The rejected son of Alfa

to look alive. The ground cracked in long, jagged lines, and the trees stood like petrified bones, hollowed out

yra said, tightening her clo

el said, po

ly man-made. A single stone tower, leaning at an unnatural

him-a deep chill that settled not in his bones, but behind

d soot had nearly devoured the stone. A gatehouse stood ajar, creak

, scorched metal, and somethi

, running her fingers across a shattered sigil

m, half-collapsed, its top sheared clean off by something violent. As they climbed the steps, Kael saw signs of

dragons li

d, kneeling beside a bloodstaine

" Kael asked, not wantin

idn't

ew their weapons, eyes scanning the shadows. The

Kael said, a

reached the landing. A single room remained intact, its do

was left

k. His eyes, cloudy with pain, locked onto Kae

him," the man r

l f

a stepped in quickly

Months ago... no, weeks? I've lost time. He was...

stepping forward. "W

en. It found him. He fought. But the fire-it's wrong now. It burn

breath

Nyra asked gently.

. To the Mirror of Flame. The tr

ody went limp, the

Flame. He'd heard of it once-a relic, deep in the ancient m

" Nyra ask

tered window at the hori