The palace loomed in the distance, its marble spires gleaming beneath the stars like cold ivory blades.
Eira stood in the rebel war room, staring at the map sprawled across the table. Red markers dotted key locations — servant passages, tower patrols, vault access.
"This is not an assault," she said. "It's a message."
Caius nodded. "We take back what they stole — not with fire, but with proof."
Eira's fingers hovered over a small chamber marked Vault of Memory. "And in that vault… lies my mother's sealed chronicle."
The rebels around her stiffened.
"Only royal flameblood can open it," one whispered.
Eira's eyes flashed. "Then it's time I reclaim my birthright."
---
The Infiltration
Night fell like a cloak over the city.
Eira, Caius, and two rebels — Lysa the thief and Daren the scout — slipped through the servant tunnels beneath the eastern tower. Damp, narrow, and foul-smelling, but unguarded.
Above, nobles danced in jeweled halls. Below, vengeance crept closer.
As they emerged into the palace cellar, Lysa froze.
"There's something wrong," she hissed. "It's too quiet."
Caius turned—just in time.
A runic seal flared to life on the wall, pulsing crimson. The air thickened. Magic twisted.
"Move!" Eira shouted.
Too late.
The walls ignited in shimmering fire — not hers, but something darker.
Lyana's trap had been sprung.
---
The Phoenix Mirror
From the flames, a floating shard of obsidian emerged — carved with the Phoenix Sigil.
Caius stared. "That's—impossible."
"It's a Phoenix Mirror," Eira whispered. "A cursed relic. It reflects not what you are… but your greatest fear."
The mirror flared.
Daren collapsed, screaming as he saw his own death on a battlefield.
Lysa clawed at her face — haunted by visions of betrayal.
Then it turned to Eira.
And showed her…
A throne of ashes. Her sitting atop it, crowned in fire, and alone.
"Is that your fear?" a voice echoed from the flames.
Lyana.
"You claim you'll save the kingdom, child. But all I see is ruin."
---
Eira's Inner Battle
The fire surged.
Eira dropped to her knees, clutching her head as memories and doubt flooded her.
> You'll become like your mother… cursed. Doomed. Alone.
You bring only death.
You will betray them all.
But then… a softer memory.
Her mother's voice, calm and kind:
> "The fire is not evil, my flameheart. It's what you choose to burn."
Eira's eyes opened — glowing gold.
She rose, stepped toward the mirror, and whispered:
"I am not afraid of the fire. I am the fire."
She thrust her hand into the mirror.
It shattered with a scream.
---
A Face from the Past
The magical seal faded. The rebels groaned, rising slowly.
But footsteps echoed from the corridor beyond.
Caius raised his sword.
"Stay behind me," he warned.
But Eira stepped forward.
Because from the shadows… emerged a man.
Not a guard.
Not an assassin.
But someone she hadn't seen in ten years.
Brown eyes. Scar over the lip. A silver pendant — shaped like a flame.
"Maerin?" she breathed.
He paused.
"Eira... I thought you died."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"You were taken," she whispered. "The night of the fire. They told me you burned—"
"I escaped," he said. "Barely. I've lived in hiding. Working in the archives. And now... I'm here. For you."
---
The Final Revelation
Caius stepped beside her, wary.
"Who is he?"
Eira wiped her eyes.
"My brother."
The room fell into stunned silence.