Ash stood between two forces he barely understood — the flickering presence of this stranger, Lira, and the burden of truths left unspoken. The wind around the cliffs whispered like breath through teeth, carrying embers and secrets alike.
"She's being hunted?" he asked, his tone cautious.
Lira nodded. "Not in the way you think. The Hollow Flame doesn't want to destroy her... it wants her to remember. Fully."
Ash frowned. "Why?"
"Because when she does, she becomes a threat."
Kale sat against the rock, wincing as Lira's magic closed the last of his wound. "I didn't believe her either," he muttered. "But then I saw what she carries. That pendant Elira wears — it's more than just a keepsake. It's a lock."
Ash turned to Lira. "And you've come all this way to warn her?"
Lira's eyes flicked to the mists. "Not just warn her. Help her."
---
Back at the river, Elira remained near the Keepers — if that's what they still were. Their shapes flickered now, as if being so close to the River weakened them. Memories too near the surface could unravel what was left.
"You said the Flame changed. Why?" she asked.
The lead figure, whose voice was as dry as cinders, answered: "Because something else touched it. Corrupted it. A name that should never have burned there was cast in, and it twisted the fire. Now it burns wrong."
Elira whispered, "What name?"
"We don't know. Only that it was tied to you."
A sudden gust of wind raced down the ravine, and the River surged briefly, glowing hot white. Elira caught a glimpse in the surface — of herself, younger, standing beside Ash with a hand over a burning altar.
And then she heard it.
A voice from deep inside the water. Faint. Echoed. But familiar.
> "Elira... if you're hearing this, then I've failed."
Her breath caught.
It was her own voice — but older, more burdened.
> "I locked our names to protect what the Flame once was. But I fear I was wrong. Ash will follow. He always does. Don't let him remember before it's safe."
The water stilled. Elira staggered back.
One of the Keepers knelt. "Do you see now? You did this to save something. Or someone. But you forgot why."
---
Ash returned with Kale and Lira just as the vision ended.
Lira stepped forward cautiously. "Did the River speak to you?"
Elira nodded, eyes wide. "It showed me myself. A warning. From... me."
Lira exhaled softly. "Then it's begun. The Flame is unraveling."
Kale glanced between them. "What does that mean for us?"
Lira looked directly at Elira. "It means there's no more time to delay. The Flame will call you to the Cinderspire whether you're ready or not."
"And if we're not?" Ash asked.
Lira's reply was quiet.
> "Then it won't ask. It will take."