Chapter 13: The Truth Beneath the Ashes
Kael didn't move.
He stood there like stone—eyes wide, jaw clenched. The early morning sun slipped between the ruined pillars, painting golden stripes across his face. He looked like he'd been waiting there for hours, like he followed me the moment I left.
"Luna," he said again, voice barely a whisper. "What… did I just see?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
How do you explain to someone that fire speaks to you? That an ancient voice from another realm burned your soul just moments ago? That you're not just you anymore?
"I didn't mean for you to follow," I said instead.
"I know," he replied. "But I had to."
The wind rustled through the trees around the ruins, and for a moment it felt like the world had slowed down just to listen.
"I saw everything," Kael murmured. "Your eyes… they were glowing."
I turned away, ashamed. "I didn't want you to see me like that."
"Why?" he stepped closer. "Because you're afraid I won't understand?"
"Yes," I whispered. "Because maybe I don't understand it myself."
---
He sat down on one of the broken stones, patting the space next to him. I hesitated… then joined him.
"This fire inside me," I began, "It's not normal. It's not just magic. It's alive. Sometimes it speaks. Sometimes it… shows me things."
"What kind of things?"
I swallowed. "Memories. But not all of them are mine."
He was quiet for a while. Just breathing.
Then he asked, "Do you think it's trying to take you over?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But I feel like every time I use it… I lose a little more of myself."
---
Kael leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He wasn't looking at me, just at the moss-covered floor beneath his boots.
"You're scared," he said finally.
I nodded.
"I am too," he added.
That surprised me.
He turned his head slightly, eyes meeting mine. "Not of you. Never of you. But of what this place is becoming. Of the way everyone looks at you like you're not just Luna anymore. Like you're something… more. Something dangerous."
"I didn't ask for any of this," I said. My voice cracked.
"I know." He smiled, soft and broken. "But maybe… you were made for it."
---
We stayed there until the sun fully rose, burning away the shadows of the night. It was strange, but even though nothing had changed between us on the surface—something had settled.
Like finally saying the truth out loud made it more bearable.
Kael stood up and offered me his hand. "Come on. If we're going to deal with whatever this is, we can't do it alone."
I looked at his hand.
Warm. Steady. Familiar.
I took it.
And for the first time in days, the fire inside me didn't feel like a burden.
It felt like purpose.
---
But peace never lingers for long.
That night, when we returned to the temple, a letter was waiting for me.
Unmarked. Sealed in wax that shimmered with silver and red.
Kael reached for it, but I stopped him. Something in me knew—this wasn't for anyone else.
I opened it.
The parchment was smooth. The ink bled faintly as if written with trembling hands. The words were short.
> The flame you carry is not the only one left.
Meet me at the edge of the Silvergrove.
Midnight. Come alone.
My heartbeat slowed.
Then surged.
Kael saw the look in my eyes. "What is it?"
I folded the letter, slipping it into my pocket. I forced a smile. "Just a message from the high priestess. Nothing urgent."
He didn't believe me.
But he didn't press.
---
That night, when the world went quiet again…
I left.
Alone.
Just like they asked.
Because if there was another like me—
Then everything was about to change.
---
To be continued…