The tomb was falling apart, the sound of crashing stones deafening as Amina and Lumeah ran toward the only escape. The light that had once seemed like salvation now felt fragile, the ground beneath their feet unstable, as if the very earth itself were protesting their departure.
Amina's heart pounded, each step bringing them closer to the light, yet further into the unknown. The fire within her flickered weakly, like a dying ember, struggling to burn. She could feel its power—the connection to the flame—waning, as if something was pulling it away from her, something dark and insidious.
The tendrils of shadow that had risen from the cracks in the ground were still reaching for her, like grasping hands eager to pull her back. They slithered and writhed in the air, their heat oppressive, making it harder to breathe, to think. With every step, Amina felt the weight of her choices pressing down on her.
"Go!" Lumeah shouted, her voice strained. She was pulling Amina along, her face a mask of determination and fear. "If we don't move faster, we'll be buried alive!"
Amina barely heard her. The voice in her head, the one that had spoken to her earlier, was louder now, its words echoing in the silence between the thunderous crashes of falling stone.
This is your final choice, Amina. The flame can save you. But it may destroy him. And in doing so, it will destroy you, too.
The weight of the words was suffocating. Could she do it? Could she destroy Valec, the very thing she had once hoped to save? The fire inside her—a fire that had once been her ally, her strength—felt like a stranger now. It was cold, distant, unwilling to heed her command. And yet, Amina knew that this was the moment. The moment where she would either become the flame or let it consume her.
Suddenly, the ground split open beneath them, sending a wave of heat and force rushing up from the depths. Amina and Lumeah were thrown to the ground as the world shook violently around them. The air turned oppressive, thick with the scent of smoke and something darker, something foul.
Amina's eyes widened as she saw it—a figure emerging from the flames, towering and malevolent. It was Valec, his form distorted by the fire, his eyes glowing with an unearthly light. His power had grown in the chaos, and now, he was more than just the man she had known. He was something else entirely—something she was not sure she could defeat.
The tendrils of shadow reached for him, circling around his form like a crown, as if he were the source of the dark power that had been consuming the tomb. His voice, when it came, was deep, filled with the weight of centuries of pain.
"You think you can stop me, Amina?" he asked, his voice a mixture of contempt and sorrow. "You think you can control the flame? You are nothing but a flicker in the storm. You cannot wield what you do not understand."
Amina's heart sank. She had hoped, so desperately, that she could save him. But now, she saw it clearly—the flame had already consumed him. And in doing so, it had consumed her, too.
The ground beneath her trembled once more as the tomb continued to collapse. Stone after stone fell from above, blocking their path, but the light—the faint glimmer of hope ahead—remained. It was their only chance.
"No, Valec," Amina said, her voice trembling but steady. "I understand more than you think. I understand that you are lost. But I also understand that I cannot let you destroy everything."
Valec's eyes flashed with fury. "You do not have the power to stop me, Amina. You never did."
Amina didn't flinch. She could feel the fire inside her again, flickering, but it was different this time. It wasn't just the force of the flame that surged within her—it was the truth. The truth that she had to face. The truth that the flame, the power, was never just about destruction or salvation. It was about choice.
And now, it was time for her to make the hardest choice of all.
She turned to Lumeah, who was still trying to pull her away, to run, to escape. But Amina stood firm, her gaze locked on Valec. "You need to leave, Lumeah. This is something I have to do."
Lumeah's eyes widened in horror. "Amina, no! We can still escape. We can still survive. But you can't—"
"I have to stop him," Amina said, her voice a whisper of finality. "This is my fight now."
With that, she turned back to face Valec, her hand raised as the flame inside her ignited once more. But this time, it wasn't just a flare of heat—it was a blaze, an inferno that roared to life around her, enveloping her in light and fire.
Valec snarled, his hands crackling with dark energy as he raised them toward her. "You think you can destroy me with this pathetic flame? You are nothing."
But Amina didn't hesitate. She could feel it now—the power of the flame was hers. She had always been a part of it, and now, she would become it. She would not destroy Valec—not if she didn't have to. But if he would not stop, if he would not choose a different path, then she would have no choice but to break the chains that bound them both.
"You are not the flame, Valec," Amina said, her voice steady. "But I am."
With a final, resounding cry, she released the fire.
The explosion of light and heat was deafening. The very air around her seemed to bend and warp as the power of the flame surged forward, blasting through the tomb like a force of nature. The walls trembled, the ground cracked, and for a moment, it seemed as if the entire world would crumble around them.
But then, in the midst of the explosion, Amina felt it. The connection to the flame, the raw power that surged through her, shifted. It no longer burned with fury. It burned with understanding.
And in that moment, Amina made her choice.