When the wind changed direction, the silence of the forest was broken.
Sere gripped the Threshold Stone tightly in her hand;the stone pulsed as if with the rhythm of a living heart within.
Moaito,walking ahead, didn't look back even once.
He seemed to know the way—or he trusted the stone to lead them wherever it was taking them.
They walked for half a day without speaking; words were weary, breaths were short.
The sky was covered in heavy grey clouds,and distant lightning churned the earth and sky together.
When the path reached an old stone bridge,an indescribable fear gripped Sere.
The river beneath the bridge was red,like blood.
"This is... no river," said Sere.
Moaito lifted his head."No. This is the Vein of Fire. One of the primal places where the Void was born."
Beyond the river stood a structure built of black stone.
Its roof had collapsed,its walls covered in burn marks—the Temple of the Heart of Fire.
The moment they stepped inside the temple door, the air changed.
The heat was so thick it was hard to breathe.
On the walls were ancient inscriptions;some were written in light, others in burned ash.
Sere ran her fingers over one of the inscriptions:
"He who seeks balance must first know the fire within himself."
Suddenly, the stone grew warm beneath her fingers.
Her eyes widened.
"Moaito…the stone is reacting."
Moaito turned his head, but he too noticed something strange.
A circle had formed in the temple's center;the stones on the floor glowed with a red radiance, and sparks, instead of dust, swirled in the air.
"This place will test us," Moaito said quietly.
"This is the Heart of Fire.If your spirit is not pure, it will turn you to ash."
Sere took a deep breath inwardly.
"I'm ready."
At that moment, the ground shook.
Fire burst from the temple walls,surrounding them.
Shapes formed within the flames—fragments from their pasts.
A child cried, holding a broken toy.
A woman whispered,gazing into the distance: "We couldn't save him…"
And a man knelt,his sword plunged into the earth.
Sere collapsed to her knees.
These images were her own memories.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
"This is my…past…"
A figure emerged from the flames—a reflection identical to Sere, but with eyes of pure fire.
"I am your fears,"said a voice like an echo.
"I am the regrets you have forgotten."
Sere stood up. "I will not run from you anymore!"
The two Seres drew their swords simultaneously.
The clang of steel echoed off the temple walls.
The battle was not just physical,but spiritual.
Each blow erased a part of the past,writing something new in its place.
Meanwhile, Moaito faced his own trial.
A face appeared in the flames—his brother's face.
A face that should have been dead.
"You left me,Moaito," said the fiery visage.
"You did not maintain the balance.You destroyed us."
Moaito fell to his knees.
He covered his face with his hands,but one cannot cry within fire.
His soul was burning.
When Sere defeated her reflection, the temple grew quiet.
The flames did not die,but they calmed.
A stone platform appeared in the central circle—on it,two symbols glowed: one was the sign of light, the other the sign of shadow.
Moaito approached the platform with heavy steps.
Sere looked at him,her voice trembling:
"That wasn't just a test…it changed us."
Moaito bowed his head.
"Yes.For fire does not only burn. It also purifies."
Right then, the Threshold Stone shone again.
This time it emitted two colors at once—white and black.
The temple walls cracked,and beams of light seeped through the ceiling.
A voice echoed, both from within and without:
"You have taken one step closer to balance.
But the Heart of Fire was only the beginning."
And the light swallowed everything.