Chapter 20: Flame Within, Shadow Without

Ashen stood within the Hollow—an ancient training ground long forgotten by the rest of the Academy. The stone walls were marked by burns, claw marks, and deep cracks, as though something monstrous had once tried to escape this place.

The hooded figure circled him in silence, the blue flames casting eerie shadows on the floor.

"Do you know what kind of fire lives in you?" the figure finally asked.

Ashen's response was steady. "No. But I know it's different."

"Different isn't the word." The figure paused. "It's ancient. The last time that flame burned freely, kingdoms fell. The sky turned red. And a god died."

Ashen didn't flinch. "Then why do I have it?"

The figure stepped closer, pulling down their hood.

Ashen's breath caught.

It was a woman—her hair pale silver, eyes like molten gold. Her skin bore scorch marks that shimmered faintly with power.

"I was like you once," she said. "Chosen. But I failed to contain the flame. Now I serve it."

Ashen's voice was low. "You want to teach me how to control it?"

"No," she replied. "I'm here to test you."

---

The trial began without warning.

Blue fire erupted from the ground around Ashen. The chamber shook. Chains of energy shot from the walls, binding his arms and legs, lifting him from the ground.

"You must face your flame," the woman said, her voice echoing like thunder. "Or be devoured by it."

The fire crept toward Ashen's chest. His eyes widened as the heat seared through his veins. Pain flooded his body—raw, ancient pain that clawed at his soul.

His mind began to fracture.

Then—darkness.

---

He awoke in a memory.

But it wasn't his.

He stood in a desert wasteland, the sky dark and blood-red. Cities burned in the distance. Armies clashed below him. And at the center of it all, a man in black armor, wearing the Gauntlet of Flame—wielding fire so pure it turned air into glass.

The man turned.

Ashen gasped.

It was his face.

The memory shattered.

---

Ashen fell to his knees in the Hollow, gasping for breath. His body steamed. His heart raced.

The woman stood over him, her expression unreadable.

"You've seen it," she said.

Ashen's hands trembled. "That was… me?"

She nodded slowly. "Or someone who once wore your face."

"I destroyed everything…"

"No," she said. "You will, unless you learn to change your path."

Ashen gritted his teeth. "Then teach me how."

She smiled, faint and proud.

"Then we begin."

---

In the weeks that followed, Ashen trained by night. He sparred with fire, fought illusions, battled fragments of his own fear. The Hollow became his crucible. And with each trial, his control grew sharper, steadier.

By day, he returned to the Academy. The instructors noticed. His techniques changed. His presence became heavier. His eyes seemed to burn with unseen fire.

Some feared him. Others watched with fascination. But one group watched with intent.

The Order of the Eye had not forgotten him.

---

Elsewhere—in a city beneath the mountains—a council gathered in secret. Seven hooded figures sat at a round table of obsidian, a crystal flame burning at the center.

"The flame stirs," one of them whispered.

"The Ascendant walks again," another replied.

"Then we must prepare."

---

Back in the Hollow, Ashen stood before a mirror of black steel, breathing heavily. The woman watched from a distance.

"Tomorrow," she said, "you will face your final hidden trial."

Ashen nodded. "What is it?"

She turned.

"You will face the one person who can kill you."