The skies above Thalum crackled open like torn fabric as Grim burst from the Dragon's realm—his body glowing, his flame deep and focused. Kindled.
But his heart?
It raced.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it in the air.
Like a candle flickering in a hurricane.
Sparks.
He found her in the cavern they'd first arrived in. Still. Silent. Her light dimmer than he'd ever seen.
Grim rushed to her side, kneeling, grabbing her with shaking hands.
"Sparks. Hey. C'mon—say something snarky. Anything."
She didn't answer. Her eyes flickered. Her form glitched. Like static fire.
Then she spoke—but it was two voices layered together.
"He's back… He's back... Too late… Not enough."
Grim's flame surged protectively. His hands glowed as he drew his power inward.
"You're not burning out on me. I just got strong enough to catch you."
Sparks laughed—but the second voice laughed too. One cruel. One scared.
"You were never meant to keep me," the other voice said. "She's already failing."
Grim closed his eyes. He reached into her. Past the voice. Past the fire. Into the core where her true flame struggled to hold shape.
And there—he saw the truth.
Her vessel… the body holding her essence… it was never built to contain a full flame. She was expanding. Growing too fast. And now she was tearing at the edges.
He couldn't rebuild her body—not yet.
But he could reinforce it.
Grim drew on his newly Kindled fire, weaving threads of energy like cords. He wrapped his flame around hers—not smothering, but binding, shielding her core with a layer of his essence.
"This'll hurt," he muttered.
"You think I haven't been in worse pain?" Sparks croaked. Then added, "Actually wait… I take that back—ow."
The process scorched him from within. Binding flame to flame wasn't natural. But it worked.
Sparks stabilized. Her flame stopped glitching. The other voice receded… for now.
She opened her eyes, tired—but solid.
"What… did you do?"
"Patched you up," Grim said. "Temporary fix. Like taping lava with spirit tape."
"That's so stupid."
"So are you."
They both smiled.
Then she whispered, soft and serious:
"Thank you."
As they rested in the cave, Grim stared into the firelight.
"We'll need a body. One strong enough to carry your flame. Not a vessel. Something real."
Sparks nodded slowly. "Yeah. But first…"
"We've got unfinished business."
They both looked toward the path beyond Thalum. Toward the stories waiting for them.
Ayesha.
Hadi.
Tristan.
The siblings weren't done.
And the flame wasn't finished.
Let's do this.