The forests beyond Theralune were thick with fog and frost, the trees gnarled like the hands of sleeping giants. Elira moved swiftly, deeper into the heart of the land no noble dared speak of — the Verdant Shroud.
She no longer moved like a palace prisoner.
She moved like fire learning to breathe.
Three days after her escape, Elira stumbled upon a small village carved into the cliffs — half-forgotten, hidden behind vines and illusion charms that shimmered when touched. An old woman spotted her near the market stalls and froze.
> "You wear the mark," she whispered.
Elira stiffened. "What mark?"
The woman reached out and touched Elira's palm. The faint outline of the flame-encircled crown still glowed beneath her skin.
> "You don't know who you are yet, do you?"
> "No," Elira said. "But I know what I'm not. I'm not theirs."
The woman nodded.
> "Then you may find what you seek in Aurek's Hollow. The Flameborn left secrets behind. Not all of them stayed buried."
Auren faced the Council alone now.
> "You speak of law," he told them, "but what of mercy?"
Lady Seraphine's voice rang like steel.
> "She is no longer a citizen. She is a threat."
> "She is a girl who risked her life to save your kingdom from burning beneath her feet."
Seraphine stepped closer, eyes gleaming.
> "You still love her. That will destroy you."
Auren said nothing.
But in his hand, tucked into his cloak, was a map Elira had once sketched in the dirt behind Emberlight Home — a map of the old roads, of the lands forgotten by the Crown.
---
Elira stood before a ruined temple carved into a cliffside, lit by strange violet moss and the flicker of memory. She reached for the stone doors — and they opened before she touched them.
Inside, glowing etchings lined the walls, forming a pattern.
In the center of the temple stood a mirror of obsidian framed in runes.
> "You seek truth," a voice said.
She spun — but no one was there.
> "Then bear the cost."
The mirror flared, and the room went black.
---
Somewhere in the capital, Seraphine stood before a long-locked vault.
She placed her hand against the seal, and ancient symbols flickered to life.
> "Awaken the Hunter," she ordered.
> "The Flameborn has returned."