Chapter 24
The Eldraen Wastes were dead lands.
No wind.
No sound.
Just scorched earth and petrified bones, remnants of a battle that predates kingdoms, memories, and even magic. In the center of this cursed expanse rose the Hollow Spire—a spiraling tower made from the fossilized ribs of forgotten gods.
No birds circled it.
No shadow touched it.
And no one who entered ever returned.
Eliendara stood at its base, cloaked in silence, the silver flame of her recovered soul flickering at her fingertips. Kael remained close, sword drawn, magic coiled tightly beneath his skin. Even he, unshaken through wars and assassins, seemed… wary.
"She's in there," Eliendara said.
"The Seventh?"
She shook her head.
"Something worse. The Seventh... with a face."
They stepped through the spire's mouth.
Inside, the walls whispered names.
Eliendara could hear her own—Elira, Eliendara, Gatekeeper, Traitor—spoken over and over in voices not quite human.
As they climbed the spiral stairs, the bones shifted.
The air pulsed with memory.
And then…
They reached the summit.
At the top was a chamber of mirrors—twisted, warped glass that showed not what was, but what was feared. Reflections moved when no one did. Visions flickered across the panes like ghosts trying to crawl out of graves.
In the center stood a woman.
Back turned.
Hair pinned up in a way Eliendara hadn't seen in years.
Hands folded.
A familiar hum—low and lullaby-soft—filled the room.
Eliendara stopped breathing.
Kael whispered, "Who is—"
"My mother," she choked.
The woman turned slowly.
Her face was untouched by age.
Her eyes were violet flame.
But the soul behind them was not her mother's.
"I needed a vessel," the Seventh spoke."And she offered herself willingly. Out of love. Out of guilt."
Eliendara shook her head. "She died years ago."
"She slept," the Seventh corrected."Her love for you kept her soul open. I only had to whisper. And she let me in."
The reflection behind the Seventh flickered—
Showing Eliendara at eight years old, clutching her mother's hand as fire rained from the sky.
A memory.
One Eliendara never remembered creating.
"I sealed the gate to protect her," she whispered.
"And she opened it… to protect you."
The room shook.
Bones cracked.
The Seventh stepped forward.
"You have your soul. Your fire. Your truth.""But I have your blood."
With a motion, the mirrors turned inward, trapping Eliendara in a cage of reflections—all showing different versions of herself: screaming, dying, burning, kneeling.
She tried to cast a spell.
Nothing left her fingers.
Kael roared, striking one of the mirrors—but his blade rebounded with a crack of violet lightning, sending him skidding back.
The Seventh raised a hand, her mother's face serene.
"You cannot kill me.""Not without killing her."
Eliendara clenched her fists.
"You're wrong."
She stepped forward, blood dripping from her palm.
"If she's still in there—she'll fight you."
"Then she'll die screaming."
The final mirror cracked.
And a voice—her mother's real voice—echoed through the room.
"Ellie… don't let me become this."
🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 25: When Flame Must Choose
To save her mother, Eliendara must choose:
Burn the body, and stop the Seventh forever.Or risk everything on one last soul-binding ritual…
A ritual that could tear her own soul apart—And take Kael with it.