The fire crackled like an ancient voice rising from the earth. Vivi stood still in the midst of the ruin, her gown torn, her crown long gone. Her bare feet pressed against the scorched soil. The wind tasted of ash and sorrow, but her heart beat like a drum of war.
The Gate the cursed seal between this world and the shadows was splitting open. Darkness bled from it like ink in water.
"You were never meant to bear this burden," the priestess whispered behind her. The woman's face was veiled, her voice trembling. "The flame will consume you, child."
"I don't care," Vivi said. Her voice did not shake. "If it means ending this… I'll burn."
From the treeline, Haken stepped forward, blood trailing from a gash on his shoulder. His eyes, golden and wild, met hers.
"You don't have to do this alone," he said. His voice was low part man, part beast. "I won't let the flames take you."
"They already have." She turned to him, her eyes glowing with something ancient, something more than magic. "I saw it, Haken. In the mirror of the gate. My mother's betrayal. The true face of Cenric. I saw me the end of it all."
He moved closer, ignoring the pain in his bones, the growl in his throat. "Then let me stand with you at the end."
Vivi reached out. The moment their hands touched, the light surged around them — a blinding pillar of fire and memory. The curse roared in anger. Somewhere in the dark, Cenric screamed.
The Gate began to crack — not just the seal but the power within it. Shadows poured from it in a scream of rage, clawing for a new host, a new throne.
And in the center of it all stood Vivi not broken, not afraid. Burning. Becoming.
"The Last Flame," the priestess murmured, falling to her knees. "She's awakened it…"
Cenric emerged from the darkness at last, half-shadow, half-man, his voice warping the air. "You think fire will stop me, girl?"
"No," Vivi whispered. "But I will."
She stepped forward and everything changed.
Chapter ends with a cliffhanger:
The Gate cracking fully.
Vivi possibly losing control of the power.
Haken seeing a vision of her turning to flame and vanishing or becoming something new.