Chapter 5: The Queen's Whisper
Kavin could still hear her voice echoing in the back of his mind.
"You are mine."
The Queen of Ashes.
He didn't know how he knew it was her—but something deep inside, something older than memory, recognized her voice like it had lived in his blood for centuries.
Riven stirred the embers of the campfire with a crooked stick. "She reached you through flame. That confirms it."
"She's imprisoned, isn't she?" Kavin asked, his voice hoarse.
Lyra sat with a grim expression. "She was. Sealed in the Hollow Flame beneath the Scorching Spire by the first Starborn hundreds of years ago."
"And now she's waking up." Riven looked toward the horizon. "And calling to her chosen."
Kavin shook his head. "I'm not her chosen."
"She disagrees," Riven said darkly.
The next day, the trio continued toward the Whispering Lakes, hoping to find answers from the Spirit of the Waters, a mythical being that rarely spoke to mortals—but might sense the change stirring in the world.
As they crossed a vine-covered bridge made of woven roots, Kavin noticed the trees thinning. The air was cooler. Mist crept over mossy ground, and the sound of water echoed all around them like whispers in another language.
"Why would she speak to me?" Kavin asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Because she fears you," Lyra replied.
Riven added, "Or because she needs you."
The Whispering Lakes shimmered like silver mirrors. Massive stone pillars rose from the water like ribs of a sleeping god. In the center stood a smooth black rock, flat and wide, where no trees grew. It was said to be the very place where the veil between the realms was thinnest.
Kavin stepped forward.
The water rippled.
Then—a figure began to form.
At first, it was only light. Then shape. Then presence.
A woman emerged, formed of water and mist, with eyes like oceans and hair flowing like a river. Her voice rolled like thunder hidden beneath calm tides.
"Starborn."
Kavin dropped to one knee instinctively. Lyra bowed her head. Even Riven showed a rare moment of humility.
"You carry the mark of fire," the spirit said. "But within you stirs both flame and ash. A spark of creation... and ruin."
"I don't want to be a weapon," Kavin said, looking up. "I just want to help."
The spirit's gaze softened. "Your desire to do good is noble. But intention means little when destiny burns through blood."
"What must I do?" he asked.
"There are three trials," she said. "Three flames. You must face them to learn who you truly are. One of earth, one of soul, and one of choice. Only then can you shape your fate... instead of being shaped by it."
Kavin swallowed. "Where do I begin?"
She raised her hand. A ripple of light spread across the lake—and a vision formed.
A mountain of glass and smoke, rising from the edge of the world. A fortress wrapped in storms. And a beast made of molten stone chained beneath.
"Go to the Cradle of Embers," the spirit said. "There lies your first flame."
And then she was gone.
As they prepared to leave the lakes, Kavin felt something shift inside him again. A new heat in his chest, different from before. Deeper. Wilder.
That night, he dreamed.
He stood alone in a field of ash. Fire rained from a black sky. In the distance, a figure in a burning crown watched him.
She smiled.
The Queen of Ashes.
"You will burn for me, Starborn," she whispered. "Even if you don't know it yet."
Kavin woke gasping, his skin coated in sweat, the vines on his arm glowing like firebrands.
Riven stood nearby, watching. "The first trial awaits," he said. "And so does the truth."