As Gisele set up the ancient circle, moonlight streamed through the sacred grove like silver rivers. With their palms pressed together and their breaths in unison with silent expectation, the three women—Leah, Serafina, and Susanna—were standing at the center of the glowing rune. They would have to endure the Flamebound Trial tonight, an age-old Moon Mother ritual designed to put the soul to the test, reveal latent strength, and create enduring bonds between selected vessels of light.
"These battles will cut deeper than steel, even though you may not encounter blades," Gisele said in a whisper, her voice resembling the rustle of leaves.
The women fell gently to the forest floor as the first pulse of magic swept through the clearing, drawing their spirits into the Dreamscape Realm.
Serafina
She woke up surrounded by memories of her early years in the ruins of Barduff Castle. Around her, echoes of the past lingered: Leah's patient love, Jacob's faraway grief, and Vivian's passing. The image of herself at the Silverwind altar, bound in ceremony, with Roman standing just out of reach, however, caused the most agony.
A voice said, "Is your duty worth your joy?"
With guilt tugging at her chest, Serafina remained steadfast. "I went with peace. But I also deserve to be happy. Moonfire burned in her hands, and she looked toward the altar. A wave of golden light melted it.
"Only those who forgive themselves can light the path for others," a voice murmured.
Susanna
Susanna ended up in a dimly lit hallway of the aristocratic home she never claimed. Judging and accusing, ghostly portraits gazed down at her. Once more, she was disguised as a maid, invisible and unheard.
A crowd then materialized, whispering her name and bowing: Lady Susanna of the Lost Vale.
"You are nothing without them," a cloaked figure snapped forward.
Her eyes blazed with fire as she replied, "I was something before them." Her shadow developed into the image of a queen, one who was kind, radiant, and self-assured rather than cruel. The hallway turned into a hall of light as her fear broke like glass.
"Those who confront their fear are the only ones who can guide others through it."
Leah
Under the blood moon, Leah stood by herself on a mountain while the winds roared with memories. She looked at Jacob, her kids, her life, and yet there was a figure covered in silver flame at the top. A version of herself, completely divine, painless.
The figure remarked, "You carry legacy like a burden."
With tears in her eyes, Leah answered, "I carry it with love." "But rather than just bearing more, I want to be more."
Thousands of women—Flames of the past—rose and cheered as the mountain opened. Her eyes gleamed like stars as the silver flame poured into her body.
"The future can only be led by those who accept themselves as they are."
Returning to the Grove
As the three women gasped back into consciousness, Gisele opened her eyes. On their foreheads, each had a faint glowing sigil that represented something different but was entwined in an ancient unity.
Gisele whispered, "The Flamebound Pact is sealed." "And this is the first time the Hollow Alpha has ever encountered light like this."