Aelin's limbs ached as she sat on the cold stone floor, her body hollowed out by the second trial. The embers in the brazier cast faint red light across the chamber, but the warmth didn't reach her. It was as though the Flame had burned her from the inside out and left only ash in its wake.
Kael crouched beside her, his golden eyes searching her face. For once, he didn't press her to move, didn't scold her for lingering too long. He simply waited.
Finally, Aelin broke the silence. "How do you know so much about this Temple? About these trials?" Her voice was rough, barely more than a whisper.
Kael exhaled, lowering himself to sit on the floor across from her. The dim light sharpened the lines of his face, casting shadows in the hollows beneath his eyes. For a moment, he didn't answer, and Aelin thought he might avoid the question entirely.
Then he said, "Because I've been here before."
Aelin blinked, surprised. "What?"
Kael's gaze flickered to the brazier, as though seeing something far away. "Years ago. I stood where you stand now. I faced the trials, the fire, the whispers. But I failed."
She stared at him, stunned. "Failed? How are you still alive?"
Kael's lips curled into a humorless smile. "The Temple doesn't always kill those who fail. Sometimes it spares you… if it deems you useful."
Aelin frowned, the weight of his words sinking in. "Useful? What does that mean?"
He turned to face her, and there was something raw in his expression—a vulnerability he rarely allowed. "It means I wasn't chosen, Aelin. The Flame rejected me. But it left me with knowledge, with purpose." He lifted his hand, showing her the mark etched into his palm, the same sigil that had burned onto the Heart of the Flame. "This is my burden. To guide those who come after me."
Aelin's chest tightened as she looked at the mark, at the man who bore it. He had faced the same horrors she was now enduring, but he'd been cast aside, left to carry the weight of failure.
"I don't understand," she said softly. "If you failed, why come back? Why help me?"
Kael's golden eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding. "Because the Flame doesn't make mistakes. It chose you. And if you succeed where I failed… then maybe there's still hope."
Aelin's heart pounded as she looked at him, at the desperation he tried to keep hidden beneath his calm exterior. Hope. She wasn't sure what hope had to do with any of this, but she nodded nonetheless.
"How many more trials are there?" she asked.
Kael hesitated. "Two more. Each one harder than the last."
Aelin let out a shaky breath, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Of course there are." She forced herself to her feet, wobbling slightly before regaining her balance. "Let's get this over with."
Kael rose with her, watching her carefully. "You don't have to rush—"
"I do," Aelin interrupted, cutting him off. She didn't dare stop now. The longer she stayed in this cursed Temple, the more it felt like it would consume her. "Lead the way."
Kael gave a small nod, and together, they moved toward the next passage.
The third trial chamber was unlike the others. It was vast, its ceiling lost to darkness and its floor covered in shallow pools of water that reflected the crimson light of the runes lining the walls. The air smelled damp, heavy with the scent of stone and something ancient.
At the center of the chamber was a raised platform, but there was no brazier this time—only a pedestal holding a shallow bowl filled with clear liquid.
Kael stopped at the edge of the pools, his expression grim. "This trial is different."
Aelin eyed him warily. "Different how?"
"The Flame tests your mind here," he said. "It will show you the truths you've buried, the ones you don't want to see."
Aelin's gut twisted. "What happens if I don't face them?"
Kael's gaze darkened. "Then you'll lose yourself. The Temple will strip away who you are, piece by piece, until there's nothing left."
Aelin's throat went dry. "Perfect."
Kael turned to her, his voice soft. "You can do this, Aelin."
She swallowed hard, stepping toward the pools. The water rippled with each step she took, the sound echoing eerily in the vast chamber. When she reached the pedestal, the liquid in the bowl glowed faintly, shimmering with light that pulsed in time with her heartbeat.
Truth.
The word whispered through her mind, soft but insistent.
Aelin looked over her shoulder at Kael one last time. He gave her a small nod, though his face betrayed his unease. Turning back to the pedestal, she took a deep breath and reached out, dipping her fingers into the liquid.
The world shattered.
Aelin opened her eyes to find herself in a place that was both familiar and alien. She stood in the middle of a forest—her forest—the one she had wandered as a child. Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the air smelled of pine and earth.
But something was wrong.
The silence was absolute. No birdsong, no rustling leaves, no wind. Just stillness.
Aelin turned slowly, her heart thudding in her chest. "Where am I?"
A soft voice spoke behind her. "Home."
Aelin froze. She knew that voice. She'd dreamed of that voice. Turning around, she saw her mother standing there, her pale hair catching the golden light, her smile warm and familiar.
"Mother?" Aelin's voice cracked.
Her mother tilted her head, her expression gentle. "You've come so far, my little ember."
Aelin took a shaky step forward. "You're not real. This isn't real."
"Isn't it?" her mother replied, stepping closer. "Why do you doubt me?"
Tears pricked Aelin's eyes. "Because you're dead."
Her mother's smile faltered. "I don't have to be."
Aelin's heart stopped. "What?"
"You can save us," her mother whispered, her voice soft as silk. "The Flame gives you power, Aelin. Power to rewrite what has been broken. You could bring us back. Me. Your father. Everyone you lost."
Aelin staggered back as though struck. "That's not possible."
Her mother reached out a hand, her eyes glowing faintly with crimson light. "It is. The Flame can burn away the past, Aelin. It can give you what you've always wanted. All you have to do is take it."
The forest darkened, shadows pooling at its edges. Aelin's pulse thundered in her ears as her mother stepped closer, the warmth of her presence unnerving.
"Think of what you've suffered," the voice purred. "Think of how alone you've been. It doesn't have to be that way."
Aelin shook her head violently, backing away. "No. This is a lie."
"Is it?"
The shadows deepened, and her mother's face twisted, the warmth in her eyes replaced with a cold, burning hunger.
Aelin's hand flew to the Heart of the Flame at her chest. It pulsed weakly, as though smothered by the darkness.
It's not real. It's not real, she repeated to herself, clinging to that thought like a lifeline.
"You could have everything you want," the voice hissed, louder now, its silk unraveling into something monstrous.
Aelin gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face. "You're not my mother. You're just a shadow."
The figure screamed, its voice splitting the air as it lunged for her. Aelin ripped the Heart of the Flame from beneath her shirt, clutching it tightly. Light erupted from the relic, blinding and fierce, and the shadow shrieked as it burned away, the forest disintegrating around her.
When the light faded, Aelin was on her knees, gasping for air. The chamber was silent once more, the bowl of liquid still glowing faintly on its pedestal.
Kael was there, standing a short distance away, his eyes full of worry.
"You faced it," he said softly.
Aelin looked up at him, her voice hoarse. "I won't let it take me. Not now. Not ever."
Kael nodded, though his expression remained grim. "One trial remains."
And this time, Aelin wasn't sure even the Flame could save her.
Aelin's breath came in shallow gasps as she stood in the aftermath of the third trial. The chamber around her was eerily still, the echoes of the visions she'd just faced still ringing in her mind. The heartache, the temptation to surrender to the promises of the Flame, felt as raw as the burns still healing on her skin. She couldn't erase the image of her mother's face from her mind, the sweet softness of her voice now replaced by the shadow of manipulation.
And yet, she had won. She had stood her ground. She had refused to let the Flame consume her.
But she knew that the worst was yet to come.
"The last trial," Kael said quietly, as if reading her thoughts. He stood a few paces away, his expression as unreadable as always, but there was something in his eyes—something that felt like a warning.
Aelin met his gaze, her jaw set with determination. "Let's get it over with."
Kael nodded, and they walked in silence toward the final chamber. The Temple was silent now, the soft hum of the Flame the only sound that accompanied them.
They reached the door—a massive, ancient thing carved with intricate patterns and symbols that pulsed faintly in the dim light. Aelin hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment settle in her bones. This door would not open easily.
Kael stood beside her, his expression unreadable. "The final trial isn't one of fire or illusion. It is the trial of the self."
Aelin frowned, turning to face him. "The self? What does that mean?"
"The Flame will not just test you physically or mentally—it will strip you of everything you think you know about yourself. It will force you to confront your deepest fears, your darkest desires, and it will offer you a choice."
Aelin's stomach churned. "What kind of choice?"
Kael's eyes met hers, his voice low. "The choice to become something more—or something less. It will show you the path of power, Aelin. It will offer you the means to change the world, to control it. But in doing so, you will lose everything that makes you who you are."
Aelin swallowed, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't afford to lose herself—not now. Not after everything she had endured.
Kael turned and pushed the massive door open, revealing a vast, shadowed chamber. At its center stood a single, flickering brazier, surrounded by a circle of stones.
The air was thick with heat, but there was something else, something heavier. The walls seemed to press in around her as if the Temple itself was holding its breath.
Kael stepped inside first, but Aelin hesitated. She knew, deep down, that she was stepping into the very heart of the Flame now—the heart of her own destiny.
The choice awaited her.
She stepped forward, her feet barely making a sound on the stone floor. The chamber seemed to stretch on endlessly, its dark edges blurred by the haze of the flickering firelight. The brazier in the center of the room flared suddenly, its flames soaring high, casting an eerie glow over everything.
Aelin stood still, waiting for the trial to begin. She knew that this trial would test her in ways she couldn't imagine, but she had no choice but to face it. She had come this far—she could not turn back now.
The Flame roared to life, its fire twisting into shapes and figures. Aelin's breath caught as a figure materialized before her, its form barely discernible in the flickering shadows. It was the same shadow that had haunted her during the second trial—her mother.
"No…" Aelin whispered, shaking her head. "You're not real."
The figure smiled, her lips stretching unnaturally wide. "How easily you forget, Aelin. I've always been with you. You wanted me to be here. You wanted me to come back."
Aelin's pulse quickened as the figure stepped closer. The room seemed to narrow around her, the air growing thick and heavy. She could feel the heat of the brazier against her skin, but it wasn't enough to drive away the creeping cold in her chest.
"Stop," Aelin said, her voice shaking. "You're just a trick. A lie."
Her mother's figure tilted her head, an eerie smile spreading across her face. "Is that what you think? After everything you've lost? I can give it all back to you, Aelin. Your father, your home, your life before the Flame consumed you. Everything can be undone."
Aelin's eyes burned with unshed tears. Her hands clenched into fists. "I don't need you to fix anything. I've moved past this. I've accepted it."
The figure's eyes flickered with something cold, something dark. "You think you have? But deep down, you still carry the weight of your loss. You still carry the guilt, the shame of not being able to save them. You are not free, Aelin. You've always known that."
"No," Aelin whispered, shaking her head. "That's not true. I'm not weak. I'm not broken."
The figure reached out a hand, the fire in its fingers coiling like serpents. "Then prove it. Take the power the Flame offers. Take it, and I'll be real again. Take it, and I'll return. I will bring them back."
Aelin's breath caught in her throat as the flames shifted, twisting into shapes that resembled the faces of her loved ones—her mother, her father, her childhood friends—all of them staring at her with those same lifeless eyes. She could almost hear their voices, calling to her.
Take the power.
The whispers were insistent now, louder than ever before. The Flame was pressing in on her, urging her to make a choice. She could feel it, burning within her veins—the temptation to give in, to take the power and restore everything she had lost.
But a part of her, the part that had endured the trials and fought through the flames, refused to bend.
"No," she whispered again, more firmly this time. "I will not give in."
The flames flickered violently, the shadows swirling around her like a storm. "You don't get to choose, Aelin," the figure hissed. "The Flame always chooses."
The brazier flared with an intensity that blinded her, the heat almost unbearable. Aelin gasped, her heart racing in her chest as the fire threatened to consume her. She reached out to the Heart of the Flame, pressing it against her chest as she closed her eyes.
And then she made her choice.
I choose myself.
The flames exploded in a burst of light, a roar that shook the very foundations of the Temple. Aelin was thrown back, the force of the explosion knocking her off her feet. She landed hard on the stone floor, her breath stolen from her lungs.
For a moment, everything was silent.
Aelin opened her eyes slowly, her head spinning. The shadows had receded, and the flickering brazier was once again calm. The air felt lighter, cooler.
Kael was standing beside her now, his face a mixture of concern and relief.
"You did it," he said softly, offering her a hand.
Aelin took it, pulling herself to her feet. "It's over."
Kael nodded, but his expression was somber. "For now, yes. But the Flame never truly leaves you."
Aelin looked down at the Heart of the Flame, still burning brightly against her chest. She could feel its pulse, steady and sure. She didn't know what the future would hold, or what path she would walk next. But for the first time in a long time, she felt certain of one thing: she would face it—whatever came next—on her own terms.
And that was enough.