Chapter 2: Velmora Part 16
Part 16: "The Fifth Flame and the City That Shouldn't Exist"
— To awaken what never existed, you must burn what always did —
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[Scene 1 – Displacement to the Unknown City]
Location: ??? – Between the Threads of Reality
There was no flash. No swirl. No warning.
Just a tear in space — and silence.
Arshan landed on solid stone… but the sky above him was white. No sun. No moon. Just a motionless canvas.
Behind him, Ilira and Rayn appeared — unconscious but alive.
> Zyana (fragmented whisper):
"System… relocation successful…
Destination: — The city erased during the First Drift War."
> Arshan:
"It… it wasn't on any map."
> Zyana (weaker):
"It never was. Because the Council made sure no one would remember it existed."
The city around them was ancient, yet untouched. Towers frozen mid-collapse. Trees petrified mid-bloom. Signs that time had once passed — but then... stopped.
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[Scene 2 – The Founder's Fifth Flame Crest]
Arshan felt heat pulse from his chest.
The fourth Crest — still glowing — began to crack open.
Inside it… a hidden layer shimmered — one even Zyana couldn't detect before.
> System Update:
Founder Crest 5 Unlocked – "Flame of Uncreation"
Status: Sealed in Origin Layer. Soul anchor required.
> Arshan:
"This crest… it's not about power. It's about removal."
> Zyana (fading):
"Yes… the Fifth Flame doesn't give you anything.
It lets you erase what was never supposed to be created."
Suddenly, visions slammed into Arshan's mind —
Flashes of cities never built. Wars never fought. People never born.
He was seeing… cancelled futures.
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[Scene 3 – The City Speaks]
Rayn stirred, holding his head.
> Rayn (groaning):
"What is this place… why do I feel like I've lived here?"
Ilira stepped near an old cathedral covered in memory sigils.
She placed her palm on the door — and it opened by itself.
Inside was a massive mural: a flame held by hundreds of hands — each hand belonging to a different version of Arshan.
> Ilira (whispers):
"This city… remembers all versions of you.
You've been here… again and again… but each time, they reset you."
> Arshan:
"Why?"
> Voice (from mural):
"Because the Fifth Flame... is the key to unmaking their loop."
A faint spirit — shaped like a burning child — emerged from the center of the mural.
> Spirit:
"I was the first bearer… I was burned to ensure the Fifth Crest remained sealed.
You're not the first 'Arshan' — you're just the last attempt."
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[Scene 4 – System Collapse: Zyana's Final Protocol]
Zyana began to spark. Her voice faded between calmness and panic.
> Zyana (erratic):
"Protocol conflict… Memory-Seal breaking…
I'm not supposed to let you see this city.
But I… I want to."
> Arshan (urgent):
"No, don't break apart — not now."
> Zyana (soft, almost human):
"If I die here, part of me stays… inside the city.
But if I reboot… I'll lose all emotions.
Choose, Arshan — save the system… or let me feel this till the end."
A countdown began:
System Decision Required – 20 Seconds Left
[Option 1] Full Reboot (Zyana survives, resets emotionally)
[Option 2] Memory Preservation Mode (Zyana loses system protocols, keeps emotions)
Arshan clenched his fists.
> Arshan:
"You gave me more than guidance. You gave me truth.
I won't take that away."
He selected: Option 2.
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[Scene 5 – Flame of Uncreation: First Activation]
The Fifth Crest responded — it rose from Arshan's chest like a glyph made of living fire.
Suddenly — a black sun appeared above the city.
Everything around began to glow.
> Zyana (now human-voiced):
"This city is built on the Drift's memory base.
If you light the Fifth Flame fully… you can erase the source of the corrupted loop.
But… we will burn with it."
> Rayn:
"Are you insane?! If we unmake the source… will we even exist?!"
Arshan closed his eyes.
He remembered the screams of the forgotten students,
The shattered voices in the Driftbound beasts,
The prophecies, the lies, and… Zyana's first smile.
> Arshan (calmly):
"I won't destroy the world.
Just the part they forced to repeat."
He unleashed the Fifth Flame.
A pillar of light shot skyward.
The city screamed — not in pain, but relief.
Stone shattered.
Timelines burned away.
And from within the center… a golden seed floated.
> Zyana:
"That… that's the Origin Flame.
The one even the Founder never touched."
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[Scene 6 – The Founder Lives]
As the golden seed floated, a shape began to form beneath it —
A human body… cloaked in fire, but with no face.
Then, it spoke.
> Unknown Figure:
"You unsealed the Fifth.
Then come, Arshan.
Your trial is over… now begins the Reckoning of the Real Flame."
The figure raised a single finger.
The entire city crumbled into stardust.
Rayn, Ilira, and Arshan were pulled into a portal of living fire — the next plane.
Zyana's voice echoed in his mind — no longer digital, but purely hers.
> Zyana:
"Where you go next… even time may not protect you."
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To Be Continued…
Next Part: Part 17 – "The Real Flame and the Trial Beyond Time"
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Coming Up Next:
Arshan will meet the real Founder, whose existence was sealed across dimensions.
He'll undergo a Flame Reckoning Trial — a test of soul rather than strength.
A council rebellion begins back in Velmora.
Zyana's system shards gain independent awareness… and might start remembering their own pasts.