The Sanctuary was never meant to fall.
Its stones were carved from flame-forged vows,
its spires kissed the sky like silent sentinels.
But even stars crumble when the weight of prophecy leans too hard.
---
When the Ashes Betray
Liora knew something was wrong the moment the inner flame dimmed.
> "Where is the chant?" she whispered. "Why is the Cradle Flame… silent?"
She rushed into the Sanctum.
Gone were the Ashborne guards.
Gone were the lightbearers who watched the veil.
At the altar stood Kael —
not dead, not lost — but cloaked in Cradleless fire.
> "You," she breathed.
"You swore—"
> "I swore to protect her," Kael spat, "not to watch her sacrifice everything for a child that will burn us all."
Behind him, other Ashborne flickered — once brothers in flame, now shattered by fear.
> "She left," Kael hissed. "She chose prophecy over us. Over the world."
He raised his hand. The Cradle Flame answered — but it was twisted now, black and gold, corrupted by the mark of the Cradleless.
Liora drew her blade. "Then let me remind you… of what loyalty once meant."
---
⚔️ Scene II: The Gates Break
Thunder. Screams. The sound of bone against shield.
The Cradleless army surged through the outer walls like a wave of death.
The hooded woman, tall and sharp-eyed, raised her hand. The mirror-blade she wielded sang like a shriek through stone.
> "Find the child's heart," she commanded. "Burn the rest."
Above them, the Silent King spoke once. His voice cracked the sky.
> "Ashes to ashes. Flame to memory."
And so the Sanctuary began to fall.
Ashborne warriors, loyal and fierce, fought in the storm of betrayal and invasion.
Some fell defending sacred halls.
Others turned their blades inward, afraid of what the prophecy would birth.
And deep in the Sanctuary's heart, the Cradle Flame itself began to tremble…
…as if mourning.
---
🕯️ Scene III: Liora's Stand
Blood covered the Sanctum floor.
Kael stood wounded, eyes wide with rage.
Liora knelt, the pendant still glowing — the unborn heart pulsing like a dying star.
> "You don't understand," Kael gasped. "This child… she's not salvation. She's the end."
Liora looked up at him.
> "No. She's the beginning. You were just too afraid to see it."
Behind her, the Cradleless began to pour in — but Liora stood tall, wings ignited in full flame.
She whispered a word — ancient, forbidden — and a dome of light erupted around the pendant.
> "If I must burn to protect her…" she said, "then let me burn bright enough to blind the gods."
And with that, Liora vanished in fire — not dead, but hidden. Her light, a last defense.
---
Final Lines:
The Sanctuary's great bell tolled once.
Then silence.
Then smoke.
And across the plains, as the flames rose…
the Silent King turned to the hooded woman.
> "It is done."
> She nodded. "Then before the child takes breath… we strike the Hollow next."