"Echoes of Her Blood"

Chapter 9: Echoes of Her Blood

I dreamt of fire again.

But this time, it wasn't destructive — it was warm, golden… like a memory wrapped in light. And in the center of it stood a woman.

She looked like me.

Same eyes. Same shape of the lips. But older — radiant and terrifying all at once. Her hair flowed like silk flames behind her. And when she spoke, I didn't hear words — I felt meaning.

"You are not the first, Luna. But you may be the last."

Then I woke up.

My body was still trembling, not from fear… but recognition.

Something inside me had changed.

---

Kael wasn't in my room when I opened my eyes. That was unusual — he'd been by my side constantly these past days, ever since the Elders locked me in here like I was some kind of divine weapon waiting to misfire.

I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my chest.

The guards outside barely looked at me when they dropped off food. They were scared. Of me. Of what I might do.

But I didn't want to hurt anyone.

I just wanted to understand.

So when the moon rose, and the silence of night stretched across the temple halls, I slipped out.

Again.

Because answers don't come to those who wait behind locked doors.

I headed to the Mirror Crypt — the one place the Elders avoided. Rumor said the spirits of past Chosen still whispered there, through broken glass and forgotten prayers.

And I needed whispers tonight.

---

The air inside was heavy.

Every breath felt like inhaling centuries.

But I kept walking until I stood before the shattered relic — a giant mirror, fractured down the middle. My reflection blinked back at me from a hundred angles, each one slightly… off. One was crying. Another was smiling. One looked terrified.

And then one — just one — stepped forward.

Not in the mirror.

But out of it.

She had pink hair, long and tied in a ponytail just like mine. Two soft bangs framed her cheeks. And her eyes… they glowed softly.

"You carry the Flame of Eira," she said gently. "And the world fears what it doesn't remember."

"Who… are you?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Your ancestor. The first to ever be Chosen."

I didn't know whether to bow or run.

"But I was told the Divine Thread chose people randomly…"

She smiled, a little sad. "They lied. It's always been the same bloodline. Our family. One soul reborn again and again, each time with a new name — but the same burden."

My knees buckled, but she caught me.

"You are the last Flame, Luna," she whispered. "After you, the Thread will break."

I swallowed hard. "Why me? I never asked for this. I'm just… me."

"That's why, child," she said. "You are not blinded by pride or duty. You feel. You love. That makes your flame brighter than any before you."

---

When I returned to my room, dawn was already brushing the horizon with gold.

Kael was waiting.

I ran into his arms.

"I saw her," I whispered. "The one who came before me. I'm part of something ancient, Kael… something terrifying."

He held me tighter.

"Then we'll face it together."

And just like that, the pieces of truth started to fall into place.

I wasn't cursed.

I was chosen — not by fate, but by the fire in my own soul.

But something darker was coming.

And it had already smelled the light inside me.

---

To be continued…