Untitled Episode
1014 Words
Lilly didn’t sleep.
Not after Corwin left.
His presence lingered in the air long after he’d vanished into the shadows beyond the door. Something about him had made her skin crawl—his voice like poisoned silk, his eyes too sharp, too knowing. He hadn’t told her who he was or why she was here. Only that he’d been “looking for her.” That phrase echoed through her mind like a curse.
She didn’t trust him. Not for a second.
And more importantly… he had slipped.
She replayed every second of their encounter, dissecting his words, his movements. He had cast no spell to open the door. No key. Just a touch and a whisper—and the lock had melted away like butter in the sun.
That wasn’t ordinary magic.
That was power. Dark and old.
It sent a shiver down her spine.
But if he could do that, maybe… maybe she could too.
She rose from the bed as dawn broke, pale gold light slipping through the windows. Her breath fogged in the chill air. The room was quiet. Too quiet.
She approached the door.
Pressed her palm to it.
Nothing.
No whisper. No heat. No flicker of magic.
She tried again, her brow furrowed in concentration. Nothing happened. Her fingers curled into a fist, and she hit the wood in frustration.
“Come on,” she muttered. “There has to be something.”
Turning away, she wandered toward the bookshelf. The books, still unreadable, still unnerving, sat heavy and ancient on the shelves. She reached for one with a silver spine, dragging her fingers across the strange script. As her skin brushed the letters, a sudden jolt sparked up her arm.
She gasped, dropping the book. It hit the floor with a thud—and flipped open.
The pages shimmered, the symbols glowing faintly.
She knelt beside it, breath caught in her throat.
“What...?”
The letters shifted. Reformed.
And suddenly—she could read them.
The spark within is not taught. It is awakened.
Her heart pounded. She turned the page.
Do not fear the fire. You were born of it.
Her hands trembled. Something inside her chest stirred—like a dormant ember catching breath. She closed her eyes.
What if this is who I am?
No more waiting. No more fear.
She stood and faced the door again, hands outstretched.
She breathed deeply, focusing not on the room, not on her fear—but on the fire.
The ember.
She felt it.
A faint warmth. Like the sun through closed eyelids. She pulled it forward.
A flicker of orange light danced across her palm. She gasped—but held it steady. Her eyes widened as the glow grew, wrapping around her hand like a living flame. It didn’t burn. It welcomed her.
The ember had awakened.
And with it—power.
She stepped closer to the door and pressed her hand against the lock. The flame flared, licking the edges of the wood. The lock groaned, hissed—and with a loud pop, it shattered.
The door swung inward.
She stood frozen for a second.
Then bolted.
The hall was empty, eerily silent. Gilded and polished, lined with those same silver-dragon banners. Her bare feet padded softly across the stone as she darted through corridors, trying to remember which way the guards came from each day.
She turned left—then right—ducked behind a pillar as footsteps echoed behind her.
Two guards rounded the corner.
She barely breathed.
When they passed, she ran again.
It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t planned.
It was desperation.
She rounded another corner and found a stairwell spiraling downward. Without hesitation, she took the steps two at a time, the flickering torches lighting her way.
At the bottom, she stumbled into what looked like an old library, dust-coated and forgotten. Scrolls, glass bottles, and strange instruments lined the walls. But what caught her eye was the glowing mirror at the far end of the room.
No—not a mirror.
A portal.
It shimmered like moonlight on water, suspended in a stone frame covered in runes that pulsed faintly as she approached. She didn’t understand how she knew it was a portal—but she knew. Deep down, something in her blood hummed in recognition.
Then—a shout behind her.
“STOP!”
She turned.
Corwin.
He stood at the top of the stairs, one hand raised, power crackling at his fingertips. His expression wasn’t angry.
It was... thrilled.
“You figured it out faster than I thought,” he said, descending slowly. I was hoping you’d wake up soon. But running away? That’s disappointing.”
Lilly backed toward the portal. “Stay away from me.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing.” His smile was calm, but his eyes were hungry. “You’re not ready." You’ll burn yourself from the inside out.”
She felt the heat rise again in her chest. The flame.
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Lilly—”
She threw her hand out—raw power bursting from her palm like lightning.
It hit the bookshelf beside him, exploding into flame. Corwin staggered back, coughing through the smoke.
She turned and sprinted toward the portal.
“LILLY!”
Too late.
She jumped.
The magic swallowed her.
Light blinded her.
Wind roared in her ears.
And then—silence.
She hit the ground hard, rolling through grass and dirt. The sky above was no longer tinted gold. It was dusk here—deep blue with stars beginning to blink to life.
She sat up slowly, groaning.
She was in a field.
A cool breeze stirred her hair. Birds chirped softly in the trees nearby. And ahead of her, in the distance, rising like a shadow over the land, was a castle.
Tall. Stone towers and jagged spires. Banners she didn’t recognize flapped in the wind. She didn’t know where she was.
But something in her bones told her this place was important.
And that, for now, she was free.
- Writer
