Echoes of the Forgotten Flame

Chapter 25: Echoes of the Forgotten Flame

The tunnel beyond the Rootgate felt like a passage through time itself. Roots glowed faintly with runes older than any Selene had ever seen, their luminous veins pulsing like veins of an ancient, slumbering god. The air buzzed with latent energy, and the deeper they went, the more the world above faded into a myth.

Selene held tightly to Kael's hand, grounding herself. They didn't speak, not out of fear but reverence. Something sacred pulsed through this space. Every step stirred whispers—echoes of incantations spoken eons ago, of oaths made and broken.

They finally emerged into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. In the center stood a stone pedestal etched with the same silver-gold markings that adorned Kael's chest and her pendant. Surrounding it were eight obelisks, each humming with power, each resonating to a frequency Selene could feel in her bones.

Kael stepped closer to one of the pillars. "This is… lycan magic. Old. Untouched."

Selene traced a spiral glyph on another. "And this one belongs to the Witches of the First Fire. These obelisks—this place—it binds our kinds together. This is where it all began."

Kael turned toward the pedestal. "Then maybe it's also where it ends."

They approached the center. As their hands hovered over the pedestal, their bond responded. A pulse of silver flame surged from Selene's core, while moonlight flared from Kael's mark. The pedestal absorbed both energies, and a column of light burst into the air.

Visions flickered within the beam.

A time before war—wolves and witches living in harmony under the Moon Goddess's blessing.

A betrayal—a wolf prince stealing a sacred flame.

A curse—a separation of bloodlines and a binding prophecy written into the stars.

Selene gasped. "That's the origin of the curse."

Kael's jaw clenched. "A flame stolen. A bond broken. And the punishment passed through generations."

Then came the final image: two figures—one shrouded in fire, the other cloaked in silver moonlight—reaching for one another, and the world mending in their wake.

Selene's voice was quiet. "It's us."

Kael looked at her. "We're the key."

The light faded. Silence reclaimed the chamber.

Then the walls shook.

The obelisks flickered, unstable. Cracks spidered across the chamber floor. From the shadows above, something stirred.

Selene spun, eyes glowing. "Something's here."

Kael shifted partially, claws and fangs bared. "I feel it too."

A roar—deep and guttural—echoed through the chamber, and from the ceiling descended a mass of shadow and teeth: a beast twisted by void magic, once wolf, now something darker.

"A corrupted guardian," Selene breathed.

It charged.

They dove apart as its claws raked the ground. Kael leapt, shifting fully mid-air and slamming into the creature's side. Selene raised a shield of fire, deflecting a blast of void energy that struck the chamber wall and exploded in a pulse of shadow.

The guardian reared back and let out another howl that shattered the nearest obelisk. Shards of magic exploded outward, cutting Kael's flank.

Selene screamed. Her magic surged. Flames became chains that coiled around the beast's limbs, slowing it. "Kael, now!"

The alpha wolf's silver eyes gleamed. He launched toward the beast's exposed neck, fangs piercing the corrupted flesh. Void energy burned him, but he didn't stop.

Selene channeled everything she had. Her pendant glowed like a second sun as fire and moonlight twined together. She screamed an incantation she didn't remember learning—one buried in her blood.

The chains ignited. The flames turned silver.

With a final roar, the guardian exploded in light.

Silence fell.

Kael collapsed beside her, reverting to human form, breathing hard, burned and bloodied. Selene knelt beside him, cradling his face.

"You're hurt," she whispered.

"I've had worse," he murmured. "But gods, that thing almost—"

She kissed him. Not gently. Desperately. Like she needed to feel something alive to prove they hadn't died.

He kissed her back, arms tightening around her waist. It wasn't just passion—it was relief, fear, longing. The bond ignited again, electric.

When they parted, both breathless, Selene brushed his hair from his face. "We survived. Again."

Kael smiled. "You're starting to make a habit of saving me."

Selene leaned her forehead against his. "Let's keep doing it then."

The chamber around them settled. The remaining obelisks began to glow again—faintly, as if acknowledging their victory.

But far above, beyond the chamber and the gate, another set of eyes opened.

And they were watching.