The Temple of Maeroth stood like a jagged scar on the mountainside—half-buried in snow and silence, wrapped in bone-colored vines that pulsed faintly with forgotten power.
Elara stared at it, a strange pressure growing in her chest. It wasn't fear exactly. It was recognition.
She had seen this place before.
In dreams. In nightmares.
And now it was real.
Kael walked beside her, close but quiet. He didn't ask how she felt. He didn't need to. His eyes watched her more than the terrain, like she might collapse at any moment.
But Elara stood tall.
"I'm ready," she said, though her voice cracked.
They entered the ancient doors together.
Inside, the air was cold and damp, lit only by the glow of Evelyn's magic. Every step echoed too loudly, like the temple itself was listening.
Symbols lined the stone walls—twisting marks Elara didn't understand, but somehow felt in her blood.
"The second gate is sealed in the heart of the temple," Evelyn said, brushing her fingers across one sigil. "This is where the gods once spoke to those chosen by flame."
"And now Thorne wants to use it to unmake the world," Kael muttered.
Lucien kept close to the rear, guilt still hanging around his shoulders like a shadow. No one spoke to him. Not yet.
As they walked deeper, Elara began to hear whispers—faint and ancient.
You were always meant to return…
Child of ruin, daughter of flame…
She stumbled, catching herself against the wall.
"Elara?" Kael was instantly at her side.
"I'm fine," she said, her voice distant. "They're just… voices. They know me."
"Why would a cursed temple know you?"
She hesitated, then looked at him. "Because I've been here before."
Everyone froze.
Evelyn turned. "What?"
Elara placed her palm against one of the ancient sigils—and it lit up beneath her skin.
"When I was a child," she whispered, "my father brought me here. He said it was where my bloodline began. I thought it was just a story. But now…"
The temple shifted. The walls trembled softly.
Kael stared at her, stunned. "You're connected to this place."
Elara nodded. "And I think that's why Thorne needs me to open the second gate. Not just anyone can do it."
Evelyn looked around uneasily. "Then we need to decide—do we open it before he does? Or destroy it?"
Before they could answer, a loud crack rang through the chamber.
Thorne appeared at the far end, Nyra by his side, her eyes burning like molten silver.
"You don't get to choose," Thorne said, stepping forward. "This gate belongs to me."
Lucien drew his sword, trembling. "Don't do this."
"You've already helped more than enough," Thorne snapped, and with a wave of his hand, sent Lucien flying into a pillar.
Kael drew his blade and charged. Evelyn cast a shield around Elara as Nyra launched fire in all directions.
Chaos exploded.
Kael fought Thorne in a blur of steel and fury, their blades clashing like thunder. Evelyn battled Nyra, their magic tearing through the walls.
Elara stood in the center, the gate glowing behind her.
It was calling to her.
Open me.
Let me in.
A blast hit near her. She fell, groaning—but her hand landed on the gate's edge.
And suddenly, she saw it.
A memory.
A past not her own.
She was a child, standing before the same gate.
Her father, proud. Her mother, crying.
"You are the key," her father had said. "You are the blood of gods and monsters."
And then—
Screams.
Blood.
Her father collapsing.
The temple collapsing.
Elara gasped and pulled back.
Kael staggered toward her, blood on his lips. "Elara—don't open it. Not for them."
"But if I don't, Thorne will."
"Then we destroy it."
Tears burned in her eyes. "You don't understand. This gate… it's tied to me. If I destroy it, I might die."
Kael cupped her face, his voice breaking. "Then let it be me. I'd rather burn than lose you again."
She stared at him, heart pounding.
"I can't let you die for me," she whispered.
"And I can't live in a world without you."
For a heartbeat, they just held each other.
Then Elara turned to the gate.
And plunged her hand into the fire at its core.
The temple screamed.
Magic surged. Light blinded them all.
Then silence.
Thorne and Nyra were gone.
The gate remained sealed—but glowing faintly now… weaker.
Elara collapsed in Kael's arms.
She was alive.
But barely.
That night, they camped in a cave near the base of the mountain. Kael didn't leave Elara's side once. Evelyn sat close, her fingers entwined with her own thoughts.
Lucien, bruised and silent, kept watch—hoping for forgiveness, but knowing it might never come.
Elara awoke near dawn, Kael's arm around her.
She turned toward him, eyes glassy with tears.
"I saw everything," she whispered. "I'm not just a girl with a broken past. I'm the end of it all."
Kael brushed her hair from her face.
"Then we end it together."