BOOK THREE: THE FALL OF THE FIRST KINGDOM
Chapter 29: The Flame That Was Stolen
The black book remained open on the floor.
Seven names.
Seven Flames.
Six golden symbols.
One black mark.
The Flame of Beginning.
Riva stared at it.
"Someone claimed it."
The Last Unwriter nodded.
"And if the Flame of Beginning is corrupted..."
He paused.
"The other Flames can be destroyed."
---
Eva quickly picked up the book.
"Who has it?"
The pages began turning by themselves.
Names appeared.
Places.
Ancient symbols.
Then...
Everything disappeared.
Eva frowned.
"It won't tell us."
The First Guardian looked at the book.
"Because the person holding the Flame has hidden themselves from history."
"Can we find them?"
"Perhaps."
---
A deep rumble shook the Archives.
Books began falling from the shelves.
The black tree's branches twisted violently.
The Flame of Memory burned brighter.
Then...
A voice echoed through the library.
"You should have stayed away."
Everyone turned.
At the far end of the hall stood a tall figure wearing a long black coat.
His face was hidden beneath a silver mask.
In his hand...
Burned a small black-and-gold flame.
The Flame of Beginning.
---
The Last Unwriter immediately stepped forward.
"You."
The masked figure tilted his head.
"You remember me?"
The Unwriter's eyes narrowed.
"I remember enough."
The stranger laughed.
"That's exactly the problem with you."
---
Riva held the silver key tightly.
"Give us the Flame."
The stranger looked at her.
"You still believe the Flames are meant to save the Gates."
"They are."
"No."
He lifted the corrupted flame.
"They are meant to control them."
---
The First Guardian stepped forward.
"Don't listen to him."
The stranger laughed.
"Still protecting the same lie after all these centuries."
He removed the silver mask.
Everyone froze.
The face beneath it was young.
Far too young.
Caelan stared at him.
"No..."
"I know you."
The stranger smiled.
"You finally remember."
---
Caelan stepped backward.
"You were there."
"In the old memories."
The stranger nodded.
"I stood beside you."
"Before Aurelia disappeared."
Riva looked at Caelan.
"Who is he?"
Caelan's voice trembled.
"His name was..."
He stopped.
The memory was incomplete.
The stranger finished for him.
"Eryon."
---
The First Guardian's expression hardened.
"Eryon was one of the original Keepers."
Eva looked shocked.
"There were more than seven?"
"Many."
"But most were lost."
Eryon smiled.
"I wasn't lost."
"I was chosen."
---
The corrupted flame in his hand pulsed.
Black light spread across the Archives.
Books began turning blank.
Pages disappeared.
Memories vanished.
Aarvi cried out.
"He's erasing the library!"
The Last Unwriter raised his blue flame.
"Not today."
---
Blue light collided with black.
The entire room exploded with energy.
Riva grabbed Eva.
Lucien pulled Parna away from falling books.
Orion raised his shield over Caelan.
Eryon remained perfectly still.
He wasn't attacking them.
He was waiting.
---
Riva noticed something.
The black flame wasn't attacking the Archives randomly.
It was searching.
For something.
She looked toward the black tree.
"The Flame isn't trying to destroy the memories."
"It's looking for one."
Eva followed her gaze.
"The First Memory..."
The First Guardian suddenly understood.
"No."
"Eryon!"
The stranger smiled.
"Too late."
---
The black flame shot toward the tree.
It struck the trunk.
The entire Archives screamed.
Every book opened simultaneously.
A massive wave of memories erupted into the air.
Riva saw thousands of scenes.
Wars.
Births.
Deaths.
Promises.
Kingdoms.
Worlds.
Then...
She saw the beginning.
A woman standing beneath a white tree.
She held a newborn child.
Aster.
Behind her stood another figure.
A young man.
Eryon.
He placed his hand on the child's forehead.
And whispered:
"One day, you will open the first door."
---
Riva gasped.
"Eryon knew Aster."
The First Guardian closed his eyes.
"Of course he did."
Eryon smiled.
"I wasn't trying to destroy Aster."
"I was protecting him."
---
The memory changed.
Aster grew older.
The Gates appeared.
The First Promise was created.
Then...
Aster disappeared.
Eryon remained.
Waiting.
Watching.
Protecting the Flame of Beginning.
---
Eryon looked at Riva.
"You believe the darkness is the enemy."
"But you don't understand."
"The Unwriting isn't coming from outside."
Everyone fell silent.
Riva's heart stopped.
"What do you mean?"
Eryon raised the corrupted flame.
"The darkness..."
"...was born from the First Promise itself."
---
The First Guardian's face went pale.
"No."
Eryon continued.
"When the first Promise was created..."
"Something was left behind."
"Something the Guardians refused to accept."
"Regret."
"Fear."
"Loss."
"All the things they tried to erase..."
"became the Unwriting."
---
The Last Unwriter looked at his blue flame.
"So that's why it erased me."
Eryon nodded.
"You were one of the first victims."
The Unwriter clenched his fist.
"Then how do we stop it?"
Eryon smiled.
"You don't."
"You understand it."
---
Riva stepped forward.
"Then why steal the Flame?"
"Because the Flame of Beginning contains the first memory."
"And with it..."
"I can rewrite the First Promise."
The First Guardian shouted,
"That would destroy every Gate!"
Eryon looked at him calmly.
"Or save them."
---
Suddenly...
The corrupted flame began changing.
Black turned silver.
Gold appeared within it.
For one brief moment...
The Flame of Beginning became pure.
Then the entire Archives shook.
The black tree split down the center.
A massive crack opened beneath it.
Something began climbing out.
Not Eryon.
Not the Unwriting.
Something older.
Something enormous.
The Last Unwriter stared into the darkness.
"No..."
Riva looked down.
"What is it?"
He whispered:
"The thing that created the Unwriting..."
Two enormous eyes opened beneath the Archives.
And a voice echoed from the darkness.
"At last..."
"My first memory has returned."
The Flame of Beginning vanished from Eryon's hand.
It was pulled into the darkness below.
Eryon looked genuinely terrified.
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
The entire Archives began collapsing.
Riva grabbed the silver key.
"We need to get out!"
But the doors had already disappeared.
The darkness beneath them was rising.
And for the first time...
Even Eryon ran.
End of Chapter 29