ASHES IN THE MIRROR
The Edge of Silence
A barren field of shattered stone and blackened roots. Snow falls in drifting silence across the ruins of an old battlefield in the Western Flats. The ghost of fire still lingers on the earth. Xavier walks alone, his shoulders heavy with the weight of the prophecy. Ashes rise like breath from the ground, disturbed by his steps. The sky above is a colorless dome, streaked by smoke-laced clouds.
Xavier (muttering to himself):
"I thought I'd buried you, Father. Along with your shadow. But you're still here, aren't you? In every warning. Every flame. Every damned vision."
He kneels
ASHES IN THE MIRRORThe Edge of SilenceA barren field of shattered stone and blackened roots. Snow falls in drifting silence across the ruins of an old battlefield in the Western Flats. The ghost of fire still lingers on the earth. Xavier walks alone, his shoulders heavy with the weight of the prophecy. Ashes rise like breath from the ground, disturbed by his steps. The sky above is a colorless dome, streaked by smoke-laced clouds.Xavier (muttering to himself): "I thought I'd buried you, Father. Along with your shadow. But you're still here, aren't you? In every warning. Every flame. Every damned vision."He kneels
THE RIVER OF TONGUESArrival at RivenmouthTwilight descends as Ceres and Xavier arrive at the edge of a narrow gorge hidden beneath the western cliffs. The wind howls eerily between jagged rocks, and the scent of sulfur hangs in the air. The Temple of Rivenmouth looms ahead, carved into the mountain's mouth like a beast frozen mid-roar. Between them and the temple lies a slow, glowing river—its current an unnatural hue, pulsing like blood beneath flame.Xavier (holding the reins of their horse as they dismount):"This place... it reeks of silence. Not peace—something older. Something forgotten."Ceres (steppin
THE GIRL WHO COULDN'T BURNWalking on FireThe morning after the Red Court attack. The grove is scorched, yet the tent holding Nya remains untouched. Ash clings to trees like snow. A circle of coal still smolders.Nya steps barefoot into the embers. Around her, wolves halt mid-task. Conversations die. Even Maera stops stirring her healing tinctures as the silence thickens.Ceres (gasping softly):"She's walking through fire... as if it doesn't see her."Maera (calmly, arms folded, watching with an unreadable expression):
THE RED COURT RETURNSSmoke on the HorizonDawn over Grayvale. The rebuilt watchtower stands tall above the outer walls of the capital. Ceres, cloaked in her Luna armor, scans the southern sky. Xavier steps beside her, his gaze locked on a rising red column in the distance.Xavier (jaw clenched, eyes narrowing):"That's not natural."Ceres (lowering her spyglass):"No. It's too narrow. Too deliberate. That's fire... guided by ritual."Xavier:"Solen Sanctuary lies
THE SCROLL OF BROKEN NAMESBeneath the Ashes of HistoryNightfall. Beneath the Hall of Elders, now a crumbling shell of what once was. Xavier and Ceres descend the last stone steps into a newly unearthed vault. A faint smell of scorched paper lingers. Maera follows, her staff tapping against the stones.Ceres (holding a torch high, dust motes swirling in the air):"It's colder than I thought it would be down here. Like the walls remember being silenced."Xavier (running his hand along an ancient arch):"Look at this. This seal—burned into the stone. Not Flameblood. Old
CROWNLESS, NOT BROKEN"I don't need a throne to lead. I need the fire to burn their lies."Ash in the MarbleEmber Palace. Throne Hall, now fractured—scorched marble, broken pillars, a jagged crown-shaped crack running through the dais. The Flame Crown is gone. Arion has vanished. The people's chant has long faded into heavy silence.Councilman Tarek (bowing slightly):"Prince Xavier… By rights of blood and battle, the throne is yours. The council awaits your command."Xavier (quietly, staring at the cracked throne):