The vault door groaned open with a sound like grinding mountains.Light — molten gold and deep crimson — spilled out, flooding the cavern with heat that made Lina's skin prickle.
Kai pulled her slightly behind him, stance protective, shoulders tense.
Reyon lifted his blade a fraction.Seren clutched her bag, trembling.
Then the figure inside stepped forward.
Tall.Humanoid in shape.But made of swirling flame and shadow, like molten glass wrapped in living energy. Its eyes burned white-hot, ancient and knowing.
A Guardian.
The Guardian.
It stepped onto the stone floor, and the heat radiating from it softened into warmth — oddly gentle.
Then it bowed.
To Lina.
Seren gasped. Reyon actually dropped his smirk. Kai inhaled sharply.
The Guardian's voice echoed like a thousand old bells.
"At last… the Seventh Flame stands before me."
Lina's heart hammered painfully."I'm not— I don't even know what that means!"
The Guardian lifted its head."You carry the dormant spark of the First Fire. Only one Flame awakens in a generation. You are she."
Lina stumbled back.
Kai steadied her instinctively. "She doesn't owe you anything."
The Guardian's gaze flickered to him. "Protector. Fierce. Stubborn. You carry the scent of an Oathbreaker."
Kai tensed.Lina glanced at him, startled. "Kai…?"
"…Ignore it," he muttered.
Reyon stepped in, folding his arms. "Guardians don't speak without reason. What oath did you break, Rhen?"
Kai shot him a look colder than steel. "Not here."
The Guardian turned back to Lina, flames dimming softly.
"Child of the Seventh Flame… you face a darkness greater than you know."
Lina swallowed hard. "Why would anyone target me? I didn't do anything."
"You breathed," the Guardian said simply. "Sometimes that is enough for enemies of destiny."
A shiver crawled down her spine. "What does the council want?"
"They fear the Flame," the Guardian answered. "They fear what they cannot control. They believe the Flameborn will bring change… change that threatens their power."
Seren's breath hitched. "So they want to erase her."
The Guardian nodded slowly."And those who sided with the Flame before you… met the same fate."
Lina felt sick."You mean the last flameborn?"
"They were silenced," the Guardian whispered, voice dipping into sorrow. "Hunted. Betrayed by one they trusted."
Lina's stomach twisted. "Betrayed… by who?"
A long, heavy silence.
The Guardian finally said:
"Beware the one who walks between shadows and light."
The chamber cooled suddenly.Reyon frowned. "That… is the vaguest warning in history."
Kai stepped forward. "Give us something useful. A name."
The Guardian looked at Kai with unsettling clarity.
"Names can deceive. Actions reveal truth."
Reyon muttered, "Cryptic. Fantastic."
Seren clutched Lina's sleeve. "We need to leave. If the council realizes you reached the vault—"
A sudden boom shook the tunnel above.Dust rained down.
Kai's head snapped toward the entrance. "They're coming."
The Guardian extended its arm. Flames swirled around Lina's wrist, forming a warm spiral of glowing light.
She gasped."Kai— it's touching me—"
Kai nearly lunged forward before the Guardian raised its free hand.
"Be still. I mark her that she may survive what comes."
The light coiled around Lina's rune, purifying, stabilizing — strengthening.
Lina felt warmth bloom in her chest.A new pulse of magic thrummed under her skin.
"What… what did you do?" she whispered.
"I awakened part of your flame," the Guardian said. "But not all. Only you can ignite the rest."
Kai gently touched her shoulder. "Lina… are you alright?"
She nodded shakily. "I think so."
Reyon took a small step closer, eyes narrowed. "Guardian. How do we protect her?"
The Guardian's flames dimmed.
"You cannot."
The air froze.
Lina stared at it. "What do you mean?"
The Guardian's voice lowered to a haunting rumble.
"Because the one who will betray you… walks with you even now."
Silence hit like a knife.
Seren paled. Reyon stiffened. Kai went absolutely still.
Lina's heart crashed against her ribs.
"…Who?" she whispered.
The Guardian stepped back into the vault, flames rising like a curtain.
"The path will reveal the traitor. Trust your flame… even when people fail you."
The vault began to close.
Kai grabbed Lina's hand. "Move!"
Reyon pulled Seren as the ground shook violently.
The last thing they saw before the stone sealed shut—
The Guardian's white-hot eyes watching them.
As if it already knew which one of themwould break Lina's heart…and her world.
To be Continued© Kishtika., 2025All rights reserved.