The world became light.
The Vault burned around her, yet Liora stood untouched, the godfire swirling in every direction. The flames didn't scorch her—they searched her.
Naerys' voice echoed from within the inferno. "You reject surrender. Then prove your flame is worthy."
Liora raised the Flameblade, which pulsed against her palm like a living heart. "I won't let your fears bind what's already chosen me."
The fire responded. A great serpent of flame surged down, jaws open. Liora rolled aside, slashing upward as she moved. The blade carved a line of golden fire that clashed with the serpent's form, causing it to scream.
From the smoke, Naerys emerged—her body transformed, wreathed in godfire, her eyes nothing but radiant orbs.
Kael, barely conscious near the dais, struggled to rise. "Liora!"
Ashara hurled a barrier glyph to protect him as shards of flame rained from above.
"Don't break her focus," she called. "This isn't just a battle. It's a forging."
Naerys raised her hand, and the flames formed a wall between them again. But Liora stepped through it. The fire parted for her, flickering like it recognized something familiar.
"I don't want to become what you became," Liora said. "I don't want to be worshiped. Or feared. I just want to stop the end."
"You will fail," Naerys said. "They all do. The ember seduces. The godfire consumes."
"Maybe," Liora said. "But I'd rather burn trying than live frozen in fear."
With a cry, she drove the Flameblade down into the dais. A pulse of emberlight erupted outward, striking Naerys in the chest. Her form flickered—solid, then flame, then memory.
The fire began to die down.
Naerys staggered back. "You... reminded it. Who it used to be."
The godfire shimmered. Not wild now, but calm. Steady.
Naerys knelt before the brazier and placed her palm on it.
"For the first time in centuries... I feel peace."
She turned to Liora, her body dimming, becoming translucent. "Then the flame is truly yours. You will not control it. But it will follow you."
The brazier dimmed to a soft glow.
Ashara approached. "Is it done?"
Liora nodded. "The godfire has passed its judgment."
Kael leaned on his sword, rising with a grunt. "Then let's get out of this place before something else wakes up."
The Vault's great door groaned behind them.
But before they left, Naerys spoke one last time.
"Liora... the Queen knows you now. The ember called across the realms. She will come for you herself."
"I'll be ready," Liora said.
Naerys smiled sadly. "No. You won't be. But neither was I. And still... we burned bright."
She vanished, a flicker in the wind.
The three stood in silence, the last warmth of the godfire flickering at their backs.
And ahead, the world waited—colder, darker, and watching.