The stone floor beneath Elira's feet trembled faintly, as though something ancient had just stirred in the depths of the palace.
"Flame doesn't ask permission to burn," the chained man said again.
"It consumes—or dies."
Elira swallowed hard, still trying to understand why this stranger in rags felt more like an oracle than a prisoner.
"Who are you really?" she asked.
He raised his head, and for a moment, she saw not a prisoner—but a warrior. A brand across his collarbone glowed faintly in the dim torchlight: a circle of flames with a slash through it.
"I was once called Kael of the Flamebound. Before Theralune declared us heretics."
Elira's breath caught. That name.
---
Auren flipped through the crumbling records by candlelight.
The Order of the Flamebound wasn't just a secret group—it was a resistance, one that nearly overturned the monarchy three decades ago. Magic users who refused to bow when the Council ordered magic to be purged.
> "Fire always finds a way," the old texts read.
His eyes landed on a sealed document—one that bore his father's royal crest.
> "Elira is connected to them somehow," he whispered.
But that meant the Council would never let her live. Not if they knew who she really was.
---
🔥 Beneath the Tower
Elira stepped closer to Kael. She felt it now—the heat in her blood answering his presence.
> "You need to learn," he said, "before they decide what to do with you."
> "I've already felt it," she confessed. "The fire… it's alive inside me."
Kael nodded. "But you've only scratched the surface."
He touched the wall, and the runes binding him flickered. A trickle of energy flowed between them—a secret flame passed without words.
> "You are more than cursed, Elira. You are chosen."
---
In the palace courtyard, a raven landed on the shoulder of a cloaked woman. Her silver hair glinted beneath the moonlight.
> "She's awakened," the woman said coldly. "Just as the prophecy warned."
A soldier bowed behind her. "Shall we act, Lady Seraphine?"
> "Not yet," she whispered. "The fire must rise before it can be put out."
Auren found her again at dawn. She was seated by the narrow barred window, ash staining her fingers.
> "You're not safe here," he said. "The Council's vote is in two days. They'll decide whether you live or die."
Elira didn't look at him. "I already know their answer."
> "Then run with me," he said quietly. "Before they can give it."
She turned. Her eyes—not just defiant—but glowing.
> "I can't run. Not until I learn how to burn."