The world held its breath.
Ember stood at the heart of the rift, surrounded by the infernal glow of the Triad Flame. The fire itself seemed to hum, alive with purpose, the flames taking shape around her like tendrils of memory and destiny. The earth beneath her feet trembled, as if the very world were being remade.
But nothing could compare to the trial before her.
"You are the spark of unmaking," a voice called from the darkness. It was not a single voice but many—whispers and screams, ancient and new, all echoing in her mind. "Do you truly understand the weight of this flame?"
Ember's heart raced, her pulse beating in time with the flames. "I understand that I cannot turn back now."
The Triad Flame flickered, shifting from its bright gold to a deep violet, then finally to the void-black that made the very air around them hum with potential.
A figure stepped from the shadows, cloaked in light, its face hidden by an ever-shifting mask. It was neither man nor creature, neither flame nor shadow. It was something beyond.
"I am the Keeper of the Flame," the figure said. "And you are here to prove your worth. To prove that the flame chooses you, not the other way around."
"Prove?" Ember's voice was steady, but inside, the pressure was building. The flames pulsed around her, as if they were waiting for her response. "I don't need to prove anything. I am the flame."
The Keeper raised a hand, and the flames responded, circling Ember like a storm. "The flame is not so easily claimed. The flame is woven from the fabric of sacrifice and choice. To wield it, you must understand that nothing is free. Not even power."
The rift above them shimmered, and from it, visions poured—each one more terrifying than the last. Cities in flames. People lost to time. The collapse of entire worlds.
"You seek to undo the Court. To undo the Flamebound. But know this: The flame you carry is the flame of destruction," the Keeper said. "Do you truly have the strength to bear it?"
Ember clenched her fists, feeling the power swirl within her. She had felt it before—the heat, the weight, the pull of the flame. It was part of her, but it was also separate. She was its vessel, its keeper, and its executioner.
"I know what it is," she said, her voice stronger now. "But it's not about destruction. It's about remaking the world."
The Keeper was silent for a moment, and the flames around her flickered in response.
"You are ready, then," it said, its voice a murmur that blended with the storm of fire. "But remember, every flame has its price. Every choice carries its cost."
Ember's heart pounded. She had come too far to turn back. She stepped forward, toward the center of the rift, where the Triad Flame burned brightest.
And as she reached for it, the world shattered.