“A god’s will can command worlds. A human’s will can defy them.”Emily didn’t feel her feet hit the ground. She was running, but it didn’t feel like running it felt like the world was dragging itself backward while she pushed through a sea of crushing pressure.Every step forward felt like she was wading through wet cement. The Herald’s presence pressed down on her lungs like a thousand tons of stone, but she didn’t slow. Couldn’t slow.Adrian was on his knees, lightning flaring erratically around him, his hands clawing at his temples as the violet sigil burned in the air above him like a brand being lowered onto his soul. “ADRIAN!”Her cry tore her throat. Lyra stretched an arm toward her. “EMILY, STOP!” but Emily ripped past her.She didn’t care. She didn’t need to. Somewhere deep inside her, the golden flame crackled in defiance, ignoring the impossible pressure. Her foot hit the ground and the world flared gold.A shockwave of heat burst outward from her body, rippling the earth,

“There are flames that burn worlds… and flames that refuse to let a single person fall.”Emily didn’t think. She moved one instinct, one vow, one unbreakable truth: The beams of annihilation, the Herald’s violet column and the Reflection’s mirrored blade raced toward them, shredding reality as they crossed.Emily’s golden fire erupted in a violent sphere. It wasn’t controlled. It wasn’t measured. It was instinct the raw core of her flame, the part she never dared use. The world vanished into pure, blinding gold.For a heartbeat, there was no sky. No ground. No collapsing realms. Only heat and the shape of Adrian held tightly against her chest.The blast struck. Emily felt it. The Herald’s annihilation burned through her shields. The Reflection’s mirrored energy carved through her spine, freezing her lungs. But her flame refused to break.Emily’s scream tore through the light as she pushed harder, forcing every spark she had into a barrier that bent, cracked but did not collapse.She t

“Power awakens not with thunder… but with consequence.”Adrian staggered. Not from pain but from the strange weight settling inside his chest. The ember Emily rested just beneath his sternum, warm as a second heartbeat.Every inhale drew her deeper. Every exhale carried her faint presence outward. Lyra stood close, wings tight to her spine as if protecting him from the air itself. “Adrian… is she stable?”He swallowed. “I don’t know.”But she was there. He felt her like a faint pulse behind a heavy curtain soft, flickering, clutching onto existence with trembling light.When his panic rose, the ember warmed, calming him. She recognized him. She chose him. The Herald’s armor cracked as he moved, molten seams dripping. His single horn cast a long shadow across the ground.He wasn’t preparing to fight. He was preparing to speak with the weight of prophecy. “You do not comprehend what has begun,” he rumbled.Lyra snarled. “Try us.”The Herald ignored her, eyes locked on Adrian’s chest. “T

“Some rebirths are gentle. Others reshape the sky.”Adrian held her like she was the only thing tethering him to existence. Emily small, warm, trembling pressed her forehead weakly to his chest.The flames around her softened, settling into a faint golden glow. Her breaths were tiny, uneven, but steady. She was alive. Not memory. Not essence. Not echo. Alive.Lyra stepped forward cautiously, wings folding tight behind her. Her voice trembled. “Adrian… is that really… her?”Emily lifted her head the smallest fraction, eyes half-open. Golden irises. Soft, glowing. A child’s face wrapped in warmth. “Lyra…?” she whispered.Lyra’s knees nearly buckled. “Oh stars,” she breathed. “She remembers us.”The Herald exhaled slowly behind them. Even he seemed… reverent. “She has not taken her full form yet,” he said. “She is newly reborn. Unstable. The form of a child grants safety less power to overwhelm the vessel.”Adrian held Emily closer. “She feels cold,” he murmured, voice cracking.Emily sh

“A soul reborn does not erase its past. It only hides the pieces too sharp to carry.”The shadow rose slowly. Not like the others graceful, reverent, hesitant. This one stood with purpose. Its movements were fluid but wrong, as if made from memories rather than substance.Its crimson eyes glowed like embers buried beneath ash, fixed entirely on the trembling girl half-hidden behind Adrian. Emily’s voice was barely a whisper. “…me?”The shadow tilted its head not in confusion, but in recognition. “You forgot,” it murmured.“You burned, and then you forgot.”Adrian stepped in front of her instantly, lightning crackling along his arms. “Say one more thing that scares her, and you’ll vanish where you stand.”The shadow didn’t even glance at him. “You taught me fear. You taught me silence. You taught me obedience.”Its voice deepened, almost reverent. “And then you died.”Emily shook her head violently. “No… I didn’t, I wouldn’t”The Herald stepped forward, staff in hand, face pale. “Echo