Aira staggered backward as the second seal embedded into her chest, the runes glowing like wildfire beneath her skin. Her breath caught in her throat—heat surged through her veins, igniting something ancient and untamed.
The Guardian watched her with unreadable eyes. "The seal has chosen you. But remember: power is not loyalty. It will turn on you the moment you falter."
Aira clenched her fists, steadying herself. "Then I won't falter."
The chamber began to crumble. Cracks split across the obsidian walls, and pillars groaned beneath invisible pressure.
The Guardian gave a final nod. "Go. Before this place devours you."
Aira sprinted toward the exit as flames erupted behind her. The mountain trembled as though it, too, had been awakened. She leapt through the gates just as they slammed shut, sealing the ancient power inside forever.
She collapsed outside, coughing smoke, the morning sun bleeding gold across the gray sky.
Below, at the base of the mountain, Lucien stood waiting—his sword drawn, his eyes scanning the shadows.
He hadn't been alone.
All night, something had circled the camp—something that didn't breathe, didn't make sound, but left claw marks on trees and burned the grass where it stepped. Lucien had barely slept, and the chill that clung to him was not from the wind.
When he saw her—her silhouette against the broken skyline—his heart stumbled.
"Aira!"
He ran up the path, catching her as she collapsed into his arms.
"I'm fine," she whispered. "I got it."
But he was already pulling her closer, searching her eyes. They glowed faintly now—pale gold beneath her lashes.
Something had changed.
"Your heartbeat…" he murmured, placing his hand over her chest.
It thundered unnaturally—too strong. Too…other.
Before he could ask, a howl pierced the wind.
They both turned.
Down the mountain, through the charred trees, shadows shifted. Several forms—twisted and skeletal—emerged from the mist. Their mouths hung open, but no sound came. They moved like smoke, their eyes white and sightless.
Lucien cursed. "Shadow beasts. From the Veil."
"How did they find us?" Aira asked.
"They didn't." Lucien drew his sword. "They found you."
The beasts charged.
Aira reached for her dagger—but the moment her hand touched the hilt, flames erupted from her fingertips. The second seal had changed her—her magic burned hotter now, wild and raw.
She hurled fire into the nearest beast. It screeched and disintegrated into ash.
Lucien sliced through another, but there were too many.
They fought back-to-back, a blur of steel and flame. The beasts circled, growing faster, smarter.
One lunged at Aira's side—Lucien shoved her out of the way, taking the hit across his arm. He groaned, staggering back, blood soaking through his sleeve.
"Lucien!"
She turned toward him—but a beast slammed into her chest, pinning her down.
Her vision blurred.
Then, something inside her snapped.
Golden light burst from her skin, blasting the creature into dust. Her scream echoed across the mountain, rippling through the air like a storm.
All the beasts froze. And then—one by one—they bowed.
Lucien blinked in disbelief. "What… what is happening?"
"They're not attacking anymore," Aira whispered.
The largest of the beasts, a towering figure with bone horns and glowing eyes, stepped forward. It lowered its head… and knelt.
Lucien stood in front of her protectively. "Why is it bowing to you?"
"I don't know." Aira rose slowly. "But I think the seal didn't just awaken my power…"
She looked into the beast's eyes and saw something ancient. Something waiting.
"…I think it awakened something in the Future
Lucien held his blade firm, eyes darting between the kneeling shadow beasts and Aira. Every instinct in him screamed to protect her, to drag her away from these creatures, yet none of them made a move to attack. They bowed… reverently. Like soldiers greeting a long-lost queen.
The largest one lifted its head, revealing a hollow face carved of ash and bone, and then it did the unthinkable—it spoke.
"We have waited… flame bearer."
Its voice was rasped, like wind scraping across a tombstone. Lucien stepped forward, but Aira gently touched his arm, calming him. Her eyes were fixed on the creature.
"Waited?" she asked, voice low.
"For the one who would awaken the Second Flame. The one who bears the soul of fire and the blood of sacrifice. You, daughter of both worlds—Veil and Light."
Lucien frowned. "Veil and—what does that mean?"
But the creature did not answer him. Its glowing eyes remained locked on Aira.
"Your coming was written in the firestones. You walk two paths—of light and of ash. The seals do not bind you… they free you."
Aira's heart pounded. "Why are you helping me?"
"We serve the Flame. The Flame now lives in you."
More of the beasts bowed deeper, the air vibrating with unseen power.
Lucien clenched his jaw. "You're saying she… commands you?"
The creature nodded slowly. "If she chooses. Or destroys. We are what she wills."
Aira stepped back, breath shaky. "I didn't ask for this. I only wanted to protect my people. I never wanted an army of shadows."
The creature stood, towering above them. "Want or not… destiny burns regardless."
Before Aira could respond, a sudden heat shimmered in the air. The sky above darkened unnaturally, clouds swirling into a black vortex.
Lucien grabbed her hand. "Something's wrong."
The shadow beasts scattered into the forest as the vortex tore open. A single beam of blood-red light struck the ground ahead, and from it, a figure emerged—draped in obsidian robes, face covered by a cracked porcelain mask.
Aira instinctively raised her hand. Her fire lit without command, swirling at her fingertips like a whip.
Lucien stepped in front of her. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head. "She has awakened it," the voice was cold and male. "The Second Seal has been broken. The Emissary will not be pleased."
Aira narrowed her eyes. "Then tell your Emissary to come speak to me directly."
The man chuckled dryly. "He will. And when he does, he will rip that seal from your soul."
Aira hurled a firebolt, but the figure vanished into smoke. The red light vanished, and the sky cleared once more.
Lucien pulled her close. "This is getting bigger than we imagined."
She leaned into him, eyes burning with fierce determination. "Then we'll get stronger. Because I'm not giving up. Not now."
He nodded, pressing his forehead against hers. "I'll fight with you. Until the end."
As they stood among the ashes and broken stones, the wind whispered through the trees—and far away, beyond the mountains, another seal trembled.
The Third was stirring.
The air crackled long after the masked man disappeared, leaving behind only scorched earth and a chilling sense of forewarning. Aira knelt down, pressing her palm against the ground where the beam of red light had struck. It pulsed faintly beneath her fingers—like a heartbeat, but not her own.
Lucien crouched beside her. "He wasn't just a warning. He was a scout."
Aira nodded. "And there'll be more."
For a moment, the silence between them stretched. The night wind tugged at her hair as her thoughts swirled faster than her flames. She could feel it—the veil between realms thinning. The power within her wasn't just growing… it was breaking things apart. Rules. Barriers. Her past and her future.
"Lucien," she whispered, "if I lose control… promise me you'll stop me."
He froze, then turned to face her fully. "Don't say that."
"You saw what happened tonight. Those shadow beasts didn't attack. They obeyed. If I become something else—"
"You won't."
She looked up, eyes burning with unshed tears. "But if I do—"
"I'll protect you," he said firmly, brushing her hair back. "From whatever threatens you. Even yourself. But I won't give up on you, Aira. Ever."
Their eyes locked. Aira swallowed hard, then stood. Her fire dimmed but didn't go out—it licked quietly at her fingertips like a sleeping dragon.
"We need to find the next seal before they do," she said, voice steady.
Lucien nodded. "And we'll need allies. Real ones. Not shadows."
A rustle behind them made them both turn. From the trees stepped a cloaked figure—a woman this time, her cloak stitched with silver threads that glimmered like constellations.
"I think I can help with that," she said softly.
Aira's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The woman pulled back her hood, revealing pale blue eyes and a face marked with glowing runes. "My name is Virelle. I'm a Seer of the Hollow Temple… and I've been looking for you, Flamebearer."
Lucien instinctively stepped in front of Aira, but she held him back gently.
"Why?"
"Because," Virelle said, "the Emissary is only the beginning. There's something worse coming—and you're the only one who can stop it. But to do that, you'll have to awaken the Third Seal… and survive its trial."
Aira met her gaze, fire flaring in her eyes. "Then take me to it."
The wind howled through the trees, carrying with it whispers—echoes of the battle that had just occurred. The red glow from the Emissary's final strike lingered in the sky like a wound in the night.
Aira's flames flickered low, licking at her fingertips as she stared at the spot where the masked man vanished. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, her body still trembling—not from exhaustion, but from fear.
She had felt something… foreign. A pull. Like the Emissary's power had spoken to something deep inside her—and worse, something within her had answered.
Lucien was pacing, hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "We shouldn't have let him go. He'll come back with more."
Aira didn't respond. She was still replaying his words in her mind.
"You're not who you think you are."
What did that mean?
"I saw how they reacted to you," Lucien said, stepping closer. "Those shadow beasts… they bowed. Aira, they bowed to you."
She flinched. "I know."
"Why would they do that unless—?"
"Because something inside me is changing," she whispered, her voice laced with dread. "And I don't think it's all from this world."
Lucien went silent. The firelight cast shadows across his face, darkening his eyes. Aira stared at her hands, at the fine red veins of flame pulsing beneath her skin. They were growing brighter. Sharper.
Suddenly, a low hum vibrated through the ground beneath them.
Lucien turned sharply. "What was that?"
Aira stood quickly, eyes scanning the dark forest. The trees were trembling. The moon above flickered—as though something massive had just stirred behind the sky.
And then—silence.
Too much silence.
Aira opened her mouth to speak, but a cold presence swept past her like ice on skin. The shadows in the woods deepened. From between the trees, a figure stepped out, but not the one they expected.
It was a girl.
No older than Aira, her eyes milky white, her feet bare, and her skin covered in black ink markings that moved as if alive. Her hair was tangled, soaked in something dark.
Lucien raised his blade instantly. "Stay back."
But Aira reached out, stopping him. "She's not… attacking."
The girl tilted her head. "You lit the flame."
Aira's chest tightened. "Who are you?"
The girl smiled, a chilling curve of her lips. "A message."
"A message from who?"
The girl's head snapped up, and when she spoke again, it wasn't her voice.
"The Flamebearer's blood will open the gate. The Emissary was only the first."
Aira stepped back. "Open what gate?"
The girl's body began to convulse. The markings on her skin flared and then—
She burst into black flame.
Lucien pulled Aira behind him as the fire roared upward, vanishing as quickly as it came. All that was left was the scorched imprint of her feet on the earth… and a symbol burned into the soil.
A circle with three jagged lines.
Lucien crouched to examine it, but his hand stopped inches away. "Aira… do you recognize this?"
Aira nodded slowly, blood draining from her face. "It was in the dream… the nightmare I had the night before the first seal cracked."
Lucien looked up at her, voice barely above a whisper. "What does it mean?"
She swallowed hard, heart racing. "It means the Third Seal isn't just a trial… It's a gate. And whatever's behind it is trying to get out."
Above them, the clouds began to churn. The moon was swallowed whole by shadow.
Then—a scream pierced the night.
Not human. Not beast. Something older. Something wrong.
And it came from the direction of the Hollow Temple.