Full Chapter – Temptation, Territory, and Trouble
Location: The Twilight Vale – Border of Thalum and Avara. Home of the ancient Elven Bloodwood, one of the few places where the living trees remember flamecraft. The siblings' path to completing Sparks' body begins here.
Gathering Fire
They had the Heart — the core crystal.
Now they needed the shell.
Elven Bloodwood. Starlight Ore. Soulglass.
Each rare. Each dangerous.
The first lay ahead — deep within the enchanted forest of the Twilight Vale. The trees there bled silverred sap, and the roots whispered to trespassers in dreams.
As they entered, the light dimmed.
The Bloodwood grove was alive.
The trees shifted subtly. Their bark shimmered with living runes. Their leaves hummed — not with wind, but memory.
Grim stopped at the grove's edge.
"No weapons," he said.
"Seriously?" Hadi asked.
"This isn't a battlefield. It's a test of worth. The trees will feel us."
Max nodded. "He's right. If we try to cut without permission, the entire forest will react."
Sparks, hovering near, flickered dimmer. "Great. Magic trees with attitude. My day just keeps improving."
Tristan stepped up to Grim. "You're going in?"
"I'll go alone first," Grim said. "See if the mark helps."
Within the Grove
Grim walked slowly.
The forest grew silent behind him.
Then, from within the shadows of roots and bark, a voice echoed in his mind:
"You carry a fractured crown… and seek to bind it to life. Why?"
"To save someone."
"Is she flame?"
"More than flame. She's... Sparks."
Silence.
Then the roots moved.
A single branch descended — not threatening, but offering. It held a shard of glowing Bloodwood.
"Then bind your flame in truth."
As Grim reached out and touched the branch, his mark flared.
Behind him, the others watched as the forest opened around him, briefly revealing a clear path forward.
"He really is the Flame's heir," Ayesha whispered.
Back at Camp – Trouble Brews
That night, they made camp near the riverbend. Sparks hovered closer than usual — her glow steady, but her gaze distant.
"You okay?" Grim asked.
"I felt... something," she said. "When I was near that tree. Like I was remembering a shape I never had. It was… terrifying. And beautiful."
Grim placed a hand close to her form.
"We're almost there. We'll make you whole."
She drifted close to his face — almost brushing his cheek.
"And when I'm whole… what then?"
Before he could answer—
a branch snapped.
Lys Moves
She landed in the clearing like a wolf catching its prey.
Silent. Goldeneyed. Furious.
Grim turned quickly, hand to his blade — but paused.
"Lys?"
She didn't answer. Her clothes were torn from travel. Her eyes glinted like fire under moonlight.
"You left me."
"You followed us."
"You accepted her offering," she growled. "You said it meant something."
Sparks hovered, confused. "What's happening?"
"Oh you," Lys said, stepping forward, claws halfformed. "You're not even real yet."
Sparks flared in defense. "And you're barely housetrained."
"That's enough," Grim said, stepping between them.
Lys stared at him, her voice low. "She's taking you."
"No one is taking me."
"Then choose."
The air froze.
Tristan stepped in fast. "Okay, we're not doing a declaration duel under the moonlight. This isn't a drama novel."
"Says the guy who flirts like one," Max muttered.
Lys turned, stormed into the forest.
Not leaving.
Just waiting.
Watching.