POV: Ariya 👑🔥🌫️
The stairs twisted downward into gold-flecked stone, glowing faintly underfoot. The deeper they walked, the warmer it got — not in temperature, but emotion.
Ariya felt… calm.
Too calm.
"This is wrong," she whispered.
Kael, at her side, reached for her arm. "I feel it too."
Lyra kept glancing over her shoulder. Jax yawned dramatically but didn't crack a joke. That's when Ariya knew he was worried too.
The stairway ended abruptly, opening into a domed chamber filled with mist.
Ariya stepped in first.
And then the world changed.
She was no longer in Ashfall.
She stood atop a balcony of white marble. Below her stretched a vast city of flame-colored banners, cheering crowds, and golden towers.
People bowed at her feet.
Behind her stood the throne.
The Flame Throne.
And upon it… her.
Crowned. Robed. Power radiating from her like sunlight.
The mark on her arm blazed, now no longer jagged — but shaped into a crown.
"You were always meant to lead," a voice whispered.
She turned.
Ruvan stood beside her — unarmed, unguarded, and smiling.
Not cruelly. Not coldly.
Softly.
"Together, we could end the war. Burn away the lies. Rebuild the world as it should be."
Ariya blinked.
Something inside her wanted to believe it.
It felt… right.
Natural.
Even peaceful.
Until a second voice called out:
"This isn't you."
Kael.
He stood at the foot of the throne steps — bruised, bloodied, and real.
Not an illusion.
"Wake up, Ariya. This place is lying to you."
She looked between them.
Ruvan… peaceful. Her power… complete. The world, silent under her hand.
Kael… broken. Begging.
"You already made your choice," Ruvan whispered. "You chose fire."
"I chose to survive," she snapped.
The vision cracked.
The marble balcony shattered beneath her. The banners caught flame. The throne vanished in a rush of heat.
Ariya screamed — and slammed to the ground.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the misted room. The others were just waking from their own illusions — Kael helping Lyra sit up, Jax blinking rapidly.
"What… was that?" Lyra groaned.
"A trap," Kael muttered. "One that nearly had her."
He looked at Ariya.
"What did it show you?"
Ariya stood slowly.
"Power," she whispered. "A kingdom. Obedience. Peace."
She paused.
"And Ruvan. Not as an enemy. As an ally."
The silence was sharp.
"That's not your future," Kael said gently.
"I know," she replied. But her eyes were distant.
But what if it was?
Far across the mountain, in a silent chamber of glass and fire, Ruvan opened his eyes.
"She saw it."
Corven nodded. "And?"
"She hesitated."
Ruvan smiled.
"Good."