Night had fallen over Ashvale, but no one slept.
The old church flickered with candlelight as rain tapped against the stained, cracked windows. The storm outside was quiet compared to the storm brewing inside Elena's chest.
She stood alone in the chapel's back room, watching the flame dance on her open palm. It didn't burn her—it recognized her. For the first time since this all began, she wasn't afraid of it.
A soft knock broke her focus.
Dorian stepped inside, closing the door behind him. His presence wrapped around the room like a velvet shadow—heavy, dark, and warm.
"You're getting stronger," he said.
"I can feel it waking up inside me," Elena replied without turning. "But the more I remember, the harder it is to know what's mine… and what's just leftover from a past life."
Dorian moved closer, stopping just behind her. "It's still you. You're not a copy of the past. You're her—but new. Whole."
Elena finally looked at him. His face was softer here, in the low light. No arrogance. No smirk. Just truth.
"You said we've done this before," she whispered. "Fallen in love. Died for each other. Again and again."
"Yes," he said. "A thousand times. And I never stopped loving you. Even when you forgot me. Even when you chose someone else."
Her breath caught. "Miles."
Dorian's eyes darkened, not with jealousy—but pain. "He doesn't see what you really are. He wants you to stay small. Stay human. But you were never meant to live quietly. You burn too brightly."
"And you?" she asked. "What do you want from me?"
He reached out and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I want you to become everything you were born to be. Even if it means losing you."
Elena's heart ached. She hated how much those words mattered. How much he mattered.
The door slammed open.
Miles stormed in, eyes blazing. "He shouldn't be here."
Dorian didn't move. "You always were good at timing, weren't you?"
Elena stepped between them. "Stop. Both of you."
But Miles's voice shook with fury. "He's getting in your head again, Elena. He's manipulating you."
"You think I'm that weak?" she snapped. "That I can't tell the difference between power and poison?"
"You don't know what he's done—"
"I remember everything now!" she shouted, her aura flaring bright gold. Both men froze.
"I remember the pain. The love. The loss. All of it. And I'm not letting either of you decide my future for me. I'm not yours to control."
Miles backed away like she'd struck him.
The silence that followed was shattered by a scream from the hallway.
They rushed out to find Arin—the boy seer—convulsing on the floor, eyes rolled back, speaking in a voice that was not his:
"He rises. The Hollow stretches.The mouth opens.He sees her. He knows her.She is the flame he must consume."
Elena knelt beside Arin, grabbing his hand. "Arin—what do you see?"
The boy gasped, eyes fluttering open.
"He's coming here," Arin whispered. "Tonight."