The warm glow of the brazier had faded, but the fire within Shira burned brighter than ever.
Her breaths were slower now, steady, no longer ragged from the trial. Yet each inhale carried the faint taste of smoke, the metallic tang of ancient flame still lingering on her tongue.
She sat on the cold stone floor of the temple's inner chamber, her back pressed against a pillar carved with dragon runes that hummed faintly beneath her skin. Her arms were folded loosely in her lap, but her eyes remained wide and alert, staring at the shifting golden sigils that traced delicate, glowing lines across her skin.
The sigils pulsed like a heartbeat, alive with power and warmth.
Around her, the temple was silent but for the steady drip of water somewhere deep within the stone labyrinth.
Elias stepped forward cautiously, his eyes bright but careful. He crouched down beside her, reaching out as if to touch her glowing arm but pulling back at the last moment.
"You did it, Shira," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "You completed the Ember Awakening."
She gave him a small smile, one of exhaustion but also quiet triumph. "I did. But I'm... different now. I feel it. Stronger. Connected. As if the fire is not just inside me, but part of me."
Lyra stood a little way off, arms crossed, watching Shira with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "The fire is never just power," she said. "It's a living thing. It gives, yes, but it also takes. It will demand more of you than you think you can give."
Shira's gaze flicked toward her. "I know. I felt it during the trial. The fire… it burned through my body and soul, but at the same time, it embraced me. It's not just destruction — it's rebirth."
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Just be careful you don't get lost in that rebirth."
Shira glanced down at her hands, still glowing faintly in the dim light. Slowly, she lifted her palms and flexed her fingers. Soft flames danced at her fingertips, flickering like living sparks.
Elias's eyes widened. "That's incredible. You're already learning to control it."
But as Shira moved her hands, a sudden flicker of movement caught the corner of her eye — a shadow lingering just beyond the temple's reach. She blinked, but the shadow dissolved into darkness.
"Ashira," she whispered, the name tasting like smoke on her tongue.
Elias looked between her and the darkness, confused. "Who?"
"My... other self. A shadow born from this flame. She's not gone. Not yet."
Lyra took a step forward, voice low and urgent. "Then we have to find her before she finds you."
Shira swallowed hard. The flame inside her flared brighter, as if responding to the unspoken threat.
"Not just that," Shira said. "Ashira isn't just a shadow or a memory. She's something more... a part of me that wants to take control."
Elias's brow furrowed. "Then we face her together. Like we always do."
Shira nodded, grateful for his steady presence.
But beneath her skin, the sigils pulsed harder, and a whisper brushed her mind — a soft, tempting voice calling her name.
The flame was alive.
And it was waiting.