Chapter 17: Echoes of a Forgotten Name
The rain had stopped, but the sky remained gray—like the world itself was holding its breath.
Elara sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands as if they held a secret she wasn't ready to speak. Louie had gone to gather herbs, and I stayed behind with her, my heart heavy with curiosity.
"You said you had dreams," I finally whispered. "But they weren't just dreams… were they?"
She didn't look up. "No. Not dreams. Memories."
I stepped closer.
Elara clenched her fists, knuckles pale. "I remember fire. A temple much older than this one. I remember… running. Holding someone's hand." Her voice shook. "But I don't remember their face. Only a name… A name I haven't said in years."
She looked up at me—her violet-gray eyes wet with tears.
"Liora."
The name hit something inside me like a wind through a broken door.
Liora.
I didn't know it. Not really. But my heart ached like it did.
---
"Who is Liora?" I asked softly, sitting beside her.
Elara's shoulders hunched. "I think… she was me. Or maybe I was her. I don't know how to explain it." She exhaled shakily. "In that life, I was something else. Someone stronger. Someone with… power. I wasn't afraid."
She glanced down at her trembling hands.
"But this time, I am."
I reached out and placed my hand over hers. "It's okay to be afraid. But that doesn't make you weaker."
She smiled, just barely. "You really are her."
"Her who?"
"The Flamekeeper. The one from the old stories. The girl who shines even when the world breaks."
---
When Louie returned, we shared everything.
He listened silently, arms crossed, brow furrowed in that way he always did when his head spun faster than his words.
"So, what now?" he finally asked. "We've got a chosen girl with a mystery past, a temple that might be ancient magic, and a bunch of old dreams turning out to be real?"
He glanced at Elara. "No offense."
"None taken," she said. "You forgot the part where we might be hunted."
That shut us both up.
"Hunted?" I echoed.
Elara nodded. "In my dreams… someone always came looking. A man in black. With silver eyes and no shadow."
Louie scoffed. "Yeah, okay. Now you're just scaring Luna."
"I'm serious," she snapped. "He's real. I don't know his name, but I've seen him. In flashes. Every time I get close to remembering more, he's there."
She looked at me.
"He's looking for you too."
---
That night, I sat awake, clutching the blanket tighter than I needed to.
The wind outside howled like a voice too old for words, and the shadows on the wall stretched longer than they should have.
In the silence, I whispered the name:
"Liora."
And for the briefest moment… the candlelight flickered, revealing something carved faintly into the temple wall behind me.
A symbol.
A flame with wings.
It hadn't been there before.
Or maybe… it had.
Maybe it had just been waiting.
---
To be continued…