A deafening silence fell as the Celestials emerged—four towering figures of molten grace and ancient wrath. Their eyes burned not with fire, but with judgment. The cavern pulsed with their presence, as if time itself bowed in submission.
Kai drew his blade instinctively.
Valec's body tensed, flickers of divine flame crawling up his arms.
Amina… stood still.
The girl—The Daughter of the First Flame—watched them with a smile too calm for the chaos around her.
"Your hearts are heavy," she said, voice like cracking coals. "The Trial begins."
One of the Celestials stepped forward. No name. No face. Only presence.
"You have trespassed into forgotten law. The fire that binds gods and mortals must now judge you."
Suddenly, the cavern melted away, replaced by a vast circular arena suspended in a sea of stars. There was no sky. No ground. Only them—and the judgment to come.
Amina's Trial
The first Celestial turned toward Amina. "Bearer of Amariel's soul, you carry defiance like a crown. Will you yield… or burn?"
The ground beneath her cracked, and from the fissures rose reflections—twenty versions of herself.
Each marked by failure.
Her younger self, running from battle.
Her broken self, after Amariel's betrayal.
Her dead self, buried beneath a flame-touched battlefield.
Amina fell to her knees. "I've made mistakes… but I've never stopped fighting."
A voice echoed inside her head—not hers.
Then fight now.
The reflections attacked—claws of fire, blades of regret.
But Amina rose, eyes blazing. One by one, she faced them. And with each fall, her flame grew brighter. Until none remained.
The Celestial gave a slight bow.
"Judgment deferred."
Kai's Trial
Then came Kai's turn.
The second Celestial approached, its fingers weaving illusions into reality.
From the smoke, a woman stepped forward—Kai's mother. Her real one.
Alive.
"Kai," she whispered, "you left me. You chose vengeance over truth."
He staggered back. "No. This isn't real…"
Behind her, a mountain of bodies—people he'd slain.
"You think destiny absolves you?" her voice boomed. "You think being Chosen makes you righteous?"
He screamed and fell to his knees.
But Amina reached out, her voice anchoring him.
"You're more than your past, Kai. Remember who you became… with us."
His eyes flared, and the illusion cracked.
The Celestial paused.
"Judgment... withheld."
Valec's Trial
Now, all eyes turned to Valec.
The final two Celestials approached—twin forms, taller than the others.
"You are Flameborn. Once divine. Twice cursed."
Valec stood tall, though sweat glistened at his brow.
"Speak," they said in unison. "What are you, truly?"
He hesitated. "I don't know anymore."
And suddenly, he was alone.
Back in his old village.
His mother, screaming.
The fire.
The betrayal.
He saw himself—burning them. Not in defense. Not in war.
But in fury.
He gasped, trembling. "That's not… me."
The Celestials whispered together:
"Then prove it."
Flames surrounded him. From the inferno, emerged an ancient beast—Amariel's first creation. The Flame Reaper.
Valec's hands lit with pure blue fire.
"No more running," he growled.
He charged.
Back in the Arena
The arena quaked.
The Celestials drew back.
The Daughter of Flame clapped softly.
"You lived," she said. "That was not expected."
Amina narrowed her eyes. "Now what?"
The girl's expression twisted. "Now you burn the truth."
Behind them, a gate of fire roared open—revealing a vast mountain with a single throne atop it.
Chains wrapped around it.
A sword buried in its side.
The Flame Throne.
And on it… a corpse.
Amariel's.
But her eyes were open.
And she spoke.
"You're too late."