Chapter 95

Chapter 95 – The Legacy of the Flame

Valerian didn't sleep.

Not because he couldn't, but because dreams were now too dangerous to touch. The more he tried to rest, the more he saw her—not just in memory, but in visions woven from the threads of fate. Her face kept changing. Sometimes she was Selene. Sometimes she was a child with eyes like galaxies. Sometimes she was fire.

But always, always, she called his name like a curse and a promise.

Now, standing beneath the moon-drenched spires of the Night Court, Valerian watched the ancient fountain of flame roar to life in the center of the courtyard. It only ever burned when a blood heir was near.

> "Selis," he whispered.

Lucien emerged from the shadows, scrolls in hand. "The elders have confirmed it. The flame recognized her. She's not just Selene's reincarnation… she's something more."

Valerian's jaw tightened. "The curse."

Lucien nodded. "The full circle is beginning again."

---

In Eldowyn

Selis wandered past the edge of the boundary stones her mother had warned her never to cross. But something in her blood ached tonight—like a thousand voices humming inside her bones.

She clutched the crystal pendant around her neck, unaware that it once belonged to Selene, passed down by the silent, grieving protectors who had watched over her as she was reborn.

Tonight, that pendant was glowing.

The trees bent as if bowing.

A voice—low, ancient—spoke through the wind:

> "Come, flamebearer. Come remember who you are."

She stepped forward.

The forest opened.

And on the other side stood a ruin of black stone and silver vines—the remains of a forgotten temple from the time of kings and curses.

Inside, waiting, stood a woman with hair like nightwater.

The vampire sentry.

But this time, she bowed.

"You are not just a child," she said. "You are the mark and the flame. And he—your king—awaits your return."

Selis's eyes changed.

Gold ignited into white fire.

Violet burned into deep bloodred.

"I know," she said, her voice suddenly not hers. "I feel him. I always have."

---

Night Court, Throne Hall

Valerian descended the spiral stairwell into the vault where he had hidden the Book of Shadows—the only record of the prophecy in its pure, unedited form.

He placed his palm on the seal. The door opened with a groan like a thousand whispers.

Inside, the book pulsed.

He flipped it open.

Words scrawled themselves across the page, bleeding fresh ink into the parchment.

> "When the heir of flame touches the ruins, the seal shall break."

> "And the king shall burn again… for love or for war."

The mark on Valerian's chest, dormant for years, seared to life in a blaze of agony.

He fell to his knees, gripping his ribs, breath ragged.

"She's awakened it," he gasped. "She's truly back."

Lucien's voice trembled. "What do we do?"

Valerian's fangs dropped. His voice was low. Ancient.

> "We find her… before the others do."

---

Elsewhere – The Shadow Syndicate

Beneath the jagged cliffs of the Eastern Divide, deep within the chamber of the Shadow Syndicate, a figure with no face and a voice like shattered glass hissed over a gathering of cloaked beings.

> "The child walks," it croaked.

Another cloaked figure shivered. "Then the prophecy is active."

"We must kill her," another growled. "Before the flame matures."

But the faceless figure shook its head slowly.

"No. Let her rise… and let him come for her. Then we take them both."

A long, curled claw dragged a red line across a parchment map of the kingdom.

> "The war is not coming. It has already begun."

---

In Selis's Vision

That night, Selis lay beneath a tree, eyes wide, body still. And in her dream, she walked the halls of the Night King's palace—older now, wrapped in red silk, her hair braided with firestones.

She walked toward the throne.

Valerian stood waiting.

Only this time, he looked surprised.

As if even he did not expect what came next.

Selis raised her hand. The mark on her wrist flared.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, voice strong, ancient.

Valerian stepped forward.

"I never forgot."

And when their hands touched—

> The kingdom screamed.

---

Things are accelerating now—the war for prophecy, love, and flame is coming.