By R.E. Solcrest
The moon hung low, pale and watchful, casting silver reflections across the still waters of the sect's hidden lake. Aryan stood alone by the shore, unmoving. His reflection shimmered in the ripples—but there was another beside it. A second figure, cloaked in soft moonlight and shadow, flickering in and out like a dying flame.
Not real.
And yet…
He didn't speak. He couldn't. His breath was shallow, caught between the rise of memory and the weight of now.
Lirael.
She didn't step forward, not truly. Her image hovered there—moonfire eyes, flowing silver robes, a ghost born of longing. But this wasn't just grief playing tricks on him.
The air was charged.
The same warmth he'd felt beneath the temple—when her presence had brushed his soul—now surrounded him again. Gentle. Trembling. Alive.
> "Aryan," the illusion whispered, her voice softer than mist. "You remember, don't you?"
He did. Every stolen moment. Every quiet promise made under ancient stars. And the betrayal—the night her blade met his heart.
> "You killed me," he murmured.
The illusion didn't deny it. Her eyes, mirroring moonlight, shimmered with something deeper than guilt.
> "No… I tried to save you."
His fists clenched. The flame in his core—The Flame Seed—surged, responding to emotion as much as intent. Fire met moonlight, and for a heartbeat, neither gave way.
> "Why now?" he asked. "Why haunt me now?"
> "Because you're walking toward the same fate," she said, voice breaking. "And I'm not ready to lose you again."
The lake darkened. The illusion shimmered once more—stronger this time, more solid. Aryan reached forward. His fingers brushed only air.
But something remained.
Warmth. Real and lingering.
His fire had not been alone in its return.
> "Are you alive?" he asked.
But the figure had vanished.
Only the stillness remained.
And yet—deep within his core, the Flame Seed pulsed faster. Not just with power…
With resonance.
Moon and flame.
Light and heat.
Love and regret.
The past was catching up.
And this time, it wasn't just memories.
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Author's Note:
Thank you for reading Chapter 13! As Aryan's path grows more mysterious, the line between past and present blurs. Do you think Lirael is alive… or something else entirely?
Drop your theories below—and don't forget to add Echoes of the Immortal Flame to your library to stay up to date!