The next morning dawned blood-red.
Ivy stood in the Citadel’s old war yard, the space long abandoned until now. Cracked stone tiles bore scorch marks from battles long past. This was where the ancients trained—the Flameborn warriors and Shadow Knights.
And now, it was where Chaos would be tested.
Across from her stood Ember, her flame dancing lightly in one palm, eyes sharp. “I hope you didn’t think this would be easy.”
“I don’t,” Ivy replied, rolling her shoulders. “But I’m not afraid of the fire anymore.”
Ember smirked. “It’s not the fire you should be worried about. It’s what’s inside it.”
Kael sat nearby on the crumbled edge of the training platform, arms crossed over his chest, half-shifted. His wolf eyes glowed faintly gold, and his instincts were on high alert. Ivy had begged
