Shadows of the Eternal Flame

The three of them moved quickly, slipping through a rusted door and into the abandoned warehouse. The interior was dark and cavernous, filled with the scent of dust and decay. Elias led the way, his steps silent and sure, while Jace stayed close to Kaela, his eyes scanning the shadows.

“Where are we going?” Kaela whispered, her voice echoing in the empty space.

“Somewhere they can’t follow,” Elias replied without looking back.

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“The Shadow Court,” Jace said grimly. “They’ve been hunting you for weeks.”

“Hunting me? Why?”

Elias glanced over his shoulder, his silver eyes glinting in the dark. “Because you’re the reincarnation of Aelara, the Phoenix Queen. And if they get their hands on you, this war will be over before it even begins.”

Kaela stopped dead in her tracks. “Okay, hold on. Reincarnation? Phoenix Queen? What are you even talking about?”

Elias sighed, turning to face her. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in. But the short version is this: a long time ago, there was a war between the forces of light and shadow. Aelara was the one who ended it, but at a great cost. She died, but her soul was bound to the Eternal Flame, a source of immense power. And now, that soul has returned—in you.”

Kaela stared at him, her mind reeling. “You’re saying I’m some kind of... magical chosen one?”

“Basically,” Elias said with a shrug.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“Believe it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re in danger,” Jace said, his voice firm. “We need to keep moving.”

Kaela opened her mouth to argue, but a sound cut her off—a low, guttural growl that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The shadows around them began to shift and twist, forming into shapes that were unmistakably alive.

“Too late,” Elias muttered, drawing a blade that glowed with a faint silver light. “They’re here.”

The shadows surged forward, and chaos erupted.