Chapter Forty-Two: The Ember Within
Cristi couldn't sleep that night.
The flickering campfire before him had long since burned out, yet the heat lingered on his skin. He sat cross-legged in the clearing, his palms open, trembling — as if some unseen force was trying to crawl out of them. He could still hear the echo of the fire's whisper in his mind, like a distant voice scratching at the edges of sanity.
"Burn. Burn. Burn until all is pure."
Alex stood nearby, watching with arms crossed. His sword rested by a tree, but his hand never left its hilt. "You're not yourself, Cristi," he finally said. "You haven't been for weeks."
Cristi turned to him, eyes sunken, shadows clinging to the corners of his gaze. "That's because I'm not just myself anymore."
He lifted his hand. Flame danced along his fingers — not red, not orange. It was black and violet, pulsing like a heart, yet it gave off no heat.
Alex stepped closer, cautious. "I fought beside the last bearer of death flame. He burned out every time he used it. You're not burning. You're changing."
Cristi nodded, face pale. "I can feel it… It's like the fire is alive inside me. It wants things. Destruction. Rebirth. It whispers about ending the 'cycle of kings.' About cleansing the world of the legacy of swords."
Alex scowled. "That's not the fire talking. That's Andrew's war still echoing in your blood."
But Cristi tilted his head, confused. "No. I saw Andrew. In the fire. He was afraid."
Elsewhere — The Shadow Realm
Andrew stood upon a lake of obsidian glass, shadows curling at his feet. Mihai joined him, emerging through the veil between planes. His face was grim.
"The bearer has awakened."
Andrew nodded. "I know."
"Do we move to claim him?" Mihai asked.
Andrew said nothing for a while. Then, "No. Not yet. The fire of death cannot be claimed. It must choose, and it chose a hesitant heart."
Mihai frowned. "Cristi?"
Andrew's voice dropped low. "If he doesn't master it… the fire will master him. And if that happens, there will be no war. There will only be ashes."
The Next Morning
Cristi awoke screaming.
His body levitated a foot off the ground, arms flared out, black veins crawling along his neck and shoulders. The earth around him turned grey, like life was draining from it.
Alex rushed to him, shouting his name, but Cristi didn't respond. Instead, he hovered in silence — then his eyes opened, completely black.
"I've seen the truth," he whispered, in a voice not entirely his own. "This world was built on fire and shadow. And fire is more honest."
Then he collapsed.
When Alex caught him, he was cold to the touch, yet his heartbeat was steady.
Cristi opened his eyes again — normal now, but distant. "It's inside me. A second soul. And I'm scared I'll lose myself."
Alex knelt beside him. "Then we make sure that doesn't happen. You're my friend, Cristi. And this world doesn't need another Andrew or Andreas. It needs someone who can carry fire without turning to ash."
Cristi gave him a weak smile. "Let's hope that's me."
In David's Fortress
A new scroll arrived by raven.
David unrolled it, reading the encoded markings quickly. When he finished, he exhaled slowly.
Kael stood nearby. "What is it?"
David handed it to him. "Cristi's awakening has begun."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "And the flame? Has it consumed him?"
"No," David said. "But it will try. We have to reach him before the fire does."