From Ashes,i Rise Novels & Stories

*Crackle* Sparks appeared around the Asherah Pole, and the ground around it turned into lava as it failed to endure her power. The magma spiralled and turned, ascending and rushing towards Asherah who accepted its baptism wholeheartedly. It seeped into her skin and invaded her organs and blood vessels. Her heart that had known wind up until this moment, was forced to accept the earth and fire of the phoenix, and she was pushed to her very limits. Her eyes were fully clouded by the fog of fire and smoke, and ash slowly began to rise out of her open pores!

The crack blazed brighter than ever. For a long moment no one moved. The clearing was silent except for the hiss of the crack in the marker and the distant retreat of paws through underbrush. Mist drifted back in to fill the space where the pack had stood. Ava pulled herself upright against the stone. Her hands trembled. The silver glow had withdrawn into the token but left a faint shimmer under her skin, like moonlight trapped in her veins. She could still hear the echo of the whisper, softer now but insistent: Daughter of ash…

"More private. I’m thinking of calling it The Phoenix." "A bit on the nose, don't you think?" I joked weakly. He actually chuckled, a real sound that reached his eyes. "Maybe. But it fits. We rise from the ash, Raine. That’s what we do." I looked at him and wondered if I would be part of that rising, or if I’d just be another thing that got burned along the way.

"By the flames that take my flesh, I rise anew from fire’s breath. Your hate shall feed my wrath untamed, In death, I live, your souls I claim. As I burn, so shall you, From this pyre, my power grew. The smoke you breathe, the ash you tread, I will return, the unforgiven dead. My blood, my bones, your fuel to light, But in your dreams, I shall ignite. Curse your lands, your lives, your kin, From my ash, the dark begins."

There was a loud crash, which scared everyone there. My ashes scattered everywhere. Jasper still felt angry. He laughed disdainfully and stepped on my ashes, grinding them with the sole of his shoe. The staff members' jaws had dropped in shock. They hadn't even had time to stop him. Jasper kicked my ashes and sent them flying. "Tell Amara that she came up with a very innovative trick this time round, but it's lame. I'm not going to waver at all, no matter whether she's dead or alive!

And I did care. God help me, I cared so much it made me sick. Seething, I pushed the key into the ignition and immediately, the engine roared to life. My foot slammed on the gas before I even thought of it as the car lurched forward. “Lisa,” I hissed under my breath, the tone more like a vow. “You think you can play me? You think you can humiliate me in front of everyone? I’ll show you, I’ll show both of you.”

And I was washed away in a wave of Cazz so deep and pure, it threatened to steal my soul. ***** Soundtrack for the next chapter is “Rise Above it All” by UNSECRET and Mike Mains.

Emily’s Point of View For years I grieved children I thought were buried in ashes . Yesterday the truth did not whisper, it crashed into me like a storm ,my babies are alive. My babies did not perish in the fire ten years ago . The thought alone is enough to glue me to the bed long after the sun has clawed its way into the sky. Golden light streams through the tall windows of my penthouse, catching on the white silk curtains I never bothered to draw shut last night. The room feels too bright, too loud, too alive for a heart that has just relearned how to hope.

The bloodlines were never meant to stand apart. Flame buried beneath ash. Fang bound by duty. Roses bleeding in shadow. Stars lost to the dark. Generations fractured by fear and pride. But blood remembers. When the Four stand whole, the ground trembles. What was broken rises. Power forgotten reclaims its name. Unity or ruin. Choice or fate. Balance does not wait. If I could not stop the war, then it must be you who ends it. Rise from the ashes of six. Find the heirs of my dearest friends, the ones who stood beside me when the world began to break. With them, fulfill the prophecy. Restore what was lost.

Veyra carves runes into the oak’s trunk, her hands steady. “The fire will spread,” she says. “There’s no coming back.” The static doesn’t protest. It *agrees*. The Hunter’s voice whispers through the leaves. ***Do it.*** I ignite the petals. --- **The Ashes** The blaze is beautiful. The Seed’s roots writhe, its song a requiem. The Forgotten flee, Veyra leading them into the fractured wilds. I stay, watching the oak crumble, the static’s hymn fading.