen. A labyrinth of stone, guarded by echoes."
"Sounds lovely," Kai muttered.
Amina sheathed her blade. "Then we don't wait."
Ashar glanced at her. "You've changed."
She smiled faintly. "No. I've just stopped running."
The group took their first steps toward Rithen. Behind them, the valley slowly healed. Ahead, the wind carried whispers of monsters, myths, and memories waiting to be rewritten.
The watchers stirred again.
And far below the earth… the next seal trembled.