The chains dragged Kaelen and Ariselle toward the center of the chamber, toward a vast circle inscribed in molten runes. The stone beneath their knees glowed red, alive with fire drawn from the heart of the Realm Beyond itself.
The council's flames dimmed, and the white-flamed woman's voice cut through the chamber like a blade of pure heat.
"By the law of fire, they shall undergo the Trial. Their bond will be tested in flame, their truths revealed. Should they endure, judgment may be spared. Should they fail, their ashes will feed the threads."
The circle flared to life.
The world shattered.
---
Kaelen fell, not onto stone, but into darkness. Endless, suffocating. His body was unbound, but the weight in his chest remained. He staggered to his feet, sword in hand though he had not reached for it. The air smelled of smoke and iron, heavy and thick.
Then he heard it.
"Kaelen…"
Her voice. Ariselle's voice. He spun, desperate, but she was not there. Instead, the forest rose around him—the mortal wood, but warped, its trees blackened, its branches clawing toward the sky. Shadows moved between them, whispering with familiar tones.
His father's voice.
"You were never enough, Kaelen. You failed me. You failed them all."
The shadows lunged, taking the shape of men he had once fought beside, their eyes hollow, their bodies crumbling to ash. He slashed with his blade, but every strike only made them multiply, their voices layering into a chorus of blame.
"You carry the curse. You bring the rifts. You are the darkness."
Kaelen's breath came fast, panic clawing at him. His arms trembled under the weight of his blade. The words burrowed into his heart, into the deepest fear he had never spoken: What if they were right?
Then—fire.
A warm light cut through the shadows, burning them to nothing. He turned, chest heaving—and there she was. Ariselle, her emerald cloak untouched by flame, her eyes steady, her hand extended.
"You are not the darkness, Kaelen," she said softly. "You are the one who fights it."
He took her hand before he realized he had moved. The moment their fingers touched, the forest dissolved into flame.
---
Ariselle stumbled, her own vision re-forming around her. She stood in the great hall of her people, but it was empty. The golden walls loomed, cold without fire. Her footsteps echoed as she walked forward, searching.
Then the voices came.
"Ariselle…"
The councilors appeared in a circle around her, but not as flame. As shadows. Their eyes glowed with accusation, their faces drawn and hollow.
"You betrayed us. You defiled your fire. You bound yourself to a mortal curse."
She lifted her chin, though her heart thundered. "I did what I must. He fights for us all—"
But their voices drowned her out, overlapping, accusing.
"You are weak."
"You are blinded by desire."
"You will burn with him, and your flame will vanish forever."
The shadows closed in, their heat suffocating. She gasped, choking on the fire that should have sustained her but now sought to consume her.
And then—arms wrapped around her from behind. Solid. Human. Kaelen's.
"You are not weak," he whispered against her ear. "You are stronger than any of them. Stronger than me."
The shadows shrieked and split apart, consumed by the fire within her. She gasped, light blooming in her palms, her own fire this time, her own choice. She cast it outward, and the hall shattered into golden sparks.
---
The visions bled into one another, until Kaelen and Ariselle stood side by side once more, the molten circle of the trial beneath their feet. The chamber of the council returned around them, but the chains were gone.
They were free.
The council blazed with fury and astonishment. The white-flamed woman's eyes burned brighter than ever.
"Impossible. No mortal has endured the Trial. No flame has withstood such a bond."
Kaelen lifted his sword, though not in defiance. He stood steady, his body shaking but his eyes unwavering.
"We endured because we are not alone. And that is what will save your realm—and mine."
Ariselle stepped to his side, her fire flickering in her palms, her gaze locked with the council's. "Judge us if you must. But know this: if you turn us away, the shadows will not wait. And when they come, your laws will burn with them."
Silence followed. The flames in the chamber dimmed to a simmer, the council locked in wordless debate.
Kaelen reached for Ariselle's hand, and this time, she did not hesitate. Her fingers threaded through his, their palms seared by the heat of the chamber—but neither let go.
Whatever the council decided, whatever fate awaited, they had faced the Trial of Flame. And together, they had endured.