The black fire flickered in the woman’s palm, but its glow gave no warmth. It did not cast shadows—on the contrary, it consumed them, as if darkness itself lived within its depths.
Flamen felt something stir within him in response to this fire. His silver flame trembled, as if a wind had swept through it, and for the first time, he realized he no longer controlled it as he once did.
— What is this? — His voice was hollow.
The woman smiled slightly, but there was no warmth in her expression.
— It is both an end and a beginning. It is a fire that exists beyond the Eternal Garden. Something that once belonged to you, though you never knew it.
The Empty One, who stood a little apart from them, focused intently on the dark flame.
— Fire cannot be black, — he finally said. — Its nature is to give light. But this… it devours it. This defies the very essence of fire.
The woman slowly turned her head toward him, and her eyes gleamed with an eerie glow.
— Light and shadow have always been one. The Eternal Garden taught you that only one side of the flame exists, but there is another truth you are not ready to accept.
Emiren did not take his eyes off the flame. He saw how it trembled, how ghostly reflections flickered within it—not light, but memories. It seemed to embody the very history of forgotten choices, destroyed worlds, lost chances.
— This is not just fire, — he finally said. — It is the past.
The woman nodded.
— The past that never became the future.
Flamen clenched his fists. His silver flame began to fade, consumed by an invisible force emanating from the black fire.
— What do you want from me?
The woman took a step closer.
— For you to choose.
Flamen’s Choice
The wind in the Eternal Garden had changed. The air grew dense, as if time itself had frozen within it.
Flamen felt the black fire reaching out to him. It was not destructive. It did not try to consume his power or subjugate his will.
It was calling.
Inviting.
Accept me, and you will know the truth.
Refuse, and you will remain in ignorance.
Flamen could not decide. His soul was torn between fear and curiosity.
— What will happen if I touch it?
The woman watched him, expressionless.
— You will learn who you truly are.
The Empty One turned sharply to him.
— Don’t do this. You don’t know what lies behind that fire.
Emiren remained silent, but his eyes were filled with concern.
Flamen felt their fear resonating within him. But wasn’t he just like them? Wasn’t he afraid too?
He raised his hand.
The black fire trembled.
One last breath of doubt, one last flicker of hesitation…
And he touched it.
The Fire That Opens Eyes
Light exploded before his eyes.
And then came darkness.
Not the kind that consumes. Not the kind that destroys.
It was darkness that remembered.
Flamen felt something cold and hot at the same time pierce his soul, seeping into the deepest corners of his memory.
He was no longer afraid.
Because he saw.
He saw an ancient world that existed before the Eternal Garden.
He saw those who came first, who lit the flame that would later become silver.
And among them…
Among them was himself.
Flamen stood atop the summit of time, holding the black fire in his palm.
He no longer hesitated.
He remembered.