Chapter 25
The Hollow Spire pulsed like a living lung—each breath heavier, thicker, soaked in ancient flame. The cracked mirrors around Eliendara twisted and turned, reflecting every version of herself that had ever failed.
Kael was on one knee, gripping his blade, bleeding from the mouth. But his eyes never left her.
And in front of her stood the Seventh, wrapped in her mother's body like a velvet glove. Elegant. Warm. And utterly false.
Yet…
The voice that whispered from within the flames wasn't the Seventh's.
It was hers.
"Ellie… I'm still here."
Eliendara's knees shook. Her hand gripped the silver-soul flame tighter.
"You're lying," she whispered. "She's gone. She has to be gone."
The Seventh smiled with her mother's lips. "Say it again, and maybe you'll believe it."
Kael's voice rang out behind her. "Eliendara. Don't listen to her. You know what you have to do."
She did.
The Ashbind Spell.A final binding that could lock the Seventh away forever—By destroying her vessel from the inside.
Her mother's body.
Her mother's soul.
But the soul was still fighting.
"I can't kill her," she whispered.
"You must," Kael said. "Or she kills you. All of us."
Eliendara's hands trembled. The silver flame flickered brighter, hungrier. It sensed the moment. The spell she'd carved into her soul was ready.
But then—
A fragment of memory surged through her.
A memory she hadn't seen since childhood.
Her mother… standing over her after a nightmare, stroking her hair, whispering:
"One day, you'll be faced with a choice no one should have to make.And you'll choose the way I couldn't."
Eliendara fell to her knees.
And chose.
She slammed the silver flame into her chest.
Not outward.Inward.
A scream tore from her throat as her soul split—half of it searing white, the other drawn into the mirror-world, into her mother's mind. Her consciousness blurred—no longer in the tower, no longer in her body—
She was inside her mother's soul.
Dark. Twisting.
The Seventh's fire surrounded her like a serpent.
But there—beneath it all—was a tiny flicker of soft, golden light.
Her mother's soul.
Barely breathing.
"I'm here," Eliendara whispered."Please… fight her. With me."
The fire surged.
The Seventh screamed.
"You fool. You can't share a soul. It'll burn you both!"
But Eliendara didn't listen.
She reached for her mother's hand.
Golden light wrapped around her arm, brightened, bloomed—
And erupted.
A shockwave of pure soulfire exploded from the center of the Hollow Spire, shattering the mirrors, disintegrating the ash-runes, and tearing the false face from the Seventh.
Kael barely had time to shield his eyes.
When the light faded…
Eliendara lay still.
The Seventh was gone.
The spire had collapsed inward, now a crater of charred bone and violet dust.
Kael rushed forward, heart slamming in his chest.
Eliendara was breathing.
Barely.
But she wasn't alone.
Beside her, wrapped in golden light, was her mother.
Eyes closed.
Soul intact.
Free.
🌹 Reader Appreciation – Thank You, Flamebearers!
Dear readers, you've walked through fire with Eliendara—twenty-five chapters of magic, betrayal, and soul-deep choices.
Thank you for your incredible support, your comments, collections, and every gift you've shared. Every spark from you keeps this fire burning.
Please don't forget to:
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Let's keep going—together.
🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 26: The Scorched Crown
The Seventh is gone—but something worse remains:
The Crown of Fire, once worn by the first Gatekeeper, has awakened.And it wants a new bearer.
But this time, it won't be chosen.
It will choose for itself.