---
Chapter 11: The Fifth Flame
Smoke curled from Kaelen's shoulders as he fell to one knee, the heat of Seraphine's last strike still glowing on his armor. The ground beneath them had turned to glass.
Across the scorched courtyard, the Flame Queen stood tall, the Flame Ring flickering on her hand like a living star.
"Yield," she said. "Or burn away what little remains of who you were."
But Kaelen didn't rise.
Instead, he closed his eyes… and listened.
To the ring of Frost, cooling his blood.
To the ring of Nature, steadying his breath.
And to Fate, whispering a single word:
Now.
---
The Fifth Ring Awakens
He opened his eyes—and moved.
Faster than fire.
The Flame Ring flared in Seraphine's grasp—but Kaelen didn't strike her. He struck the ground beneath her, drawing the heat into his hand.
The Flame Ring pulsed once.
Then went still.
A single ember drifted through the air—and landed on his palm.
The ring slid from Seraphine's finger, as if by choice, and settled onto his.
The fifth ring.
His veins lit with red-gold fire.
---
Seraphine Falls Silent
She stepped back, chest heaving. Not from defeat—but recognition.
"You bear them too easily," she said. "That is what frightens me."
Kaelen looked down at his hand. Five rings. Five voices in his mind. His breath came slower, deeper—measured like a king's.
"I didn't ask for this."
Seraphine bowed her head. "None of us did. That's why we failed."
She turned from him. "The last five will not surrender so easily. And the Herald… he draws closer."
---
The Shifting Sky
As Kaelen and Aeris left Obsidia, the sky above fractured. Stars realigned. A second moon blinked into existence—and bled black across the heavens.
Aeris shivered. "What was that?"
Kaelen didn't answer.
The Fate Ring hummed with fear.
---
Elsewhere...
In a temple of mirrors, the Herald of Ten dipped a blade into liquid void. Around him, shards of reality floated like broken glass.
"They think the rings choose their bearers," he whispered. "But they were always mine."
He smiled, eyes blazing.
"Five down. Five to awaken."