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Chapter 142: Through the Frostlands
By the third morning, the color had all but vanished from the world.The grass lay brittle under a thin sheet of frost. The wind had teeth, sharp and dry, carrying the scent of iron. Even the sun seemed to hesitate behind a veil of gray, its warmth filtered and faint.Mira adjusted her cloak and rode ahead of the caravan, eyes sweeping across the frozen expanse. The land ahead stretched endlessly — hills of pale stone and frost-bitten trees, their branches clawing at the sky. It was beautiful in a broken way, like a memory of life that refused to die.Behind her, Riven rode in silence, his expression unreadable. He’d been that way since the chapel — quieter, more watchful, as if part of him was still listening to the echo of that shadow’s voice.“Cold enough to freeze your bones,” Mira muttered, mostly to herself.Riven gave a faint smile. “Only if you still have bones left to freeze.”Mira shot him a look. “Was that supposed to be comforting?”He shrugged. “Just realistic.”Despite t
Chapter 141: The Eastern Veil
The journey east began under the soft breath of dawn.Mist curled low across the fields as the Lightkeepers left the valley behind — a long line of travelers on horseback and foot, carrying lanterns that glowed faintly with inner fire. The world was still, as though holding its breath.Mira rode near the front beside Riven. Neither spoke for a long while. Words felt too small for what they were doing — leaving the only sanctuary they’d ever known to chase a shadow no one could see.The path wound between golden hills, past rivers that shimmered faintly with the last traces of the Flame’s blessing. But as the sun climbed higher, the landscape began to change.The air grew colder. The light dimmed.And the grass — once lush and green — thinned to silver-gray, like the color had been drained from it.By noon, they reached the first sign of ruin.A small village, long abandoned.The houses were skeletal — roofs caved in, doors torn from their hinges. The wind moved through them with a hol
Chapter 140: The Shadow Beyond the Flame
The first omen came with the rain.It fell heavy and strange, silver instead of clear — droplets that shimmered faintly in the light of the Flame Tree, like molten glass cooling in midair. The valley people gathered at the edge of the river, whispering among themselves, unsure whether to fear or to praise.Mira stood with them, cloak drawn tight around her shoulders. She tilted her head back, catching a drop on her palm. For an instant it felt warm — then, cold.Her brow furrowed. “This isn’t normal.”Riven joined her, his expression dark. “No. It’s not.”The river beneath them rippled unnaturally, its surface shifting with brief flashes of shadow — shapes that vanished the moment anyone tried to look too long.That night, when the rain stopped, the valley slept uneasily.Riven didn’t sleep at all.He stayed awake in the Hall of Flame, standing before the old map etched into its stone floor — a relic Lyra herself had restored before she vanished. The lines glowed faintly with golden l
Chapter 139: The Age of Flame
The world awoke changed.Where Lyra had stood, only the whisper of wind and the faint hum of the Flame Tree remained. The valley shimmered beneath a dawn that seemed endless — golden light spilling through the clouds, silver dust drifting in the air like the breath of something divine.Riven stood there long after the others had gone, staring at the place where she’d vanished. His palms were open, empty. The warmth she had left behind still lingered faintly on his skin, like a promise that refused to fade.“She’s gone,” Mira said softly, her voice trembling. She stood a few feet away, the breeze catching strands of her hair, making them glow like fire threads in the sunlight.Riven didn’t move. “No,” he murmured. “She’s not gone. She’s everywhere.”He turned to face her, eyes reflecting the light of the tree. “Can’t you feel it?”Mira hesitated — then closed her eyes.And there it was.The flame.Soft, steady, pulsing just beneath her ribs. It wasn’t like before — not wild or consumin
Chapter 138: The Lightkeeper's Oatg
The sun had not yet risen when Lyra woke.For the first time since the merging, there was silence — not the hollow kind, but something vast and living. The air hummed faintly, the sea outside whispered with light, and her heartbeat moved in rhythm with the world around her.She sat up slowly on the deck of the ship that had carried them from the ruins of the Sanctum. The boards beneath her feet glowed faintly, veins of silver running through the wood. Everywhere her skin touched, warmth followed.It was as if the Second Flame had marked her — not as a god, but as a reminder.Riven stood at the bow, silent, his figure dark against the pale shimmer of dawn. The sky above him was streaked with colors she’d never seen before — soft gold bleeding into crimson, with threads of blue flame shimmering between clouds.When he turned, his eyes softened. “You’re awake.”Lyra nodded. “Barely. It feels like I slept through the end of the world.”He managed a small smile. “You kind of did.”They bot
Chapter 137: Echoes of Balance
Dawn broke over the Mirror Sea like glass catching fire.The light stretched across the horizon, splitting the silver surface into molten gold. Seabirds returned to the air in slow spirals, their cries breaking the silence that had reigned for centuries. The Eidolon drifted calmly through it all — a single vessel carrying three people who had changed the course of existence.Lyra stood at the bow, her wet cloak clinging to her shoulders, the morning breeze tangling her hair. She stared into the horizon, where the sun met the sea, feeling the quiet thrum of the flame within her chest.It wasn’t just warmth. It was rhythm. Pulse. The world’s heartbeat.Behind her, Mira was still half-asleep on the deck, her curls tangled, muttering about needing “five more minutes before saving reality again.” Riven leaned against the railing beside Lyra, silent but watchful. His eyes, for once, carried something gentler than skepticism.“How long’s it been?” he asked softly.Lyra didn’t look back. “Hou
