As the Echo Gate fully opened, a tremor rolled through the chamber, shaking the crystalline walls. Emberlight spilled forth like a river of molten gold, and a deep hum filled the air—a resonance that touched every ember in the room.
Kael staggered as the energy surged through him, his flame flickering wildly. But he didn't collapse. Instead, the light flowed around him, through him, and into the gate itself.
Elestria gasped. "It's not taking his flame… it's testing him."
The spectral guardian appeared again, its form shifting between shadow and light. "The gate accepts his offering. The Emberforge awaits."
Liora ran to Kael's side, steadying him. "You're still here."
He offered a weak smile. "I'm harder to get rid of than you think."
Together, they crossed the threshold.
Beyond the Echo Gate stretched a massive underground city—carved into a cathedral of obsidian and crystal. Towers spiraled upward, catching emberlight and refracting it in dazzling arcs. Bridges of firelight spanned chasms, and stairways wove between levels like threads in a tapestry.
Ashara's breath caught. "This… this is the Emberforge. The last city of the Flamebearers."
Statues lined the entrance, each depicting a bearer with a different flame. Some burned with green fire, others with blue frost, golden wind, or violet shadows.
"This place was meant to be a sanctuary," Elestria said. "But it was abandoned before the last war. Lost to memory."
As they moved deeper into the city, the silence grew heavier. It wasn't emptiness—it was anticipation. Something watched. Something waited.
They reached the heart of the forge—a great anvil resting on a floating platform of molten stone. Runes shimmered across its surface, forming a language only the embers could speak.
Thalen approached, drawn by instinct. "It knows me."
A low voice echoed in the chamber. "You are the heir of frost. Born in slumber. Awakened in flame."
Thalen shivered. "Who speaks?"
A figure formed behind the anvil—a woman made entirely of fire and ash, her face veiled by flame.
"I am the First Ember. The memory of what was. The spark that began the Flame Pact."
Liora stepped forward. "Why now? Why reveal yourself to us?"
"Because the Pact is broken. And the Queen's rise will end the balance. You are the last chance to restore it."
Elestria's eyes widened. "Then this city… it holds the original Forge Flame."
The First Ember nodded. "To wield it, a new pact must be made. Not of flame alone—but of all elements awakened."
She looked to Liora. "You are its heart."
And then to Thalen. "You are its memory."
And finally, to Kael. "You are its will."
Ashara raised an eyebrow. "And me?"
The First Ember smiled. "You are its firestarter. Without you, it never burns."
A glyph flared on the anvil. Four sigils—sun, frost, shadow, spark.
The First Ember raised her hand. "Place your flames upon the forge."
Each of them stepped forward, placing a hand atop the anvil.
Pain shot through their veins as fire, frost, and light surged together. Liora cried out as visions seared her mind—memories not her own. Kael's hands trembled. Thalen collapsed to one knee, frost melting into steam. Ashara gritted her teeth as lightning sparked from her hair.
Then the forge ignited.
A flame unlike any other roared to life—white and gold, threaded with every color of the elements.
The First Ember's voice trembled. "The Flamebound Pact is forged anew."
Suddenly, the city shook. An explosion sounded far above.
Elestria turned toward the entrance. "The Queen's army. She's found us."
Liora reached for her blade. "Then we hold the line."
Kael smiled grimly. "Or burn trying."
The forge dimmed, its power now bound to them.
The battle for the last flame had begun.