Camilla’s scream ripped the air apart as the abyss shattered around them. They were falling.Not through earth, not through air, through something else entirely. The fragments of the abyss spun in every direction like shards of obsidian glass, dissolving into ash as they fell beside her.She clutched Jeffrey’s limp body against her chest, the fire inside her flaring and flickering with every heartbeat.But she could feel it, that wound in her side. The spear of shadow had pierced clean through her, leaving a hole that no fire could cauterize. The heat pouring from her veins sputtered, dimming with each second.Her vision blurred, the edges of the world warping into streaks of light and dark. She tried to breathe, but every gasp tore like knives through her lungs.Not now, she thought, clenching her teeth, holding Jeffrey tighter. Not when I finally saved him. Not when we’re so close.The abyss’s laughter still lingered in the air, though its body had shattered. It hadn’t died. It had

Jeffrey’s heart stopped. There she was. The woman whose face he had memorized as a child, the only softness in a world that had been nothing but sharpened blades.The woman whose grave he had stood over with clenched fists, swearing he would never forgive fate for ripping her away. His mother, Alive. Or something wearing her skin.“Mother…” His voice was a ragged whisper, half prayer, half curse.The woman stepped forward, her white cloak trailing across the scorched earth. Not a hair was out of place. Her silver eyes shone as if reflecting some light he couldn’t see. She looked untouched by the flames that had reduced hundreds of soldiers to ash.“You’ve grown,” she said softly. Her voice, God, it was hers. The exact cadence, the exact warmth that used to soothe him on nights when Father’s anger had left him trembling.Jeffrey’s knees nearly gave out. But instinct screamed louder than grief.“This is a trick,” he spat, his flames flickering violently across his skin. “You’re dead. I

Pain. That was the first thing Jeffrey knew. His lungs burned as though fire had been ripped out of him. His throat was raw, scraped by invisible claws. His wrists ached with iron that bit deeper the more he struggled.When his vision steadied, he found himself suspended, chained upright in the heart of a cavern lit with black flame.The air was thick, metallic, humming with voices. Dozens of hooded figures circled him, chanting in a tongue so old even his flames quivered at the sound.Their masks were carved like ravens’ skulls, eyes hollow, mouths jagged. But it wasn’t the circle that made his blood run cold.It was the woman standing at the altar directly across from him. Silver eyes. Pale skin. A cloak of white that glowed faintly against the black fire. His mother. Or the thing that wore her face.Jeffrey thrashed against the chains, fury roaring in his chest. “What trick is this?!”The woman tilted her head, her silver eyes catching the flames like glass. Her lips curved into a

The fall was endless. Wind tore at Jeffrey’s face, Camilla’s scream piercing the void as they plunged into blackness.The last shards of firelight from the collapsing cavern vanished above them, swallowed by the abyss. Jeffrey’s arms locked around her, pulling her against his chest.His fire surged to life, wrapping them both in a cocoon of golden flame. It slowed their fall, burning against the walls of the chasm, sparks scattering into the void like dying stars.But the abyss didn’t end. It kept yawning deeper, swallowing them whole. Jeffrey’s mind raced. The earth itself felt alive, shifting, dragging them further from the surface. And beneath it, something stirred. Something vast. Something waiting.At last, stone rushed up at them. Jeffrey twisted midair, fire flaring outward like wings. He hit the ground with a force that split the stone, rolling to shield Camilla.The cavern floor cracked beneath him, his fire dimming as the shockwave spread through the underground chamber.Pai

The giant’s mouth opened, and the cavern turned into the throat of a volcano. Flame poured forward in a tidal wave of molten light, engulfing Jeffrey before he could even draw breath.Heat roared over him, drowning him in fire hotter than anything he had ever summoned. His body convulsed, every nerve screaming.But something inside him refused to break. Instead of burning away, the fire poured into him. Every ember. Every molten shard. Every inferno. It didn’t devour him. It fused with him.Jeffrey’s scream turned into a roar. His flames, golden, sharp, wild, rose to meet the titan’s molten torrent. Where they collided, the cavern split with light brighter than lightning.Camilla shielded her face, tears burning her eyes from the sheer force. The giant staggered, its fire faltering. Its golden eyes widened in disbelief. “You… are not supposed to…”Jeffrey stood in the center of the inferno, untouched. Flames wrapped him like armor, white-hot at the edges, golden veins crackling throug