The Hollow trembled beneath Seraphira's feet, a subtle hum in the earth beneath her, as though the land itself knew the weight of her presence.
The witches stood silent, but their eyes, those glowing, ancient eyes never left her.
Theryn's gaze softened, just a touch.
You are more than we ever expected, she said, her voice like a distant echo. Your power is alive now.
Seraphira stepped back, clenching her fists. You were wrong to bind me.
The witches didn't flinch, but Theryn sighed. We did not bind you to destroy you, Seraphira. We bound you to protect the balance.
The fire within her flared again, hot and wild. The mark on her wrist burned with renewed intensity.
I don't want your protection.
Theryn shook her head. You've always wanted freedom, haven't you?
Seraphira met her gaze. What did you see when you looked at me?
The witches remained still, but their presence pressed in.
We saw what you could become, Theryn answered softly. We saw the Queen of Ash and Flame, standing at the heart of the shattered kingdoms, a force of destruction and creation both.
Seraphira's breath caught. That's what I am to you? A tool?
Theryn's eyes flickered with something akin to regret. We saw a weapon, yes. But also something more, a ruler, a unifier. One who would reshape the world.
Reshape it? Seraphira scoffed. You thought I was going to rule for you?
Theryn stepped forward. We never sought to control you, Seraphira. We simply… feared what would happen if you did not choose to control yourself.
Seraphira's heart hammered in her chest. What choice do I have?
The fire in her veins pulsed, answering her own question.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked.
The air vibrated. The witches stepped back, eyes widening as a power older than anything they had ever seen rose from the earth itself.
Seraphira stood still, feeling it move through her the flame, the fire that had been lying dormant in her for so long. It was not just power. It was control.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she had everything she needed to shape the world.
And in that moment, she realized something. It wasn't just Kaelreth's power she had awakened.
It was hers.
She raised her hand slow, deliberate and the earth shook once more.
I choose, she said, her voice sharp as glass. I choose the flame. I choose the power to unmake what's broken and rebuild what's been lost.
The witches gasped, and the mark on her wrist flared as the fire surged outward. The flames didn't burn the land, they reshaped it, twisting the ground, cracking stone, carving new paths in the earth itself.
Seraphira could feel the weight of the world shifting with every movement. The flame in her veins matched the rhythm of her heartbeat. She was no longer bound by anything, not by the witches, not by the past, and not by the kingdom she'd been cast from.
And as she stood amidst the cracking earth, her voice rang out, louder than the wind.
"I will no longer be a pawn in anyone's game. I will forge my own path."
🌑 Far beneath the world…
Kaelreth sat on his throne of shadow, eyes closed as the flames flickered before him.
He knew what had happened.
She has claimed it.
He rose slowly, his cloak swirling behind him like liquid night.
And now, he thought, his voice like the wind through the Underworld's caverns,
she will come to me.