The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 20: Chapter 20
You are reading The Thirteenth Ember, Chapter 20: Chapter 20. Read more chapters of The Thirteenth Ember.
The light was not fire.
It was older than fire.
As Kael and Aeryn stepped into the circle, their bodies shimmered — not vanishing, but unfolding. Their shapes stretched into brilliance, their senses bent through the threads of time and memory.
The sanctum wasn’t a chamber.
It was a living memory.
They landed — or fell — into silence.
Then light returned.
They stood now on a mountain side under a blood-orange sky. A city burned in the distance, flame devouring marble towers. Screams echoed across the valley.
Kael recognized it.
“Is this… Veylith?”
No,” Aeryn whispered. “This is before. Way before.”
Ahead, two figures stood atop the ridge — a woman in robes of light and a man with emberstone skin. They faced the burning city, hands linked.
Then the woman spoke — her voice carried across time.
“This is what happens when fire is divided from love.”
Kael and Aeryn moved closer. The man turned, revealing eyes that looked exactly like Kael’s.
And the woman… her presence curled around Aeryn like déjà vu.
They were the First Bearers.
A memory buried in the flame.
The woman looked directly at Aeryn. Though
centuries apart, her voice pierced the veil.
“You carry what I carried. The healing flame. The flame of choice.”
Kael’s voice trembled. “And me?”
The ember-skinned man looked at him, sorrow and strength braided in his stare.
“You were never the Thirteenth. That was a lie to break you.”
Aeryn gripped Kael’s hand tightly.
“Then what is he?”
The answer came not in words — but fire.
The burning city shifted, rewinding. The towers rebuilt. The screams vanished. And instead of ruin, there stood two figures once again — one who healed, one who burned — together, holding a single flame between them
.Balance.
Unity.
The woman’s voice echoed once more.
“Only when fire and mercy stand side by side shall the flame be whole.”
And just like that, the vision collapsed.
They stumbled back into the sanctuary.
Gasping. Changed.
Kael dropped to one knee, the emberglass at his side now glowing gold-white, not red.
Aeryn’s flame curled from her fingertips again — not by will, but by recognition.
Oryn stood at the edge of the chamber, staring in wonder.
“You saw it,” he whispered.
Kael nodded.
“I’m not a weapon.”
Aeryn’s voice followed. “And I’m not a mistake.”
Outside, a tremor shook the stone.
The Order had arrived.
Kael stood, taller somehow. Steadier.
And for the first time, his flame didn’t waver.
It waited.
It was older than fire.
As Kael and Aeryn stepped into the circle, their bodies shimmered — not vanishing, but unfolding. Their shapes stretched into brilliance, their senses bent through the threads of time and memory.
The sanctum wasn’t a chamber.
It was a living memory.
They landed — or fell — into silence.
Then light returned.
They stood now on a mountain side under a blood-orange sky. A city burned in the distance, flame devouring marble towers. Screams echoed across the valley.
Kael recognized it.
“Is this… Veylith?”
No,” Aeryn whispered. “This is before. Way before.”
Ahead, two figures stood atop the ridge — a woman in robes of light and a man with emberstone skin. They faced the burning city, hands linked.
Then the woman spoke — her voice carried across time.
“This is what happens when fire is divided from love.”
Kael and Aeryn moved closer. The man turned, revealing eyes that looked exactly like Kael’s.
And the woman… her presence curled around Aeryn like déjà vu.
They were the First Bearers.
A memory buried in the flame.
The woman looked directly at Aeryn. Though
centuries apart, her voice pierced the veil.
“You carry what I carried. The healing flame. The flame of choice.”
Kael’s voice trembled. “And me?”
The ember-skinned man looked at him, sorrow and strength braided in his stare.
“You were never the Thirteenth. That was a lie to break you.”
Aeryn gripped Kael’s hand tightly.
“Then what is he?”
The answer came not in words — but fire.
The burning city shifted, rewinding. The towers rebuilt. The screams vanished. And instead of ruin, there stood two figures once again — one who healed, one who burned — together, holding a single flame between them
.Balance.
Unity.
The woman’s voice echoed once more.
“Only when fire and mercy stand side by side shall the flame be whole.”
And just like that, the vision collapsed.
They stumbled back into the sanctuary.
Gasping. Changed.
Kael dropped to one knee, the emberglass at his side now glowing gold-white, not red.
Aeryn’s flame curled from her fingertips again — not by will, but by recognition.
Oryn stood at the edge of the chamber, staring in wonder.
“You saw it,” he whispered.
Kael nodded.
“I’m not a weapon.”
Aeryn’s voice followed. “And I’m not a mistake.”
Outside, a tremor shook the stone.
The Order had arrived.
Kael stood, taller somehow. Steadier.
And for the first time, his flame didn’t waver.
It waited.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 20. Continue reading Chapter 21 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.