chapter eight: fire that remembers
245 Words
Lila stared at the space where the shadow had disappeared, her hands still glowing faintly. The light was fading now, but the heat lingered—alive, pulsing through her like blood on fire.
“I didn’t know I could do that,” she whispered.
Cassian gave her a look that was both proud and worried. “Neither did they. That’s why they ran.”
“They were afraid?”
“For now.” He walked toward the shattered window, glass crunching under his boots. “But they’ll return. Stronger. Smarter. With leaders.”
Lila stood slowly, heart thudding. “Then we need to be ready.”
Cassian turned, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “You’re not running?”
She shook her head. “Not anymore. I want to understand what this is. Who I am.”
Cassian nodded slowly. “Then we start tonight.”
He extended his hand, and after a brief hesitation, she took it. His touch was cold, but comforting—like a winter wind that didn’t bite, only cleared the air.
“We’re going somewhere sacred,” he said. “A place where your fire can remember.”
Lila frowned. “Remember what?”
“Everything your blood forgot.”
Before she could ask more, a portal of glimmering frost opened in the center of the room.
Cassian looked at her. “Ready?”
Lila inhaled deeply, then stepped forward.
“Let’s find out who I really am.”
- Writer
