The serpent lunged.
Leora threw up a barrier of light just in time, the shimmering dome catching the creature's massive jaws as they clamped down. The ground trembled beneath her feet. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, glowing with eerie violet light.
"Kael, move!" she shouted.
He was already sprinting, diving behind a crumbled column. "I thought you said it wasn't the shard reacting!"
"It's not!" she called back, sweat dripping from her brow. "It's her."
Vaelira's laughter echoed through the cavern. It wasn't a sound of madness—it was cold, controlled, and confident.
"Four flames," she said through the serpent's mouth. "And still, you stand on shaking legs."
Leora clenched her fists. The sigils on her body pulsed, one after the other: golden on her palm, red at her heart, blue down her spine, and white across her chest.
"I don't need perfect balance," she said. "I just need enough."
With a shout, she released a burst of energy, sending the serpent skidding backward, crashing into the crypt wall. Ancient sarcophagi shattered, stone coffins thrown into the air like toys.
The shadow creature hissed and coiled, rising taller, its fangs dripping with violet mist.
Kael fired an arrow directly into one eye. The arrow passed through, vanishing into smoke.
"Right. So, magic only." He drew two vials from his satchel and hurled them into the air.
Leora caught them on instinct, feeling the liquid burn cold in her hand. She didn't need to ask—these were mixtures from Kael's alchemy kit. One would amplify her strength. The other could numb pain.
She drank them both.
Immediately, her muscles surged with energy. The serpent came at her again, but this time, Leora didn't block.
She leapt.
In mid-air, her sigils blazed, wings of light spreading wide behind her as she brought both fists down onto the creature's head.
A thunderous boom echoed through the crypt as the beast slammed into the floor, its form rippling.
But it wasn't dying.
Vaelira's voice was calm. "You are still incomplete."
Suddenly, the serpent split. Two heads formed. Then three.
Leora gasped. "What…?"
Kael's eyes widened. "She's copying your flame. That thing's feeding off your power!"
And it was true. The more Leora pushed, the stronger it became. Every sigil flare, every beam of light—it devoured, learned, and grew.
"We need to seal it!" Kael shouted.
"I don't know how!" Leora cried.
A fourth head emerged, eyes burning with sickly blue fire. They hissed in unison.
And then… a whisper.
"Let me in."
Leora staggered back. The voice wasn't Vaelira's. It came from inside her mind—familiar, gentle, but powerful.
"Let me guide you, Leora. You are not alone."
Images flashed in her vision: a forge of stars… a girl in chains… the phoenix of flame rising from ash.
The fourth sigil on her chest glowed—hotter than before.
She dropped to her knees.
Kael ran to her side. "Leora! Stay with me!"
But she was no longer fully there.
Inside her mind, she stood in a void of stars. Before her floated a figure cloaked in golden flame. She had no face, but her voice rang with clarity.
"You are the Flamebearer. But you were never meant to stand alone."
Leora reached out.
The figure placed a hand over her heart. Her fourth sigil pulsed.
"Remember who you are."
---
In the crypt, Leora's body glowed blindingly bright. The shadow serpent recoiled, hissing in pain. Its many heads snapped and writhed as the chamber began to shake violently.
Leora rose to her feet, her voice low and calm.
"Your power was never yours, Vaelira. You've only ever stolen."
The ground cracked apart.
Flames erupted beneath her, forming a circle of burning runes.
Kael backed away, shielding his eyes. "Leora, what are you doing?!"
"Calling what was lost."
She raised both arms—and from the circle, a spear of light emerged. It was unlike any weapon she'd seen: a shaft of gold, etched with the language of stars, the tip glowing with phoenix flame.
She gripped it.
The sigils across her body merged, forming a glowing pattern across her skin.
She became the Starborn.
The serpent roared and lunged.
Leora charged forward.
The clash was blinding.
With a single strike, she plunged the spear into the beast's chest. Flames burst from the wound, unraveling the shadow from within. It screamed—not in pain, but in fear.
Vaelira's voice fractured. "No—NO! You're not ready! You—!"
Leora twisted the spear.
With a final howl, the serpent shattered into black mist, vanishing into the air.
The crypt went silent.
Only the soft glow of her sigils remained.
Kael stepped forward slowly. "That… was new."
Leora turned, the spear fading into light in her hand. She was pale, trembling—but alive.
"I saw her," she said. "Not Vaelira. The one before me. The original Flamebearer."
Kael frowned. "You mean... the chained girl from your vision?"
Leora nodded. "She spoke to me. Said I'm not meant to do this alone."
Kael crossed his arms. "Good. Because you're definitely not."
She smiled faintly. But the moment didn't last.
From deep beneath the earth came a new sound: a pulse. Like a heartbeat.
The ground shook—once.
Then again.
Kael reached for his sword. "Please tell me that's just an aftershock."
"No," Leora whispered. "That's something waking up."
The stone wall behind them split open.
Beyond it lay a staircase spiraling downward—far deeper than anything before. At its center floated a crystal pulsing with golden light.
Another shard.
Kael blinked. "Wait, wasn't that supposed to be the last one?"
Leora shook her head, eyes wide.
"No. There's more. Much more."
She stepped forward, but as she did, a breeze swept past them—from below.
It was cold. Wrong.
Kael placed a hand on her shoulder. "We don't have to go tonight."
Leora met his gaze.
"Yes. We do."
And together, they began their descent.
---
End of Chapter 9 Cliffhanger:
Leora defeats the shadow serpent and briefly connects with a mysterious Flamebearer spirit, gaining new power and manifesting a celestial spear. But as the battle ends, a deeper passage opens—revealing yet another shard and something ancient stirring far beneath the earth. The descent begins.