"Some doors are not opened by keys, but by the courage to remember what we've lost."
The next morning, the air smelled different — like burning rain. The sea had grown silent again, but a golden mist lingered above the water. Lira and Kael packed their things in quiet haste, their minds still filled with the voice of the sea.
They followed the coast eastward, guided by Lira's glowing pendant. It pulsed faintly whenever they took the right path, almost like a heartbeat.
Kael frowned. "It's like it knows where we're going."
Lira touched the pendant gently. "Maybe it's showing us what Aric couldn't."
After hours of walking, the cliffs opened to reveal something hidden by fog — a sunken city, half-buried under sand and coral. Broken towers rose from the shallow water, their surfaces covered in strange, shining symbols.
Lira gasped. "This… this is it. The Ruins of the First Keeper."
Kael whistled softly. "I thought it was just a legend."
They stepped carefully across the cracked stones, their reflections moving like ghosts in the water. The silence was heavy — the kind that made every breath sound too loud.
Lira knelt beside one of the fallen pillars, brushing away moss. The same circle-and-waves symbol appeared, glowing faintly beneath her touch.
"It's warm," she whispered.
Kael crouched next to her. "These markings… they're reacting to you."
Before she could reply, the pendant around her neck flashed brightly, and a soft hum filled the air.
The ground trembled.Water rippled outward from the center of the ruins.And from beneath the waves, a stone door began to rise — tall, ancient, carved with hundreds of glowing runes.
Kael drew his sword. "I don't like this."
Lira's voice was steady. "It's not danger. It's memory."
The door opened slowly with a deep groan, revealing a staircase leading down into darkness. Warm light flickered below, like candle flames dancing under the water.
Lira took a deep breath. "Stay close."
Kael nodded, and together they descended.
Inside, the air felt thick and ancient. The walls shimmered with strange light, showing scenes of people with golden eyes holding flames in their palms. Some images showed war, others peace. But in all of them — there was the same fire.
Lira stopped before one large mural. It showed a man standing over a burning sea, his hands raised as if he were controlling the waves themselves.
"Who is he?" Kael asked quietly.
"The First Keeper," she murmured. "The one who tamed the Flame before Aric ever existed."
As they stared, words appeared below the image — glowing softly in golden letters:
"He who holds the flame holds memory. But memory can consume the heart that shelters it."
Kael looked uneasy. "So even he wasn't safe from it."
"No one ever is," Lira whispered.
Deeper inside, they found an altar made of smooth black stone. A single ember floated above it, burning without fuel or smoke. It pulsed slowly — alive, like a heartbeat.
Lira stepped closer, mesmerized. The light of the ember reflected in her eyes, and for a moment, Kael could almost see another figure standing beside her — a shadow made of flame.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered.
Kael nodded. "It's like it's… calling you."
She reached out her hand, trembling slightly. The moment her fingers touched the ember, a wave of warmth shot through her — and suddenly, everything changed.
She was no longer in the ruins.She was standing in a great hall of fire.
Figures of light surrounded her — the Keepers of the past. Their faces were calm, their voices soft, blending into one another like a choir.
One of them stepped forward — a woman with eyes like burning gold.
"Child of Flame," she said, her voice echoing in Lira's mind. "You carry his memory — but not his purpose."
Lira frowned. "Then what is my purpose?"
"To remember what he forgot," the woman replied. "The flame was never made to rule. It was made to heal."
The word echoed in her mind, and then — everything vanished.
Lira gasped, falling back into Kael's arms. The ember had disappeared. Her pendant now glowed brighter than ever, shining like a miniature sun.
Kael held her steady. "Lira! What did you see?"
She took a shaky breath. "They showed me… the truth. The flame isn't power. It's life. It connects everything — the sea, the stars, us."
Kael frowned. "Then why is it waking again now?"
Lira looked toward the altar. "Because something is breaking that connection. Something's trying to turn it into destruction again."
The room rumbled softly, as if agreeing. Cracks of light began spreading across the walls.
Kael grabbed her hand. "We need to go — now!"
They ran up the stairs as the ruins began to collapse. The sea roared above them, waves bursting with gold light. When they reached the surface, the ruins had already begun sinking back into the deep.
Lira stood on the rocks, gasping for air, her pendant still glowing.
Kael looked at her. "What now?"
She stared at the horizon where the sun touched the golden waves. "We follow the flame — wherever it leads. Because if it dies again…" She paused. "So will everything."
The pendant pulsed once, bright and clear, as if answering her.
And far away, beyond the horizon, the stars flickered — like they were listening.
"When light fades, it doesn't vanish. It waits — for someone brave enough to find it again."
The journey had only just begun.