Cassian didn't speak again for three days.
Lila visited his chamber each morning, offering greetings he rarely returned. She brought news from the palace, listened to the wind whisper through the stone walls, and told him stories from her world—ones about crowded streets, cell phones, and how rain didn't carry magic. He didn't laugh, but sometimes, when he thought she wasn't looking, he listened.
On the fourth day, he finally broke the silence.
"Why did they take my sight?" he asked, voice low.
Lila turned to him, startled. He hadn't addressed her since that first night. "The curse," she said carefully, "Isolde says it's part of something deeper. Someone wanted to weaken you."
Cassian's fingers tightened around the edge of the chair. "Sight was never my strength. I led with instinct. With fire."
"Maybe that's why they took it," Lila said. "To make you doubt your instincts. Yourself."
He turned his head slightly toward her. "Do you believe I can be saved?"
She hesitated—just a heartbeat. Then nodded. "Yes."
That was the first time he looked almost at peace.
Later that night, a sharp knock startled Lila awake. Isolde stood in the doorway of her chamber, torchlight flickering behind her.
"You must come," she said. "The Fire King has awoken."
Lila's heart leapt. "Another spirit?"
Isolde nodded. "He is… difficult. Proud. But he has agreed to speak with you. Come quickly."
The halls beyond her chamber were alight with golden glow, as if the walls themselves had been touched by flame. Lila followed Isolde deep into the palace's lower levels, past heavy stone doors etched with runes and crests she didn't recognize. Finally, they reached a chamber pulsing with heat.
The Fire King was waiting.
He stood at the center of the room, flames dancing across his shoulders like living armor. His hair was coal-black, shot through with glowing red strands, and his eyes burned like molten gold. He was beautiful and terrible, and Lila's breath caught in her throat just looking at him.
"You're the girl they summoned," he said, voice crackling like firewood.
"I'm Lila," she said, trying not to flinch beneath his gaze. "The one chosen by the spirits."
He snorted. "Spirits are fools. You are not Elira. You are untrained, untested, and weak."
Lila clenched her fists. "Maybe I am. But I'm still here."
The Fire King raised an eyebrow. "Bravery, at least."
He circled her slowly, as if measuring her for armor. "The boy—Cassian. You wish to save him?"
"Yes," she said. "He's important to the kingdom."
"And to you?" the Fire King asked, pausing beside her.
Lila swallowed. "I don't know yet. But I feel like… he matters. To this place. To me."
A slow, satisfied grin curled his lips. "Then listen well, child of ash. The curse upon him was not crafted by mere sorcery. It was forged in fire. Betrayer's fire."
Lila's heart froze. "What does that mean?"
"Someone close to him," the Fire King said, eyes darkening, "someone he trusted, helped cast the curse."
"Who?" Lila breathed.
The Fire King tilted his head. "That is for you to uncover. I can only show you the path—never the end."
"Then help me," she said. "Teach me. Let me fight back."
His eyes narrowed, flames licking at the edges of his form. "You would wield fire, little spark?"
Lila stood tall. "If it means protecting him—yes."
The Fire King lifted a hand. A single flame appeared in his palm, swirling like a living thing.
"Touch it," he commanded.
She hesitated. The heat was intense even from a few steps away, but she reached out—and as her fingers brushed the flame, a burning pain shot through her hand.
She gasped, but didn't pull back.
Then, the pain eased. The flame wrapped around her fingers like a ribbon, then sank into her skin. Her veins glowed briefly with golden-red light before fading.
Lila stared at her palm, stunned. "What was that?"
"A seed," the Fire King said. "A beginning. My mark is upon you now. When the time comes, call my name, and fire will answer."
"What's your name?" she asked.
He smiled, sharp and dangerous. "Ashkar."
When she returned to Cassian's room that night, she didn't say a word. She simply sat beside him, heart still pounding from the encounter.
"I felt something," he said after a long silence. "Like a storm… but made of flame."
"It was fire," she whispered. "He's given me a piece of it."
Cassian nodded slowly. "Then the spirits truly are with you."
Lila turned toward him, her voice soft. "Cassian… the curse. The Fire King said it wasn't just magic. It was betrayal."
His hands stilled. "I know."
She blinked. "You do?"
"There were whispers before the attack. Shadows in the court. My father warned me… but I didn't listen." His voice was bitter. "One of our own sold us out."
"Then we'll find them," Lila said. "Together."
He didn't speak again, but she saw it in the slight tilt of his head—he was beginning to believe her.
Later, alone in her chamber, Lila stared at the flame-mark on her palm. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.
This world was dangerous, full of riddles and shadows, but the elements were waking. The spirits were watching. And she was no longer powerless.
The fire had chosen her.
Now it was time to rise.
End of Chapter 4