Nyra
The world feels like it's burning in silence.
When I wake, there's no sound—no wind, no echo of life. Only the faint pulse beneath my skin, slow and deep, as though the world itself has begun to beat in time with me. I lift my hand and watch embers drift from my fingers. They rise, soft and gold, dissolving into the air before they can fall.
For a moment, I think I've died. But death wouldn't feel like this. Death wouldn't hum in my veins or taste like lightning behind my teeth.
I press a trembling hand to my chest. The bond flares—faint, fractured, but alive. Kael. His heartbeat stutters somewhere beyond this endless dark. My name echoes through the tether, broken and distant, and the ache that follows nearly doubles me over.
I remember the last thing I saw—his eyes, wild with defiance as the flame took me. His voice calling out my name as the world shattered into light. Then… nothing.
Until now.
The air shifts. Shadows move. And in the distance, I see it—the remains of the realm. The Forsaken Flame's prison lies cracked open, molten veins pulsing through stone like blood. I feel it watching me, the ancient power that once consumed everything it touched. But it doesn't frighten me anymore. It knows me now.
I step forward, and the ground ripples like liquid fire. With every movement, the realm bends, reshaping itself. Flames whisper along my skin—not to burn, but to bind. The mark on my back ignites, spreading warmth through every nerve until I can barely stand it.
"You've become me," the Flame whispers, voice threaded through the air.
"No," I breathe, "I've become something else."
The world answers. The skies split with red light, the ground trembling as if in reverence. In that instant, I see—through the bond, through the veil, through everything. Kael, broken but alive, reaching for me from the mortal world. The realms bleeding together, boundaries thinning. And in the heart of it all… me. The catalyst. The key.
My vision blurs. Power lashes outward in waves, scattering the last remnants of the prison. I fall to my knees, choking on light and ash, and the voice of the Flame softens to a whisper inside me:
Return, child of fire. Burn the path between worlds.
And I do.
The realm ruptures. Fire surges skyward, tearing through the dark. I feel the pull of the bond like a hook through my ribs—Kael's will anchoring me, dragging me back toward him. The light grows unbearable. My body shatters into heat and memory, my scream carried through the fire.
When it fades, I am no longer in the hidden realm.
I fall into his world—smoke, blood, and the scent of rain. My knees hit the earth, and when I lift my head, the sky burns red.
Kael stands before me, eyes wide, weapon lowered, his lips forming my name.
And behind him… the world begins to burn.