Chapter 104 The Girl with the Blue Flame
Chapter 104 The Girl with the Blue Flame
Chapter 104
Sable's POV
No one moved.
The young woman stood quietly at the entrance of the Palace of Creation, holding the lantern as though it weighed nothing.
Its blue flame burned without smoke.
Without heat.
Yet the moment it appeared...
The First Flame inside my chest pulsed painfully.
I instinctively pressed a hand against my heart.
It felt as though the two flames were trying to speak to one another.
The young woman smiled.
"There you are."
Her voice was soft.
Warm.
Almost familiar.
I frowned.
"Do... I know you?"
She tilted her head playfully.
"No."
"But one day...You will."
Marcus groaned behind me.
"There it is again."
Kael sighed.
"What?"
"Ancient people answering questions without actually answering them."
Even the King couldn't hide a small smile.
Leonidas' POV
Something wasn't right.
She didn't carry darkness like Moros.
She didn't carry overwhelming authority like the Messenger.
She wasn't frightening.
She wasn't peaceful.
She was...
Ordinary.
Strangely ordinary.
That unsettled me more than anything.
I stepped between her and Sable.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked at me and her smile widened.
"So you're the Alpha."
"I asked first."
She laughed quietly.
"I know."
She bowed politely.
"My name is Elian."
"I keep lost things."
The room fell silent.
Marcus blinked.
"...Lost things?"
She nodded.
"Dreams."
"Promises."
"Names."
She gently lifted the blue lantern.
"And sometimes..."
"...souls."
A cold chill ran through the palace.
Sera's POV
Impossible.
She shouldn't exist.
Not anymore.
The Keepers disappeared before the First Kingdom was ever built.
Yet...
The lantern.
The blue flame.
The silver thread woven into her white robes.
There could be no mistake.
I slowly stepped forward.
"You are one of the Keepers."
Elian bowed her head respectfully.
"The last one."
The King's expression darkened.
"I thought your order vanished."
"It did."
"Then..."
She smiled sadly.
"I'm what's left."
Moros' POV
No...
This complication was unnecessary.
The Keepers were forbidden from interfering.
If Elian had appeared, then it means the old laws must truly have begun to crumble.
She looked toward me and just like the other ancients I met, there was no hatred in her eyes.
Only disappointment.
"You've broken too many promises."
I laughed.
"Promises exist to be broken."
"No."
She answered gently.
"They exist to reveal character."
Sable's POV
The blue flame inside the lantern suddenly grew brighter. It stretched toward me like a living ribbon.
The First Flame inside my chest responded immediately.
Golden and blue light intertwined in the air.
Everyone stepped back.
The palace filled with a soft humming sound.
Elian watched quietly.
"It recognizes you."
"What recognizes me?"
She looked at the lantern.
"The Second Flame."
I blinked.
"Second?"
"I thought there was only one."
The King's eyes widened.
"So..."
He whispered.
"The legends were true."
Sera slowly nodded.
"There wasn't only the Flame of Creation."
"There were three."
Silence spread across the chamber.
Elian finished the sentence.
"The First Flame creates."
"The Second Flame remembers."
"The Third Flame..."
Her smile disappeared.
"...judges."
The word echoed heavily through the room.
Azrael slowly closed his eyes.
"So she found it."
Eden's POV
Everything is happening too quickly now.
The First Flame has awakened.
The Second Flame has returned.
Which means...
The Third Flame will soon answer.
I looked toward the distant horizon beyond the palace windows.
Far away...
Beyond the floating islands...
Beyond the broken sky...
A single crimson light appeared.
It was coming closer.
Fast.
Very fast.
I sighed.
"We don't have much time."
Sable looked at me.
"Time for what?"
Before I could answer—
The blue lantern suddenly shattered.
The flame didn't go out.
Instead...
It floated into the air.
Straight toward Sable.
Leonidas reached for her.
"Sable!"
The blue fire entered her body. She cried out as countless unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.
Not memories of queens.
Not memories of kings.
But memories belonging to...
The world itself.
She saw oceans being born.
Mountains rising.
The first wolves running beneath the moon.
The first humans discovering fire.
The first promise ever made.
Then—
A single face.
A young girl standing beneath a tree of silver light.
She smiled at Sable and whispered,
"I have been waiting for you since the beginning."
Sable's POV
The memories came like an endless river.
Not painful.
Not gentle.
Simply... endless.
I watched the birth of forests.
I watched rivers carve through mountains.
I watched wolves lift their heads toward the moon for the very first time.
I watched humans discover kindness long before they discovered war.
The world had been beautiful.
Far more beautiful than anyone remembered.
Then...
I saw the little girl again.
She couldn't have been older than ten. She stood beneath a tree with silver leaves that shimmered like stars.
She smiled when she saw me.
"You came."
I looked around in confusion.
"Where am I?"
"The Garden Before Time."
"I don't understand."
She giggled.
"No one ever does."
Her laugh sounded strangely familiar.
Comforting.
She walked toward me barefoot across glowing grass.
Every flower she stepped near bloomed instantly.
"Who are you?"
She stopped only a few feet away.
"My name..."
She looked thoughtful.
"I've forgotten."
"But everyone used to call me Hope."
The word echoed through the endless garden.
Hope.
Something inside my chest responded.
The First Flame glowed warmly.
The blue memories surrounding me became brighter.
Hope smiled.
"There you are."
Leonidas' POV
"Sable!"
She wasn't responding.
Her eyes were closed.
Blue and gold light swirled around her body.
The palace shook again.
Marcus looked ready to panic.
"Should we do something?"
The King slowly shook his head.
"No."
"If we interrupt now..."
"...we could destroy the bond."
Marcus sighed heavily.
"I really hate standing around."
Kael folded his arms.
"I know."
"You say it every ten minutes."
"I mean it every ten minutes."
Despite everything...
A few nervous laughs escaped from the group.
They needed something to hold onto.
Elian's POV
The Second Flame had accepted her.
Better than I expected.
Most people were crushed beneath the weight of the world's memories.
Sable wasn't resisting them instead she was listening.
That was why she had been chosen.
Not because she was the strongest.
Because she still knew how to listen.
I looked toward the King.
He understood.
He gave me a small nod.
"The world finally has a chance."
I answered quietly,
"Only if she survives what's coming."
Moros' POV
Enough.
Every passing moment strengthened her.
Every revelation weakened me.
I refused to allow it.
Darkness gathered around my hands which no one noticed.
Their attention remained fixed on the Queen.
Perfect.
One strike.
One moment.
That would be enough.
I summoned a blade of pure shadow.
Silent.
Invisible.
Its tip aimed directly at Sable's heart.
I smiled.
"Goodbye."
Azrael's POV
I saw it.
Before anyone else.
Moros moved again like a coward.
He always preferred striking those who couldn't defend themselves.
I raised my hand and a silver barrier appeared between the shadow blade and Sable.
The attack struck the barrier with an explosion that shook the palace.
Everyone turned instantly.
Moros cursed under his breath.
The King drew his sword.
"So..."
he said coldly.
"...you've learned nothing."
Leonidas' POV
The moment I saw Moros attack...
Something inside me snapped.
I shifted before I even realized it.
Bones cracked. Muscles expanded. Silver fur erupted across my body.
But I felt something was different.
The transformation didn't stop. Light exploded from beneath my skin.
The silver markings on my wolf began glowing gold.
Marcus stared.
"What..."
Kael whispered,
"...is happening to him?"
The Guardian Kings looked stunned. Sera smiled through her tears.
"The Royal Alpha..."
The King's eyes widened.
"It awakened."
Sable's POV
Hope reached out and took my hand.
The moment our fingers touched, the entire garden disappeared.
We stood beneath a sky filled with countless glowing doors.
Thousands.
Millions.
Each one held a different future.
Hope pointed toward them.
"Every choice creates a door."
I stared in amazement.
"So many..."
She nodded.
"Most never open."
"What opens them?"
She smiled.
"Courage."
I looked at her.
"Why are you showing me this?"
Hope's expression became serious.
"Because someone is closing them."
The doors began disappearing.
One after another.
Darkness swallowed them.
A cold wind swept through the endless sky.
Hope looked frightened for the first time.
"He's coming."
"Who?"
She looked directly into my eyes.
"The one who eats futures."
Suddenly...
Every remaining door slammed shut.
A deep roar echoed through the endless darkness.
Hope squeezed my hand tightly.
"You have to wake up."
"Now."
My eyes flew open and immediately I gasped for air.
The palace was in chaos.
Leonidas now surrounded by silver and gold light—stood between me and Moros.
Azrael's barrier had shattered. The Guardian Kings had formed a circle.
The King and Sera stood shoulder to shoulder.
And beyond the broken ceiling...
The crimson light Eden had seen earlier had reached Elysium.
It wasn't a star.
It wasn't a comet.
It was an eye.
A gigantic crimson eye opened in the heavens, staring directly at the floating city.
Every living soul felt its gaze. Even Moros slowly stepped backward.
His voice trembled for the first time.
"No..."
The eye blinked once.
A deep voice echoed across every world at once.
"I have found you."
The Heart of Creation trembled violently.
And somewhere inside my soul...
The First Flame and the Second Flame burned brighter
than ever before.
The King's POV
The voice echoed long after the words had ended.
"I have found you."
Every window in the Palace of Creation shattered at once. The floating islands surrounding Elysium trembled violently.
Far below, oceans rose into towering waves.
Mountains cracked.
The moon itself flickered for a heartbeat.
The world...
Remembered fear.
Not the fear of war.
Not the fear of death.
Something older.
Something buried so deeply that even the Heart had hidden it.
I tightened my grip around my sword.
"I know that voice..."
Sera slowly looked at me.
"So do I."
Our eyes met.
Neither of us wanted to say the name.
Sable's POV
The crimson eye watched us.
It didn't blink again.
It didn't move.
It simply... watched.
The First Flame inside my heart burned hotter.
The blue memories from the Second Flame flowed through my mind like a river.
For the first time...
I understood what they were trying to show me.
The First Flame created life.
The Second Flame preserved memory.
But something had once existed to erase both.
Not hatred.
Not darkness.
Oblivion.
I looked at Eden.
His smile was gone.
The cheerful child I had always known had disappeared.
His face carried a sadness so ancient that it made my chest ache.
"Eden..."
I whispered.
"You knew."
He nodded.
"I always knew."
"Who is it?"
He closed his eyes.
"The Devourer."
Eden's POV
Every story has an ending.
Mine should have ended long ago.
Instead...
I stayed.
Because someone had to wait.
Someone had to guide the next Queen.
The Devourer wasn't evil.
That was the mistake everyone made.
It simply existed to consume worlds that had lost their purpose.
Like winter.
Like night.
Like death.
Necessary.
Until...
It forgot how to stop.
Leonidas' POV
I looked up at the eye.
Every instinct in me told me to attack.
To protect Sable.
To protect everyone.
But for the first time...
My wolf refused.
Not out of fear.
Out of understanding.
We couldn't defeat that thing with claws.
Or swords.
Or strength.
This battle would be fought differently.
Moros' POV
No...
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
I only wanted to create perfection.
I never intended to summon Him.
The Devourer was only a story.
A warning told to frighten children.
Yet...
The eye was real.
Watching.
Waiting.
I had broken the final seal myself.
My knees weakened and for the first time in thousands of years...
I regretted my choices.
Elian's POV
"It's too soon."
The words escaped before I realized I had spoken them.
The King looked toward me.
"What do you mean?"
"The Heart hasn't healed."
"The Three Flames haven't united."
"The Last Gate remains closed."
Silence.
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"I feel like every answer creates five more questions."
Kael nodded.
"That's been happening for days."
Even Sera smiled faintly.
Despite the fear...
Despite the approaching end...
Life still found moments to breathe.
Sable's POV
I stepped forward.
Everyone tried to stop me.
Leonidas reached for my arm.
"Sable."
The King called my name.
Sera shook her head.
Even Eden looked worried.
But I kept walking.
The crimson eye followed every step of mine.
When I reached the center of the palace...
I looked directly into it.
"You found me."
My voice echoed across the silent world.
"What do you want?"
For several long seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then...
The voice returned not loud.
Almost gentle.
"I seek..."
It pause as though it had forgotten how to speak.
"...the Daughter of Dawn."
The palace fell silent.
Every ancient being slowly turned toward me.
Sera's eyes widened.
The King whispered,
"No..."
Elian lowered her head.
"So that's why."
Eden closed his eyes.
"It remembers."
I frowned.
"What is the Daughter of Dawn?"
No one answered.
Not because they wouldn't rather because they couldn't.
Before another word could be spoken—
The First Flame inside me erupted.
The Second Flame answered.
Golden and blue light spiraled around my body.
High above...
The crimson eye slowly narrowed.
Then...
For the very first time since it appeared, it smiled.
A smile so vast it stretched across the heavens.
And somewhere beyond the stars...
A forgotten gate, sealed since before the birth of the First Kingdom...
Slowly began to open.