Airam landed hard, knees scraping against ancient stone, the world around her whirling with violet skies and silver clouds that moved like tides. The air here felt different—heavier, sacred, humming with the quiet murmur of forgotten gods.
Liam crashed down beside her, sword drawn, eyes scanning the alien terrain. "Where... are we?"
The dark heir landed moments later, barefoot, unharmed, and oddly serene. "Welcome to the Edge of the Beginning."
Airam rose slowly, eyes adjusting to the surreal landscape—pillars of stone hanging in the sky, spirals of energy weaving through the wind, and in the distance, a colossal doorway carved into the side of a floating mountain. Symbols etched into the stone glowed with golden light, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"This place," she whispered. "It feels like it's alive."
"It is," the heir replied. "This is where it all began. Where the First Flame was born. Where your bloodline was shaped."
Liam moved closer to her. "And the First Order?"
"They'll come," the heir said. "They always do, when someone steps where they're forbidden."
Airam turned to him. "What do they want with me?"
He looked at her, gaze unreadable. "They want to erase you."
"Why?"
"Because you're not bound by the old laws," he said. "You're something new. You can end the cycle."
Airam's pulse quickened. "End... what cycle?"
The heir walked forward, gesturing toward the mountain. "Every queen before you was chosen—not for who they were, but for how easily they could be controlled. But you weren't supposed to rise. You weren't part of their prophecy. That blindfold? It wasn't to protect the world from your eyes. It was to protect them—from you."
A crack of lightning split the sky, and through it descended a figure cloaked in brilliant gold armor, wings of pure energy unfurling behind them.
A Judge.
One of the First Order.
"Vessel of Flame," the Judge spoke, voice resonating like a chorus. "You were warned. You were sealed. Yet you rise. Now, you will fall."
Liam stepped in front of Airam, shield raised. "You'll have to go through me."
The Judge raised a hand, and a pulse of power sent Liam flying across the stone, his body slamming into a crystal pillar. He groaned, blood streaking his lip—but he moved. Barely.
"Liam!" Airam cried, rushing to him.
The Judge began to descend, light condensing around them, forming a spear of searing energy.
Airam's hands trembled as she held Liam, his body warm but weakening. Her heart screamed.
"Don't," Liam said weakly. "Don't let them take your light."
Tears welled in her eyes—tears of fury, of fear, of clarity.
Something inside her snapped.
The Judge hurled the spear.
Airam turned.
Caught it mid-air.
And it shattered in her hand like glass.
The wind died.
Silence.
The golden figure paused, something like confusion rippling across their energy-clad form.
Airam stood tall, her hair rising with unseen wind, her eyes glowing with white fire.
"You want the vessel?" she said, her voice shaking the very stones beneath her. "You want to erase me? Then listen closely—"
She raised both hands.
The air split.
The ground cracked.
And behind her, the mountain answered.
Massive runes blazed to life across the sky, and the ancient doorway slowly began to open.
"You're not facing a vessel anymore," Airam said, stepping forward as the heavens rumbled. "You're facing me."
The Judge charged again, light roaring—
But a shadow passed between them.
The dark heir.
He caught the Judge mid-flight, tackling them into the air. They disappeared in a blinding flash as their battle shattered the sky above.
Airam ran to Liam, who tried to rise, grimacing.
"You should've run," he said hoarsely.
"I am running," she said, helping him to his feet. "But toward the truth. Not away from it."
Behind them, the mountain door now stood wide open.
Beyond it—only darkness.
And the sound of breathing.
Not human.
Not god.
Something else.
Something waiting.
Airam's heart thundered as she looked ahead, knowing that whatever waited beyond that threshold would change everything.
She tightened her grip on Liam's hand.
And stepped through the doorway.
The door slammed shut behind them.