🌒 1. BENEATH THE STONE SKY
Kaen lay still beneath the ash-veiled sky, blood seeping from his side where the soulsteel dagger had pierced him. Mira pressed glowing hands to the wound, sweat dripping down her brow.
"Hold on, Kaen. Just hold on…"
Her healing flame flickered — not enough. The Hollowborn girl who attacked him had vanished into mist, like a memory never meant to be touched. The brand on Mira's hand shimmered. Her rage swirled into desperation.
"Don't you dare leave me."
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. From the edges of Sol'Zareth's ruined plaza, a figure stepped into view — armored in black glass and crowned with skeletal horns.
Zareth-In-Kindle, one of the lesser Forgotten Gods.
"He bleeds, Ashara's shade. Will you burn the world to save one life?"
Mira stood, the Flameblade in her grip.
"I'll burn you first."
🔥 2. TRIAL BY GODFIRE
Zareth-In-Kindle raised a staff. Fire — but black — spiraled from the sky and slammed into Mira. She held firm, her divine flame surging around her.
"You are not the heir," the god hissed. "You are her echo. An imposter."
"Good," Mira snarled. "That means I can kill you without guilt."
Their battle lit the ruins like a falling sun. Mira's strikes cut through stone and spirit, her flame burning purer than any living torch. But Zareth's power fed off forgotten souls — the hundreds buried beneath Sol'Zareth.
He knocked her down.
"You are a flame without meaning. A curse in a girl's skin."
As Zareth's final blast came roaring down, Mira lifted both hands.
The Soulbrand glowed.The Flameblade split in two.One blade remained fire.The other — soullight.
"I am not Ashara," she whispered."I am Mira. And I burn for the living."
She plunged both blades into Zareth.
His scream shattered the skies.
🩸 3. THE PRICE OF POWER
The battle ended. Mira stood trembling, her twin blades humming. Zareth-In-Kindle dissolved into embers — leaving behind a crystal core pulsing with god-energy.
Kaen stirred, coughing.
"Nice… entrance."
Mira dropped beside him, laughing through tears. The Flamebrand pulsed again.
But something had changed.
"Kaen," she whispered. "I unlocked Ashara's Split Flame. But it hurt. It didn't just burn Zareth."
She showed him her arm. The flame had scorched her up to the shoulder, leaving a crack in her skin — glowing.
"Every time I tap deeper… it costs me."
"Then we'll make it count," he said, gripping her hand.
🧩 4. WHISPERS FROM THE VOID
That night, as Kaen slept, Mira sat beside a dying brazier. The flame flickered in time with her heartbeat.
A voice echoed again — this time clearer.
"Child of ash. You wield what is not yours."
"Who are you?" Mira whispered.
"I am Nytheris. Once keeper of Ashara's soul. Now bearer of the Hollow Flame."
She felt something behind her — a shadow coiled in the dark.
"Your flame remembers her sins. When the time comes, it will consume you too."
Mira gritted her teeth.
"I'm not afraid."
"You should be. The Vault opens soon… and inside lies your truth."
🌌 5. ONWARD TO THE VAULT
Kaen awoke stronger, the wound sealed by Mira's fading flame. Together, they pressed onward — toward the Vault of Extinction, buried at the edge of the Hollow Wastes.
They rode a soul-powered skiff over scorched dunes, silence stretching between them.
"You know," Kaen finally said, "you could've let me die."
Mira didn't answer right away.
"No," she said. "We don't leave people behind."
Then she added, softly:
"That's what Ashara did. I won't repeat her mistakes."
⚔️ 6. THE FLAME THAT SPLITS
As they neared the Vault, the skies turned red — unnatural. Statues of fallen gods lined the approach, each face twisted in agony.
A final inscription read:
"Only those who burn their truth may enter."
Mira stepped forward. The Flameblade glowed in both halves — fire and soul.
Kaen placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Whatever we find in there…"
"We face it together," she said.
But as the gates opened…
Mira felt the presence of another soul waiting inside.
And it knew her name.
🕯️ TO BE CONTINUED...
End of Chapter 2 – Volume 2