Chapter twenty six: the last flamekeeper

Freya's pov 

The silence after the flash of light was suffocating, a 

Calm sparkle settling over the battlefield. I stood frozen, my hands still on air the power within me lurking with a new intensity. My heart was beating in my chest, my mind leaving coating my vision, trying to understand and analyse what had just happened.

Finnick standing beside me, his expressions confused and unreadable, searching through darkness for any sign of movement. The wolves from Kade’s pack still frozen, their glare flicking nervously, between us and the darkened woods behind them.

“What just happened now?” Finnick asked, his voice barely loud over the pounding of my heartbeat.

"I don’t know,” I whispered back, my glare locked on the space where the light effect had once struck. The air felt energized, almost as if that very atmosphere had shifted to another side. Something had changed, something deep.

And then it pushed me.

But I wasn’t alone.

Before I could process the whole thing, a figure emerged beneath the earth. Cloaked in black that shimmered under the faint moonlight, the figure stepped forward with a grace that was gleaming both otherworldliness and terrifying. The very air seemed to part for them, a slit of magic surrounding their every move.

My breath choked in my throat.

It was them. The source of the light.

The figure’s face was masked under a hood, but there was something unmistakable about the way they moved__an ancient power, an ageless presence that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“Freya Kael,” the figure’s voice resounded through the night, low and commanding. “You have just awakened the flame.”

I swallowed hard, fear hugging in my courage and boldness. “Who are you?” I demanded, though my voice trembled. I needn't no one to know my mood.

The figure hesitated, didn’t answer right away. Instead, they raised a hand, and the air shifted again. A soft sweet wind began to blow, carrying with it a strange, melodic whisper, as if the very world was speaking in a language I couldn’t understand.

And then, finally, the figure spoke again. “standing before you is the Keeper of the Flame freya, and you are the heir o the flame.”

Amazing and confused. The words hit me like a punch.

Heir?

“how? I don't understand . what do you mean?” I asked. my voice growing weak. “What is this flame? What are you talking about?”

“You were born to hold it,” the Keeper said, their tone almost pitying. “The flame within you is not just power—it is the legacy of the gods. It is the essence of creation, and you are the last to carry it. That is why Kade seeks you. That is why Riven betrayed you. They want the flame for themselves.”

I felt the heaviness of their words sink in, but the confusion only settled. “But… I don’t understand. I’m just me. I don’t want any of this, either of them. I just wanted to survive and live freely.”

The Keeper’s voice softened. “Survival is only the beginning, Freya. My dear...You were always meant for this. And now, the time has come. Time for you to claim your birthright.”

I spun my head, my thoughts in chaos. “But I can’t control this. The power is too much. I—”

“You will learn,” the Keeper interrupted. “The flame is wild, yes. It has been asleep for far too long, but you have the strength to master it. All that is required is your will.”

My will.

My hands trembling at the hearing of everything . How could I control something so gigantic and powerful, something that looks like it could burn the world down if I let it slip from my palms?

But before I could question more, resounding footsteps interrupted us. Kade’s wolves were moving again, but slowly rotating us like predators, their eyes flickering with hunger.

Kade walked straight into the view, his expression boiling with rage. His glance focused on me with a burning acceleration, as if the very sight of me ignited a fire in his soul.

“You should've known that earlier, poor Freya,” he said, his voice roaring with fury. “The moment you unleashed that light, you sealed your fate. The flame does not belong to you. It never did.”

“stop! Stay back kade” Finnick warned, his voice firm, coarse and dangerous. “You don't have the idea of what you’re dealing with”

But kade's answer was just a cold smirk, his lips curled into a hard smile. “stay off, I know exactly what I’m dealing with. That power should have been in my possession."

His gaze flicked toward the Keeper, who remained silent, watching the confrontation and heat between  us with a detached air.

“You don’t belong here,” Kade sneered at the Keeper. “You should have stayed low__ hidden. The flame is fully mine now, and I will snatch it from her, whether she wants it or not.”

“Not today,” the Keeper remarked their voice slicing through the air like a blade.

With a single gesture, the Keeper raised a hand, and the ground beneath Kade’s feet quivered. A powerful wind of power thrust forth, knocking Kade’s wolves back with a push that left them scrambling to regain their balance.

But Kade didn’t move. His eyes flared with venom, and with a snarl, he changed into his wolf form. The huge black beast that took his place was thrice the size of Finnick’s wolf, its eyes burning with the same venom that Kade had shown.

“Freya, do it!” Finnick shouted, snapping me out of my daze. “Use the flame! You have to control it!”

I looked down at my hands, feeling the familiar surge of power within me. The god’s flame. It was there, waiting for me, calling to me.

But I hesitated. The fear of losing control held me back. The flame was a wild beast, and if I let it loose without understanding it, it could destroy everything.

But which choice was I left with?

With a deep growl, I shut my eyes, walking out of my fear. I went deep within myself, feeling the flame grow stronger. The air around me began to shimmer as the power reformed, a brilliant light glittering at my fingertips.

I didn’t have control. But I could make it mine.

I thrust my hands forward, unleashing the flame.

It came to life, a blinding splash of fire and power that pierced toward Kade’s wolf. The power collided with him, sending him hitting backward on the ground with a deafening howl. The wolves around him scattered, their fear seen clearly.

But Kade wasn’t done. He stood from the ground, his wolf form still gleaming with dark energy, his eyes fixed on me with murderous volume.

“no way,you can’t stop me, Freya!” Kade shouted, his voice filled with rage. “This isn’t over!”

I could feel the power surging through the flame lurking at the egde of my control. But before I could react, a sharp pain sliced through my side. 

I sighed heavily, stared down to see blood puffing from a deep wound. Someone Riven had struck.

“Freya!” Finnick’s voice was a frantic weep, sorrow, but my vision blurred, darkness clouding in.

And then, the world went black