The Flame That Remembers

Chapter 18: The Flame That Remembers

The air around me shifted the moment I touched the carved flame.

A low hum resonated through my fingertips—gentle, but ancient. Like a melody long buried beneath centuries of silence.

Then, the world turned white.

Not blinding… but weightless. I wasn't in the temple anymore.

I stood barefoot in the middle of a field of glass-like grass that shimmered in hues I'd never seen before—colors that shouldn't even exist. The sky above was painted in gold and violet, and the wind whispered in a voice that sounded… familiar.

"Luna… or should I say… Liora."

I turned.

There she was.

Me—but not me.

A girl with long, burning hair, dressed in flowing silk armor, a golden crown resting slightly off-center on her brow. Her eyes were lit with purpose, fierceness… grief.

She was beautiful and terrifying all at once.

I couldn't breathe.

"Who… who are you?"

She smiled sadly. "I'm the part of you that remembers. The part that fought. The part that fell."

---

My throat went dry. "Is this… a dream?"

"No. It's a memory." Her gaze softened. "The seal has started to break. That means you're waking up… finally."

"Why now?"

She looked toward the horizon, where shadows stirred like storm clouds.

"Because he knows."

"Who?"

She looked back at me, and I felt her pain. "The man with silver eyes. The one who ended me."

I clutched my chest. "Why is he after me?"

"Because you carry what he fears most: the soul of the Flamekeeper." She reached out, placing a warm hand over mine. "You don't remember the war, the sacrifice, or the betrayal. But you will. And when you do… you'll have to choose again."

"Choose what?"

"To burn… or to be reborn."

---

Just as the memory began to slip, I caught one last glimpse of her face.

Tears sparkled in her eyes.

"Don't trust the light that casts no shadow, Luna. He wears many masks… even ones you think you love."

And then—

I woke up.

Gasping. Sweating.

Louie and Elara rushed into the room.

"Luna?!" Louie knelt beside me, gripping my shoulders. "What happened?!"

I stared at the wall behind them. The carving… it was gone.

But my heart wouldn't stop racing.

"I… I saw her."

"Who?"

"Me. But not me. She called herself Liora." I looked at Elara. "And she warned me."

Elara paled. "About what?"

I looked them both in the eyes.

"That the real enemy… might already be standing in the light."

---

To be continued…