The revelation hung in the air like smoke after battle—seven flames, not three. Nicolette could feel it in her bones, a pull deeper than instinct, older than memory. The pendant at her chest now shimmered with a fourth glimmer—faint, flickering, but unmistakably alive.
Kael crouched beside her, examining the pendant closely. "So if there are seven... does that mean there are more Flamebearers?"
"Or more pieces of me," Nicolette whispered. "Pieces sealed away long ago."
The wind shifted, and a strange hum passed through the trees.
Kael stood, alert. "Something's guiding us again."
---
They followed the humming, deeper into the Forest of Hollow Echoes, a woodland long abandoned by the living. Trees twisted into unnatural shapes. The air buzzed with invisible tension, like a whispered warning never spoken aloud.
By midday, they reached a stone circle—ancient and cracked, its center occupied by a broken mirror. The surface still shimmered like silver water.
Nicolette stepped forward.
The pendant pulsed. The fourth flame flickered brighter.
Kael touched her shoulder. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I think this is the key… but it's not just hidden. It's forgotten."
She placed her hand on the mirror.
The world shattered.
---
She fell into darkness.
No light. No sound.
Only... memory.
Suddenly, she stood in a palace made of flame and crystal. A child version of herself ran down a hall, laughing. Behind her walked seven hooded figures—tall, imposing, glowing with inner fire.
One stepped forward and knelt before the child.
"You are the vessel," the figure said. "We give you our flames—not for power, but for balance. One day, you must restore what was broken."
The child Nicolette nodded, unaware of the burden.
The vision shifted. Screaming. Fire. Betrayal. One of the seven turned on the others—driven mad by greed and power. A battle broke out.
The flames were scattered.
And Nicolette was sent away—memory locked, destiny delayed.
---
She gasped and awoke on the forest floor, Kael shaking her.
"You disappeared for an hour!"
"I saw them," she whispered. "The original Flamebearers. Seven guardians. One turned... and shattered everything. I was one of them. Or... created by them."
Kael helped her up, stunned. "So this isn't just about power. It's about restoring something ancient."
She nodded. "And I know where the fourth flame is now. But it's... trapped in time."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Time?"
"The Ruins of Myrath," she said. "A place where time loops. We'll have to break the cycle to free the flame."
He groaned. "I really hate magic puzzles."
---
That night, under a sky full of restless stars, Nicolette sat by the fire. The pendant glowed softly, like a heartbeat.
She looked at Kael. "Do you ever regret this? Following me into all this madness?"
He smiled faintly. "Every day. And I'd still do it again."
She chuckled, but her eyes were heavy with thoughts.
"I wasn't just chosen by fire, Kael. I am fire. And I think, before this ends, I'll have to choose between burning everything down... or burning myself out."
He looked at her, serious now. "Then we'll find a way where neither has to happen."
She hoped he was right.
Because the next flame wasn't just hidden.
It was guarded by time itself.