Chapter Twelve: Shadows and SecretsAria's POV
The sun was low, casting long shadows across the rebel camp when she arrived.
I first saw her at the edge of the clearing a figure draped in dark, flowing robes, moving with a grace that seemed almost unnatural. She watched me for a moment, eyes unreadable, before stepping forward.
"I'm your guardian," she said, voice smooth and cold.
I blinked.
"Guardian?" I repeated, skeptical. "I don't remember asking for one."
She smiled no warmth in it and nodded. "You don't have to. I was sent by The moon herself"
My heart froze.
Kael stepped beside me, protective and wary. "Why? What does she want with us?"
The woman's eyes flicked to him, then back to me. "To keep you safe. After all you are the flame ."
"By spying?" I snapped.
"By watching," she said calmly. "The prime has many enemies. You two are both threats and keys. The prime wants to know which you will become."
I narrowed my eyes. "And you're just going to help us?"
She hesitated, then said, "I'm here to guide you. Whether you trust me is up to you."
That night, as the camp settled into uneasy quiet, Kael and I sat by the fire, the guardian's words echoing in my mind.
"I don't like her," I whispered.
"Neither do I," Kael said, his jaw tight. "But maybe she's useful. For now."
Meanwhile…
far away in the Alpha's stronghold, Lucian's curiosity grew.
Lucian's POV
He had been watching me for days more than usual. MY father, the Alpha, seemed obsessed with my power. I didn't understand why, but I could feel the pull the secret thread tying us all together.
"Why does Father care so much about her?" I asked one of my closest advisors.
"He sees something in Aria," the advisor said quietly. "Something that threatens everything we've built."
I frowned. "Maybe I should find out what it is."
Aria's POV
Kael and me, Began the search for the Sacred Glade at dawn.
The guardian led us through thick forests and rocky hills, her movements precise and silent.
"Why do you know the way?" I asked her.
"Because I was once a Flameborn, like you," she replied. "Before I swore my allegiance to the prime."
Her confession sent a chill through me.
We pressed on, the trees thinning until we reached a clearing bathed in silver moonlight, though the sun was still high.
The Sacred Glade.
In the center stood a stone altar covered in moss and ancient carvings.
I stepped forward, heart pounding.
"Mother," I whispered, "how do I wake you?"
The air shimmered, and I closed my eyes, reaching out with every ounce of the Flame inside me.
A voice echoed softly, not from the stones but from within my mind.
"Look in your heart."
That was all.
No instructions. No guidance. Just those three words.
Kael took my hand, steadying me.
"What does it mean?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I don't know. But it feels like the key isn't out here. It's inside me."
The guardian watched silently, her expression unreadable.
Later, as we made camp near the glade, I sat alone beneath the stars, tracing the crescent birthmark on my neck.
The Flame pulsed warmly.
"Look in your heart," I repeated.
Could the answers really lie within me?