The descent into the valley was steep and silent. No birds, no beasts — just a hush, unnatural and complete. Elira could feel the ember pulsing stronger now, guiding her like a compass. The closer they got to the heart of the ruins, the heavier the air became, thick with soot and sorrow.
The once-great City of Cinders sprawled before them, a skeletal version of its former glory. Cracked towers leaned against one another like broken ribs, and streets were lined with statues turned to ash. In the center rose the remains of the Hall of Mirrors, its domed roof shattered, its mirrored walls long since dulled by fire.
> "This place fell in a single night," Kael said quietly. "The Pact turned the city's own reflection against it."
> "How?" Elira asked.
> "They corrupted the mirrors. Made people see their fears, their failures… until they tore each other apart."
As they crossed a fractured bridge into the city's center, the ember in Elira's chest flared.
She stopped.
Beneath their feet, the stones glowed — faint and red, forming a path toward the Hall.
> "It's here," she whispered. "The second ember."
Inside the Hall of Mirrors, silence reigned.
Shards of once-enchanted glass covered the floor. Some still held fragments of reflection — but none showed the present. They showed memories, regrets, possible futures. In one shard, Elira saw her mother's face. In another, herself standing alone before a sea of flame.
She turned away.
At the far end of the hall was a dais, and atop it floated a second ember — larger than the first, burning deep violet at its core. As she approached, it began to spin.
Kael reached for his blade. "Careful."
A tremor shook the ground. The mirrors around them cracked further, and from them emerged shadowed reflections — mirror-versions of themselves, twisted and cold, with black flame in their eyes.
> "These are echoes," Kael hissed. "They feed on doubt."
The shadows struck.
Elira met her reflection — a version of herself with eyes like dead coals and a voice that mocked every step she'd taken. But Elira held fast, the ember flaring in her palm.
> "You are not me," she growled. "You are what I refuse to become."
The light from the ember exploded outward, shattering every mirror and every echo with it.
Silence fell.
The second ember drifted gently into her hand and fused with the first. For a moment, Elira felt everything — past and future, sorrow and power, all converging inside her.
Then it went quiet again.
> "Two flames," Kael said, watching her warily. "And a third waiting."
> "Where?" Elira asked.
He pointed toward the horizon, beyond the ruined city.
> "The Hollowing Sea."
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