"In the heart of the flame, there is no salvation. Only the ashes of what once was, and the whispered promise of what is yet to come."
The air was thick, almost suffocating as the tension stretched to its breaking point. The ground beneath us seemed to pulse with a dangerous energy, the oppressive heat radiating from Julia, who stood like a dark flame at the far end of the square. I could feel the crackle of the power in the air, the weight of everything that had led to this moment, bearing down on me with a suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Fen stood tall beside me, his posture tense, his body coiled like a spring, ready to unleash the fury that simmered beneath his calm exterior. His eyes were locked on Julia, narrowing in anticipation, filled with the same resolve that I saw reflected in myself. The night had turned heavy, the world holding its breath as the two forces—ancient, unstoppable—were about to collide.
