Chapter 42
It was not a war.
There were no armies.No banners.No blades drawn.
Only flames.
Every brazier, every altar, every candle in the realm flickered to life that night.
Two flames.
Side by side.
One cold and silver—perfect, still, unwavering.
One wild and gold—flickering, fierce, real.
The Mirror stood at the steps of the Grand Temple, eyes locked on the crowd. Her voice rang with authority.
"You remember me. You crowned me. You worshipped me. I brought peace. I erased your pain. I gave you the story you were promised."
And many nodded.
She had.
She was safe.
She was stable.
Then—
Eliendara stepped forward.
No grand voice. No divine echo.
Only truth.
"I burned for you. I bled for you. I failed before I ever succeeded. I made mistakes. But I was yours. I chose you when I could have chosen to rise above you."
Silence.
Then—
A mother in the front row lit her palm with gold fire.
A boy behind her followed—his flame shaking, unstable, but honest.
And then another. And another.
The plaza became a field of dueling flames.
Some silver.Some gold.Some caught between—flickering with both colors, unsure, scared.
The gods watched from their silent altars.
And the sky cracked.
Lightning forked down—not from a storm, but from memory itself trying to resolve.
The flame-vote had begun.
In the center, Kael stood beside Eliendara.
His voice was quiet.
"I see you, and I remember."
"I'm still afraid," she whispered.
He nodded. "Good. So am I. That's how I know this is real."
She smiled.
Across the square, the Mirror's eyes narrowed.
"I gave them a world without fear."
"And I gave them one where they're allowed to feel it," Eliendara replied.
Then the final moment came.
The sky filled with flame.
One by one, the fires turned.
Gold or silver.
Truth or perfection.
And as the last torch changed—
The world chose.
🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 43: The Flame They Chose to Remember
The vote is cast.The truth has won… or been rejected.
But the Mirror has one final move—A secret even the gods couldn't see.
And she whispers:
"If I cannot be chosen…Then I will become the only one who survives."