Chapter 86 The Suppressor, the Mother, and the Son of the Void
The Royal Flame Suppressor stepped out of the Rift like he’d been summoned by a particularly bitter prophecy.
He was tall, cloaked in armor that shimmered with dull runes, and his eyes were the color of extinguished stars—black, but not empty. Heavy. Like they remembered every flame they’d ever snuffed out.
“I am Suppressor Bob,” he said, voice like stone grinding against regret. “And you are a mistake.”
“Wow, his name is Bob” Kael said laughingly. “He’s charming.”
Thessa drew her blade. “Bob’s dangerous.”
Yuel frowned. “He’s old magic. The kind that doesn’t ask questions.”
Bob stepped forward, gaze locked on me. “You carry the silver flame. It was never meant to be wielded. It was meant to be buried.”
“I didn’t choose it,” I said. “I was a kid that didn’t know about this world. My mother pressed that Silver Flame to my chest. I have just found out about this.”
“But you kept it,” he said. “And now it will consume you.”
Milo stepped between us. “She’s not alone.”
Bob tilted his head. “You are the Void’s son. You should know better than to interfere.”
The air went still.
Everyone turned to Milo.
“What?” Kael said. “Wait. Is this public knowledge now?”
Milo didn’t flinch. “Apparently.”
“We already know this?” Zeke asked. “Like, seriously this is the best that you can do? Trying to shock us into distrusting Milo?”
“I guess he is,” Milo said. “Yeah, my father was the Void, but my mother loved me, Mo loves me.”
“That’s horrifying,” Thessa said. “Not! Hey Bob do better.”
Bob sneered. “Then you understand. The silver flame is not a gift. It is a wound. And she is bleeding.”
The flame pulsed in my chest, responding to his words.
I stepped forward. “You know my mother.”
Bob’s expression didn’t change. “She was a Flamekeeper and Emberleaf just like you. One of the last. She defied the Queen. She defied me.”
“She disappeared,” I said. “For five years. And then she left for the human realm. Aine said that no one knows where she went.”
“She didn’t leave,” Bob said. “She was taken.”
The Rift trembled.
“She tried to protect you,” he continued. “She gave you the flame to hide you from me.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you were born with a spark,” he said. “A rare one. One that could ignite the Rift itself.”
Mo-with-Milo stepped beside me. “She gave you the flame to erase that spark.”
Mo-without-Milo added, “To keep you from becoming what Bob feared.”
Shadow-Mo smiled. “But now you remember. And the flame remembers you.”
Bob raised his hand, and the ground cracked beneath us.
“I will suppress it, just like I did your mother. Calyx took your mother and locked her away. We tried everything to suppress her magic but she was too strong. Your mother managed to escape Calyx and me. She disappeared and hid from us,” he said.
Another scroll materialized midair.
This one was singed and smelled like burnt lavender.
Thessa caught it and read:
Dear Flame Host and Associates,
We are aware that Suppressor Calyx has arrived. We are not responsible.
We suggest you cooperate. Or don’t. But if you don’t, we will send the Royal Flame Therapist. He specializes in guilt.
Sincerely (and with a bottle of something stronger),
The Queen and King of Aeloria.
“I hate them,” Kael said. “So much.”
“I think they hate themselves more,” Yuel replied.
Bob stepped forward, hand glowing with dark energy.
Milo blocked him.
“You won’t touch her,” he said.
“You are the Void’s son,” Bob said. “You belong to nothing.”
“I belong to her,” Milo said.
The silver flame surged.
And then—
It spoke.
Not in words.
In memory.
My mother stood before Calyx and Bob
Her robes were torn. Her eyes were fierce.
“You won’t take her,” she said.
“She is dangerous,” Calyx replied.
“She is mine,” she said.
She held the silver flame.
And she ran.
Through the Rift.
Into the human realm.
And vanished.
I gasped.
The flame pulsed.
Bob staggered back.
“You remembered your mother's memories this…,” he said. “This is too much.”
Mo-with-Milo stepped forward. “She gave you the flame to protect you. But also, to hide herself.”
Mo-without-Milo nodded. “She is gone, but her magic is still out there.”
Shadow-Mo smiled. “Her magic is waiting for you, Mo.”
Bob raised his hand again. “I will end this.”
Milo stepped beside me. “Then you’ll have to go through me.”
The Rift cracked.
The silver flame surged.
And then—
It chose.
Me.
Not the version with Milo.
Not the version without.
Not the shadow.
Me.
The original.
The one who forgot.
The one who remembered.
The one who chose.
Calyx roared.
The flame exploded outward.
And he vanished.
Gone.
Erased.
The Rift trembled.
And then—
It was still.
We stood in silence.
The silver flame hovered above me.
Milo took my hand.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “But I will be.”
Mo-with-Milo and Mo-without-Milo stepped forward.
“You chose,” Mo-with-Milo said.
“You remembered,” Mo-without-Milo added.
Shadow-Mo smiled. “And now, we fade.”
They shimmered.
And vanished.
The Rift pulsed once.
And closed.
Another scroll appeared.
Kael groaned. “Of course.”
Thessa read it:
Dear Rift Survivors,
We are aware that Bob has been working with Calyx this has been suppressed. We are moderately impressed with your ability to overcome obstacles.
We suggest you rest. Or don’t. But if you don’t, we will send the Royal Flame Archivist. He writes in riddles and footnotes.
Sincerely (and with a nap scheduled),
The Queen and King of Aeloria.
I looked at Milo.
“I need to find it,” I said. “My mother’s magic.”
He nodded. “We will.”
The silver flame pulsed.
And whispered.
Her magic is waiting. I need to find it before anyone else does.
I promise, Mom, I will make things right, I will find your magic and let you rest in peace. I will stand for what you were trying to do. I am not mad at you. I thank you for trying to protect me. But Bob is gone now, and Calyx is next on my list.