Heart of the frozen flame

Chapter 7 – The Prophecy of Three

The grand library of the Fire Kingdom, once known as the *Infernal Hall of Records*, was a labyrinth of towering scrolls, glowing glyphs, and ancient whispers. Kaelion moved through it with practiced ease, but tonight, something pulled him deeper.

He had searched for hours, determined to find answers about the strange visions Zira had spoken of. Her eyes… that divine white glow… it wasn’t normal. It wasn’t human. And the way Kale looked at her—it was more than concern. It was *bond*.

Kaelion’s fingers brushed against a blackened scroll case—cold to the touch despite the blazing warmth of the room. It pulsed faintly in his palm. Curious, he opened it.

The scroll was written in a forgotten tongue, but as he stared, the words shifted, reordering themselves in a language he could understand.

*“Born of earth, bound by flame and frost. The Heart of the Frozen Flame shall awaken, tethered to two blood-bound royals. In her hands, the power to unite or destroy the Seven.”*

Kaelion’s eyes narrowed.

*“If the Heart breaks… the realms fall into ruin. If she chooses wrong… the world burns in shadow.”*

The scroll trembled in his grip.

“No,” he muttered, fire sparking at his fingertips. “This can’t be…”

Anger and dread surged. Without thinking, he set the scroll ablaze. Flames devoured it instantly. The ash curled and vanished into the air, like it had never existed.

Kaelion stormed out.

***

He threw open Kale’s chamber doors without knocking.

Only to stop—stunned.

There she was.

Zira.

Asleep in Kale’s bed, wrapped in his icy-blue cloak, hair scattered over the pillow like wild flame. Kale sat beside her, back turned, his hand gently resting over hers.

Something twisted in Kaelion’s chest. Not jealousy. Something more ancient, more *instinctive*.

They looked… right. But incomplete.

Zira stirred.

Her eyes fluttered open—divine white against deep brown skin.

They met Kaelion’s, and something inside both of them hummed.

That *pull* again.

Kale stood slowly, unreadable.

“I found it,” Kaelion said, voice low. “The prophecy.”

Zira sat up, tension in her shoulders.

Kaelion walked closer. “It called you *The Heart of the Frozen Flame.* You’re not just caught between us… you *belong* to both of us.”

Zira’s lips parted. “What does that mean?”

Kaelion ran a hand through his red hair. “It means our fates are tied. You. Me. Him. And if this goes wrong… everything burns.”

Zira shivered.

Kale pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her. Despite his icy aura, his embrace felt warm.

Comforting.

Real.

Kaelion watched, something flickering behind his fiery eyes. “We have to be careful. There are people who’d kill to stop that prophecy. Or worse… fulfill it.”

Silence fell.

Three hearts beat wildly in the quiet room.

Bound by fate.

Entangled in something no one fully understood yet.

And far away, in the shadowed lands

beyond the Flame Kingdom’s reach… something stirred.

The hunt had begun.