The gate was not made of stone.
It was made of fire—living, breathing, hungry.
Each flame twisted like a memory, reaching for her skin but never touching. The air hummed with heat and voices that spoke her name.
"Virelya…"
Flame-born…"
"Breaker of chains…"
Vivi stood before it, heart thudding. Behind her: forest. Safety.
Ahead: the truth.
And him.
"I'm coming for you, Haken," she said, stepping forward.
The fire didn't burn her.
It bowed.
---
Inside the gate was not a place—it was a realm.
A world shaped by memory and fear. Black skies. Cracked mountains. Rivers that whispered regrets.
And in the center: a tower made of bones and fire.
Vivi walked alone.
But she was not unarmed.
In her palm, a light burned—her name, once sealed, now set free.
Inside the tower
Haken knelt in the center of a shattered circle. The chains were gone, but something worse held him now:
Doubt.
"She shouldn't come here," he muttered. "She's too bright. This place will break her."
Viper stepped from the shadows, calm, patient.
"She's already breaking."
He moved to a wall—covered in mirrors. Each one showed a piece of Vivi:
A child alone in the palace.
A girl doubting her own strength.
A woman afraid to love the monster.
"She'll see all her fears here," Viper said. "And when she falls, I'll finally have her flame."
Outside, Vivi reached the tower door.
But it wasn't locked.
It opened for her.
Inside, mirrors lined the hallway each one alive with memory.
She passed one saw herself crying after her mother said, "Why can't you just be normal?"
Another watching Haken walk away, thinking he would leave her for good.
Each mirror whispered:
"You are too much."
"You are not enough."
"You are alone."
Vivi closed her eyes.
Then spoke one word:
"No."
The mirrors shattered.
She climbed.
Floor after floor, flame in her hands, name on her lips.
"Haken…"
Virelya…"
Their voices reached for each other in the dark.
And then
She found him.
He looked up, eyes wild, hands shaking.
"You shouldn't be here—"
She ran to him, dropping to her knees, holding his face.
You don't get to tell me where I belong."
She kissed him. Hard. Like she meant it.
Because she did.
The tower shook.
The flame around them roared.
And Viper
Watching from the wall
Smiled.
"Good," he whispered. "Now the final door can open."