Woven Between Her War And My Weakness

The air was colder the next morning, like the sky knew what was coming.

I stood outside the safehouse where Kael's name was carved and stared at it like it would open a door. My fingers hovered over the scratched letters, the edges still fresh. A part of me wondered if I whispered hard enough, maybe she'd answer back.

"She was definitely here," Lio said, leaning over my shoulder.

I nodded. "We're close. I can feel it."

My Mark pulsed, but not like before. It wasn't a steady beat. It was... broken. Stuttering like it couldn't decide if it was guiding me or warning me.

We packed what little we had left and left the safehouse behind. The path led us into deeper ruins, where trees had grown through the bones of collapsed towers, and water pooled in shattered elevators. The voice in my chest grew louder.

"The seventh flame must pass through the hollow."

I didn't know what that meant, but I kept walking.

By mid-afternoon, the wind picked up.

Dust and ash swirled in clouds, making it hard to breathe. We found a metal stairwell that led underground and ducked into it for shelter. It spiraled downward, and I knew—without even asking the voice—this was the way.

The Hollow.

The moment we hit the bottom, the temperature dropped ten degrees. The walls were made of dark stone, unnaturally smooth. Like they hadn't been carved by tools but by something older, something... alive.

"This place is wrong," Lio whispered.

She wasn't wrong.

We moved through black tunnels for what felt like hours. No markings. No signs. Just our footsteps and the distant sound of water dripping. Occasionally, we passed symbols that glowed faintly with the same fire as my Mark.

The further we went, the more I felt like I was being watched.

Then we reached the room.

It was circular, wide, and echoing. At the center, a massive pool shimmered—not with water, but with liquid light. Above it hung a mirror. Not a reflection, but a portal. It showed Kael.

Running. Fighting. Bleeding.

"Is that real?" Lio asked.

The voice answered: _"It is now."

"How do I get to her?" I demanded.

The pool responded.

A column of fire rose from it, forming a path.

"Wait," Lio grabbed my arm. "You don't even know what it is."

"It's her."

"But what if it's not? What if it's a trap?"

I turned to her. "Then I burn for nothing. But I can't stay here."

She let me go.

Crossing that bridge felt like walking into my own death.

The fire didn't burn, but it whispered. Memories. Kael laughing. Kael holding me. Kael telling me to run. Every moment we shared blazed against my skin.

And then the world went dark.

I woke up in a cage.

No. Not a cage. A coffin of light.

It hummed around me, buzzing with energy. My Mark screamed. Pain surged through me in waves, and when I looked up, I saw her.

Kael.

Chained. Bloody. Eyes closed.

"KAEL!"

She didn't move.

And then the Queen appeared.

She was taller than I remembered from the broadcasts. Colder. Her crown wasn't made of jewels—it was bone. Her eyes were black holes.

"So," she said, "the seventh flame comes to flicker. How disappointing."

"Let her go."

"You come into my sanctum, bring me your glowing wrist, and demand things?"

I pressed my hand against the wall of the light.

It cracked.

The Queen smiled. "Interesting. The Mark breaks."

"Because it isn't just mine. It belongs to all of us."

Her smile faded.

I screamed. Not from pain. From everything.

The cage shattered.

Kael opened her eyes as I fell beside her. Her lips cracked into a smile.

"Took you long enough."

I cut her chains. "I told you I'd find you."

She looked at me, then behind me. "You brought someone."

I turned.

Lio stood at the edge of the chamber, Mark glowing so bright it lit the walls. She wasn't scared.

"You left me behind," she said. "But I heard you screaming. So I followed."

The Queen raised a hand, and the room shook.

Walls crumbled. Soldiers stormed in, but Lio raised her arm and unleashed a wave of flame so pure it turned the air gold.

She was the eighth.

And she burned like she was made for war.

The battle was chaos. Lights clashed with shadows. Kael fought beside me, blades spinning. I channeled the voice, speaking words I didn't know I knew.

The Queen faltered.

She wasn't immortal.

She bled.

I lunged. My Mark surged.

And I ended her.

With light.

With rage.

With faith.

We escaped as the chamber collapsed.

Kael held me in one arm, Lio in the other. The three of us ran through fire and falling stone, guided only by the Mark.

We didn't stop until we reached the surface.

The sun was rising.

For the first time in months, it actually rose.

We buried the Queen under a sky that didn't belong to her anymore.

Lio sat beside me, hands glowing.

Kael stood watch.

And I finally breathed.

The war wasn't over.

But for now...

We're free.

To be CONTINUED.....