The ruins trembled.
Not from wind or weight, but awakening.
The Gate of Elarion — a spiral of obsidian and crystal buried beneath the city's heart — began to rise from the earth, pulsing with light. Its song echoed through every stone.
Elara stepped forward, heart racing.
Aelira stood on the opposite side of the crumbling square, still, her silver eyes fixed on the structure. No longer hostile — just… searching.
For meaning. For truth.
Miraen placed a hand on Elara's shoulder. "If you go in… there's no turning back."
"I know," Elara whispered. "But maybe it's not just about going in. Maybe it's about who goes in."
Kael drew closer, his voice low. "You trust her now?"
Elara hesitated.
"I understand her now," she said. "And maybe that's the first step."
But before either heir could move, a third presence surged from the shadows.
A figure cloaked in dark runes, faceless and cold, stepped into the light. The Gate responded — flickering violently.
Miraen gasped. "No… that can't be—"
"Elion," Kael snarled.
Elion. The lost Seer. The one who had vanished decades ago — whispered to have betrayed both factions to seek the Gate's full power for himself.
"Two flames are not enough," Elion said, voice warped with old magic. "You still cling to the illusion of balance. But the Gate was never meant to share."
He raised a crystal blade — forged from shardstone itself.
"You were both born from my error. Now, I will fix it."
Lightning split the sky as the Gate screamed in protest.
Aelira's flame ignited around her, cold and wild. "You lied to us. You tried to erase me."
"And you," Elion turned to Elara, "were meant to be the final vessel. A pretty flame for a broken world."
Kael stepped between them. "You'll go through me first."
But Elara's flame blazed.
She stepped forward, palms glowing, her voice steady:
"No. You don't get to choose anymore. This isn't your legacy."
She looked to Aelira.
"Together?"
Aelira nodded — a single, silent promise.
As their hands clasped, their flames surged — gold and silver intertwining into white fire.
Elion's expression twisted. "No—"
The Gate opened.
And the world trembled.