Elira couldn't breathe.
The woman standing before her was a mirror to a future she never imagined. Her eyes, the same shade of storm-grey, shimmered with unshed tears. The air thickened with the pressure of unrevealed truths. Kael, usually unreadable, was visibly shaken.
"You're lying," Elira whispered, retreating a step. "My mother died when I was two. My father—he told me—"
"That I was dead?" the woman said softly. "He had to. It was the only way to keep you safe."
"Then prove it!" Elira's voice trembled. "Prove you're her."
The woman stepped closer. Her fingers moved delicately as she removed the crystal pendant around her neck. Inside it pulsed a faint blue glow—similar to the energy that had erupted from Elira's body in the tower.
"When you were born," she said, "you didn't cry. You glowed. Your father and I knew then that the Crystal Heart had fused with you. We fled before the mages of Morvae could test your essence."
Elira's heart raced. "What is this place, really? This world? Why is the Crystal Heart so important?"
Kael finally stepped forward, his voice grave. "The Crystal Heart isn't just a power source. It's a piece of the origin stone—the ancient shard that once balanced both the magical and ordinary realms. When it was shattered, war erupted. Magic became something to hoard, to control. Whoever has the Crystal Heart can not only rule—they can rewrite reality."
Her mother nodded solemnly. "And you, Elira, are that rewriting."
Silence hung like a noose.
Elira tried to grasp it all. A hidden mother. A magical war. A heart filled with power capable of bending existence. And her standing in the center of it all, both hunted and needed.
"I need answers," she said. "From both of you."
Her mother—Lysena—guided them into a hidden cave beneath the cliffside. It was carved with ancient runes and lit by glowing moss. Inside, a circular platform pulsed faintly beneath their feet.
"This is where we crossed into the human world all those years ago," Lysena explained. "Before we escaped through the Red Sky Hotel's hidden door. Before we were found… and hunted."
Kael studied the markings. "The portal is inactive. But if it wakes, the Council will know."
"They already do," Lysena said. "The moment Elira used her power in Veyrun Tower, every sensor in the realm pulsed. They're coming. And not just the Reclaimers."
"Who?" Elira asked.
"The Bone Priests," Lysena replied. "They want to extract the Crystal Heart. They believe it can resurrect the High Mages. If they succeed, magic will consume both realms."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we stop them. Elira and I—"
"No," Lysena said firmly. "She's not ready."
"I am ready," Elira insisted. "I won't run anymore."
Kael stepped in. "Lysena, she's stronger than you think. What she did in the tower wasn't chance. It was instinct."
"Then let's test it," Lysena said. "If she passes the trial of the Echo Flame, she will be ready."
Elira blinked. "What's that?"
Lysena walked to the center of the cave. She pulled a crystal dagger from her belt and sliced her palm. Blood fell onto the stone and shimmered as it touched the runes. The platform shook, then descended, revealing a chamber hidden beneath.
A pool of silver fire danced within a circle of obsidian thorns.
"Elira," Lysena said, "step into the flame. Let it test your memories, your fears, and your future. Only those worthy of the Crystal can survive it."
Kael grabbed her hand. "You don't have to—"
"She does," Lysena said.
Elira looked between them, then released Kael's hand. "I need to know who I am."
And with that, she stepped into the fire.
---
It burned, but not in the way she expected. It burned inside her—through her thoughts, her soul, her truth.
She saw visions flash:
Her father, screaming as magic chains bound his wrists.
Herself, alone in a crib, glowing under moonlight.
Kael, standing over a battlefield, eyes cold, sword bloody.
The Red Sky Hotel, its walls rippling like fabric, doorways shifting.
A shadowed man with gold eyes whispering: "The heart will betray you."
The fire pressed harder.
Who are you? it asked.
"I'm no one," she whispered.
Then die as no one, it hissed.
"No!" she screamed. "I am Elira Vireen. Daughter of Lysena and Malric. Carrier of the Crystal. And I will not be afraid!"
The flames flared—
And then vanished.
She collapsed, gasping, steaming but alive. Her skin glowed faintly, her eyes sparking with energy that didn't exist before.
Kael rushed to her, gathering her into his arms. "You did it. Elira, you—"
But he stopped.
Because etched into her back, glowing like ancient ink, was the mark of the Crystal Bearer.
The hunters would come.
And they would bring war.