CHAPTER XXII
"The Path of Ash and Patience"
Before Cael now lay a narrow road — thinner than a shadow, suspended in silence, stretching out into the unknown.
It wasn't made of stone or wood or any earthly thing… it shimmered like woven moonlight and ancient magic, fading at the edges into an abyss that had no name.
Cael looked at it, his eyes calculating — the weight of the previous trials still heavy in his breath. He was not the same boy who had first stepped into this palace. He was quieter now. Sharper. More alone.
Without a word, he unfolded his long black wings — once majestic, now singed in places, still marked by the scars of a rebirth that had rewritten his very soul.
The wings fluttered once, then again — and with a beat that sent a gust through the still air, Cael rose.
He flew forward, choosing the sky over the path.
But the road was not one to be cheated.
He had barely passed a few feet above it when the magic struck.
At first, it was subtle — a strange warmth licking at the edges of his feathers.
Then… fire.
Real. Raging. Merciless.
His wings ignited with a sudden, searing flame, not of firelight, but of pure magical punishment.
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
Cael's scream echoed through the chamber — raw and unguarded, filled with pain.
We watched in horror as he struggled mid-air, his body twisting as he tried to hold flight — but the pain, the fire, the weight of the curse was too much.
He fell.
Not far — the ground caught him with a cruel thud — but the damage was done.
He landed hard, his wings still smoldering. The once-black feathers were now patchy, some even missing, and between them… wounds.
Tears and burns.
He knelt there for a long moment, breathing hard, eyes fixed on his trembling hands — and then, slowly, lifted his gaze to look back at the path.
And then — something terrifying, something beautiful.
He didn't give up.
He didn't scream again.
He didn't curse fate.
He simply stood up, folding his burnt wings behind him, and took a step forward.
One step.
Then another.
He was going to walk.
Through the fire. Through the silence. Through the pain.
On foot.
That was when Flash, still hidden beside me, whispered with a sudden urgency.
"We'll have to walk too," he said. "And… we can't stay invisible anymore."
I turned to him, confused. "Why not?"
He didn't answer — but Chiko did.
And this time, his voice was steady. Clear. Human.
"This path…" he said, his expression suddenly serious, "…was designed for New Fairies. The ones destined to be Queen."
I blinked. "Queens?"
Chiko nodded slowly. "Yes. This was a ritual path — an ancient one. It tests balance… and patience. Two things no ruler can lack."
I looked back at the road.
No wonder it had rejected Cael's flight.
No wonder magic wasn't allowed.
This was not just a trial of movement — it was a test of soul.
Balance of body.
Patience of heart.
Faith in oneself.
Invisible shadows had no place here.
Only truth.
Only steps.
Only those brave enough to walk slowly… forward.
Cael was already halfway down the road, his pace steady, even as his wings dragged behind him like a broken crown.
I felt a chill crawl down my spine — not from fear… but from reverence.
This was no longer a trial of power.
This was a rite of passage.
And if we were to follow…
We had to be honest.
Visible.
Vulnerable.
The time for hiding was over.
And somewhere deep inside, I knew — if we fell here… the path would not forgive us.
"The Road of Fire and the Fall That Changed Everything"
"Be careful," Flash warned, his voice low, urgent, and filled with protective weight. "Rira always travels by flight. She cannot risk it now. Princess… make her wear your cloak. Hide her."
I looked down at Rira, who blinked up at me innocently — unaware of how much danger we were all walking into.
"She must not move. She must become still… like a normal carpet," Flash added.
Rira didn't protest — not this time. She lowered herself, curled into the folds of my cloak, and transformed into a soft, unmoving fabric — nothing more than a worn shawl wrapped across my shoulders.
"And Chiko…" Flash turned next to him. "You must return to your true form. As a monkey."
Chiko hesitated — just a moment — and then nodded. His body shrank, fur thickened, tail flicked out, and in a blink, the mischievous boy was gone… and the wild monkey was back.
"None of us," Flash finished, his tone darkening, "must be seen by Cael. Not now. He is already halfway across the path. He will not look back. This is our chance… and it might be our only one."
With Flash's command still echoing in our ears, we stepped onto the path.
It was narrower than I remembered — more fragile, more terrifying. A single mistake would cost everything.
Flash led the way, wings spread but never flapping — only gliding just enough to keep him steady. Behind him, Chiko scampered on all fours, his paws cautious against the heated stone.
And at the very end… was me.
I moved slowly, each step calculated — Rira clutched against my shoulders like the only piece of home I had left.
But nothing could prepare us for what was below.
Beneath the path was not just emptiness.
It was a volcano.
Alive. Growling.
Its molten heat surged upwards, licking the edges of the narrow walkway with silent threats.
The air shimmered with rising heat, the scent of smoke sharp and cruel.
The stones beneath our feet were cracking — small pieces breaking off, falling silently into the glowing abyss below.
We were still only in the second house.
Five more to go.
And already… death breathed too close.
Cael walked far ahead, alone, silent — but then… he stopped.
Mid-step.
Frozen.
And that's when we all felt it.
The vibration.
Subtle at first — a hum deep within the path.
But it grew.
The shaking.
The heat.
The rumble rising from beneath like the breath of a beast about to wake.
The volcano was coming alive.
I gasped. "The ground… it's about to—"
Cael didn't wait.
He turned.
Looked down once.
And then — ran.
He darted forward with a suddenness that told me everything I needed to know.
The path was about to break.
Flash didn't wait either. He soared forward, wings slicing through the air.
"RUN!" he shouted.
Chiko leapt like lightning, tail whipping, paws pushing hard against the cracking stones.
I tightened my grip on Rira and ran.
The stones behind me shattered.
The path was falling — piece by piece — collapsing into fire.
And I was one step away from being next.
My heart pounded, my feet burned, the cloak whipped against the wind as I pushed harder, faster.
But the heat grew. The cracks widened.
And then—
CRACK.
The stone beneath my foot gave way.
I screamed.
The last piece of the path crumbled beneath me.
But just before I fell completely — I threw Rira up into the air with every last ounce of strength I had.
She spun once in mid-air, weightless, then soared toward safety.
But me?
I wasn't so lucky.
My fingers caught the very edge of the cliff.
And I hung there, breathless, trembling, my legs dangling over an ocean of lava.
The heat was unbearable — blistering, angry, ancient.
My grip was slipping.
And the world above me felt farther and farther away.
I looked up.
Would anyone see me?
Would anyone save me?
Or… was this it?
Was this how my part in the story ended — hanging between flame and fate, the girl who dared to follow magic into its darkest chamber?
My voice wouldn't come. My arms ached. And still, I held on.
But I didn't know for how long.
To be continue....