The wind howled through the cragged cliffs of the Shrouded Vale, scattering ash-like dust across the stony path. Elyra stood at the edge, the glow of the reunited Flame-Veil pulsing within her chest like a heartbeat in rhythm with Kael's steady presence beside her. He said nothing, just reached out and took her hand.
"You feel that?" she whispered.
Kael's eyes glinted with firelight. "I feel you."
And that was enough. The Flame-Veil responded, threads of gold and silver weaving between their interlocked fingers. The Veil was no longer dormant—it was awakening.
Their descent into the Vale was guided by a strange pull, something ancient stirring beneath the mountain stone. The runes carved into the walls around them shimmered faintly with the same light as the Flame-Veil, as if recognizing their presence.
"Do you think this is what the Heart was guarding?" Kael asked.
"No," Elyra said softly. "I think this is what it was waiting for."
They moved deeper into the mountain's belly, until the narrow path opened into a circular chamber. At the center stood a spire of crystal, cracked but humming with raw energy. Around it, five obelisks carved with the sigils of the old Flamekeepers.
Kael reached for the hilt of his sword instinctively. "This is no shrine. It's a lock."
Elyra moved closer, her breath fogging in the cold, magic-laced air. "Then what is it keeping sealed?"
A voice, low and venomous, echoed off the walls.
"You already know, don't you, Elyra?"
She spun, her heart sinking.
Ashar emerged from the shadows like a ghost draped in silver and blood. His cloak billowed unnaturally, and behind him, tendrils of darkened Veil twisted in serpentine shapes. His eyes were fireless voids, devoid of mercy.
"You shouldn't be here," Elyra said, stepping in front of Kael even as his blade glinted in the torchlight.
Ashar laughed. "And yet, I am. Isn't that always the problem with your kind? Thinking you can keep death locked away."
Kael raised his sword. "You came alone?"
"No," Ashar replied, tilting his head. "I came with the truth."
And suddenly, the crystal spire at the center cracked wider, its light dimming, flickering like a candle in wind.
Elyra cried out, clutching her chest. The Flame-Veil flared in response, but instead of answering with warmth, it twisted. A memory—no, a vision—flashed across her mind. A woman standing over a battlefield, her face eerily similar to Elyra's, holding the same flame in her hands… only it burned blue.
"She was the first," Ashar said softly, watching her tremble. "And you are the last."
"What do you mean?" Kael demanded.
Ashar turned to him. "You think you're her equal, guardian? You've always been a shadow behind her light. But this—" he gestured to the Flame-Veil "—this was meant for someone stronger."
Kael lunged, fury igniting his movements. Steel met shadow as his blade clashed with the weapon Ashar conjured from pure darkness. The room erupted in chaos.
Elyra dropped to her knees at the crystal spire, hands outstretched. The obelisks began to glow, as if responding to her touch. The Veil within her surged toward the ancient stone, seeking answers, anchors, anything that could hold back the corruption.
Kael was holding his ground—but barely. Ashar was faster, inhuman, and driven by something far more terrifying than ambition: conviction.
"You don't understand what she is," Ashar snarled, locking blades with Kael.
"I know exactly who she is," Kael hissed, forcing him back. "And that's why you'll never win."
Elyra cried out as a rush of energy tore through her. The five obelisks flared, blindingly bright—and then the crystal spire split down the center.
A figure stepped out.
Not a person. Not quite. She was tall, ethereal, her form wrapped in flames of soft blue and violet. Her eyes were the same as Elyra's. So was her voice.
"You've come far, child of fire."
Elyra could barely breathe. "Who are you?"
"I am your echo. The first Flame-Veil bearer. And I have waited for the day you would awaken me."
Ashar stumbled back. "No… She was lost to time."
The echo turned to him. "You are what we feared. A fragment of broken light—twisted into hunger."
Kael moved to Elyra's side. The echo extended her hand to both of them.
"You cannot win by force," she said. "You must reunite the flame through your bond. Through trust. Through love."
And just like that, Elyra understood. The Flame-Veil was not a weapon—it was a vow.
She took Kael's hand again, this time placing it over her heart.
"I trust you," she whispered. "Always."
Kael's hand trembled against her skin. "And I love you. No matter what comes."
The Flame-Veil erupted in gold and crimson light, encircling them both. The power surged outward, striking the obelisks and pushing Ashar back with a scream. The echo lifted her arms, her voice like thunder.
"This is your final trial. Survive, and the future is yours."
Then the chamber shattered.
The ground fell away beneath them, and darkness swallowed them whole.