Aran stood with his most trusted — the remaining Flamebound, the Skybound twins, and the Oracle — in a circle etched into the mountain's heart.
They called it the Circle of Cinders: a place where ancient decisions were once made before even the Flamebound Order existed.
Here, they debated what to do with the truths unraveling around them.
"The Hollow King is bound. His whispers mean nothing," one said.
"Unless someone listens," Aran replied. "And my son… is listening."
Silence.
They all looked at him differently now — not just as a savior, but as a father who might have to make an unthinkable choice.
He stood.
"If I must burn again to keep him safe — I will."
But a voice rose from the shadows of the circle.
"And if burning him is the only way?"