The throne room glowed unnaturally.
Cold white light pulsed from the artificial star suspended above the royal platform, flooding the chamber with blinding brilliance. The walls of crystal and gold reflected its harsh glow, making the entire hall feel hollow and lifeless despite its beauty. Magic cables of energy stretched from the star into the ceiling and down into the city below, draining power from every living soul in Lumeria.
Elara stepped inside, her boots echoing across the marble floor.
Kael remained near the entrance, injured but standing, watching silently as she walked forward alone.
The King of Light stood beneath the artificial star, his robes shimmering with stolen magic. His eyes burned with arrogance and hunger.
"So," he sneered, his voice echoing through the vast hall. "The girl of forbidden fire finally arrives. You carry chaos in your blood. Emotion is weakness. That is why I removed it from this kingdom."
Elara's hands trembled at her sides, but she did not stop walking.
"No," she said softly, her voice steady despite the storm inside her chest. "It's strength. It's what makes us human."
The King laughed sharply. "Humanity is flawed. Fearful. Unstable. I created perfection. Eternal light. Eternal order."
He raised his hand, and the artificial star flared brighter, pulling energy violently from the city. Elara felt the pain of thousands echo inside her heart—children crying, elders collapsing, families breaking apart.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I feel them," she whispered. "Every stolen breath. Every fading soul. You call it weakness… but it's connection."
She stepped forward and closed her eyes.
Instead of resisting her emotions, she opened herself to them.
Grief surged.Love burned.Hope rose.Fear softened into resolve.
Her chest ignited.
Mortal Fire erupted outward—not as destruction, but as radiant black-gold flame that moved like living sunlight. The air vibrated. The throne room trembled. The artificial star cracked, its surface splintering as Elara's power wrapped around it, undoing the unnatural magic that bound it together.
The King stumbled backward. "No! You will destroy everything!"
"I'm not destroying," Elara cried, her voice echoing with power. "I'm returning what you stole."
With a final surge of Mortal Fire, the artificial star shattered.
Light exploded across the kingdom.
Energy flowed back into the people, restoring fading glows and reviving collapsed bodies. Lanterns reignited. Towers shimmered once more—warm, natural, alive.
The King collapsed onto the marble floor, stripped of stolen magic. His once-radiant robes dulled into ordinary cloth.
He looked up at Elara, trembling. "Impossible," he whispered.
Elara stepped closer, kneeling before him—not in cruelty, but in quiet strength.
"Human," she replied.
Silence filled the throne room.
And for the first time in centuries, Lumeria breathed freely again.