The path to the Sanctum was hidden beneath layers of forgotten maps, sealed gates, and whispered warnings passed down in myth. According to Nyra, it had been buried after the First Flame's fall—buried not by enemies, but by the Phoenixes themselves.
"To protect it," she explained as they trekked through the jagged peaks of the Hollowspine Mountains, "from both invaders and ourselves. What lies within could awaken a power greater than the Sovereign's void… or destroy the one who dares claim it."
Lina said nothing, her eyes fixed on the horizon. The wind whipped through her red-gold hair like dancing fire. Deep within her chest, her flame pulsed steadily, drawn to something ahead.
It wasn't just memory calling her now.
It was destiny.
---
By the third day, the terrain grew sharp and treacherous. Rock formations twisted unnaturally, as though something massive had once burst through the mountains, scarring the land. Kael stepped cautiously, his boots crunching over brittle, ash-dusted stone.
"This isn't natural," he muttered. "Something happened here. A battle?"
Nyra nodded grimly. "The last stand of the Phoenix Guard. They held the Sanctum for seven days against the Sovereign's first generals. Their deaths sealed it shut."
They reached the summit just as night fell.
Below them, half-hidden in mist and shadow, was a vast canyon. In its center rose an ancient, crumbling structure—stone pillars, blackened and cracked, surrounded by shattered wings carved into the cliffs. The entrance yawned like a gaping mouth, lined with runes too old for any of them to read.
Lina's flame flared as they approached.
The earth trembled.
And then, the voices began.
Faint at first. Then louder. Clearer.
"You were not there."
"You do not deserve her flame."
"Leave. Before you become one of us."
Kael drew his sword, spinning around. "Who's there?!"
Nyra gritted her teeth. "The Sanctum tests your spirit. It shows you your failures… and dares you to prove you're worthy of your flame."
Lina stepped forward, her voice steady. "Then let it test me."
As she passed through the gate, the world around her shifted.
---
She stood in a vision.
The sky was burning.
Cities crumbled in the distance, children screamed, and flames raged uncontrollably—her flames. The ground was littered with corpses of those she loved. Kael. Nyra. Her mother, her younger brother. All reduced to ash.
And at the center of it all, stood Lina.
Crowned in golden fire.
Alone.
"No…" she whispered, falling to her knees.
"You will destroy everything," a voice said. It was her own—older, colder. A future version of herself. "This is what happens when a Phoenix forgets who they are."
Lina looked up, meeting her own eyes. "I would never let this happen."
"You already have."
Then the illusion shifted again—this time, she was a child, screaming as fire consumed her village. Her mother running toward her. A shadow—the Sovereign—standing just out of reach, laughing.
Suddenly, the visions exploded into flame, and Lina was back in the real world—gasping, trembling, smoke rising from her body.
Kael caught her. "Lina! Are you—"
"I saw everything," she said breathlessly. "I saw the destruction. I saw what I could become."
Nyra knelt beside her, looking shaken. "And did you give in?"
"No," Lina said. Her hands clenched into fists. "I chose to face it. To remember. To end it."
The Sanctum rumbled.
And then, deep within, a fire ignited.
The entrance glowed as ancient runes came to life. The stone doors groaned and opened inward—revealing a long chamber filled with light and fire, untouched by time.
At its center floated a glowing core, encased in a crystal cage of phoenix glass. The flame inside pulsed like a heart.
"The Heart of the Flame," Nyra whispered. "It's real."
Lina stepped forward. Her body trembled not with fear, but awe.
The moment her hand touched the crystal, fire exploded outward.
Visions, memories, and truth slammed into her mind:
— The Phoenixes did not fall by accident.
— The Sovereign had once been one of them.
— And the true power of the Phoenix… was not destruction.
It was rebirth.
---
As the light faded, Lina stood tall, fire spiraling around her in wings of flame. Her eyes blazed gold, her mark glowing brighter than ever.
Kael stared in disbelief. "Lina… you're different."
"I remember now," she said softly. "What we are. What we were meant to be."
She turned toward the exit.
"The Sovereign took our past. Now I'll burn through the darkness—until every lie is ashes, and every voice silenced."