Embers of the forgotten flame
317 Words
The wind that blew across the plain where the Tower once stood was no longer bitter. It carried warmth—faint, fleeting, but real. As Ariah stood in the ashes, her lantern began to glow more steadily, as if the Light had drawn nearer again.
They had passed the Tower’s test. But something told her this wasn’t the end of the darkness—it was only the unveiling of its deeper roots.
“We move east,” Ariah said. “Toward the Embercore.”
Jalen frowned. “You’re sure? That place hasn’t been spoken of in centuries.”
“I saw it,” Ariah said. “In the mirror—just before it shattered. A mountain burning from the inside. I know it was the Embercore.”
Jalen frowned. “You’re sure? That place hasn’t been spoken of in centuries.”
“I saw it,” Ariah said. “In the mirror—just before it shattered. A mountain burning from the inside. I know it was the Embercore.”
Mira nodded. “The Flame within the mountain. The eternal fire… It’s said the Eternal One first breathed it into the earth before light was ever given to the sky.”
They traveled for two days through the shifting lands of Emberveil. The forests grew sparse, and the air thicker. On the third evening, golden cracks appeared in the earth—veins of light, pulsing beneath stone and soil.
At last, they stood before it: Mount Kaelorn, the resting place of the Forgotten Flame.
The entrance was hidden behind a waterfall that hissed with steam. As they stepped through, the air turned red-orange with heat and pressure. The walls glowed softly, not with fire, but with something deeper—alive, ancient, holy.
A presence stirred.
A voice—not heard but felt—echoed through the stone:
“Who comes to awaken what has been silenced?”
- Writer
