Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 99: The Fire Angel’s Gift

The oppressive heat intensifies as we navigate deeper into the volcanic labyrinth, the air thickening with every breath. My skin prickles with sweat, the sulfurous scent of molten rock and ash filling my nostrils. Pyra leads the way, her flames illuminating the dark passageways, their flickering light dancing off the jagged rock walls.

“This way,” she says, her voice echoing off the stone, guiding us through a narrow tunnel that opens into a massive cavern. The chamber sprawls out before us, its walls lit with a deep, fiery glow, At its heart lies a lake of bubbling lava, its surface a seething cauldron of flames that send shimmering waves of heat into the air. I squint against the intensity, my eyes watering.

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At the lake’s center, a small island of black volcanic stone juts from the molten sea, its surface dominated by what appears to be a burning funeral pyre. The flames lick at a vaguely human shape lying motionless upon it, their tongues of fire devouring the figure.

Pyra turns to us, her eyes gleaming in the fiery light. The heat, the flames, the lava – they’re an illusion, a test,” she explains, her voice cutting through the roar of the fire. “The angel has set this trial to ensure only those of pure heart may approach her. If you pass the test, the lake will become solid beneath your feet, and the way forward will open.”

Bloodbane and I exchange a glance, uncertainty knotting my stomach. Pyra gestures towards the lava’s edge, her expression serious. “Calm your minds, be still, and let the angel reall your hearts,” she instructs.

I nod, taking a deep breath, my gaze fixed on the tumultuous surface of the bubbling red lake. The flames leap and dance, the seething lava below threatening to consume us. But I steady my breathing, closing my eyes, focusing inward. I let my thoughts still, allowing the warmth of my mind to spread, as if a flame flickers gently within my skull.

A comforting warmth blooms in my chest, like a soothing embrace. I feel a tendril of heat unfurl, seeping into my thoughts, probing gently, exploring the depths of my being. My worries, my doubts, all fall away, replaced by a calm certainty. It’s a warmth like nothing I’ve felt before, a sense of reassurance that envelopes ine, lingers for a moment, then retreats..

I open my eyes, the scorching heat around me dissipating into a comfortable warmth. The seething lava seems to cool, solidifying into a smooth black stone. I step forward, the ground firm beneath my feet.

Bloodbane follows, his eyes scanning the lake’s surface. I turn back to see Pyran standing at the shore, her face drawn, her flames burning softly around her. Bloodbane hesitates, then takes her hands in his own, his face solemn. Their gazes lock, a conversation passing silently between them.

A single tear slips down Pyra’s cheek as Bloodbane turns away, stepping onto the lake of fire. I glance back at her, watching as she lingers for a moment, her expression a mixture of sorrow and resolve. She offers me a faint smile, then turns, her silhouette slipping away into the darkness of the

cavern.

I follow Bloodbane across the now solid lake. The black surface stretches before us, leading towards the island at its center, where the pyre burns steadily, its flames licking at the figure lying upon it.

The cavern is bathed in a fiery glow, casting flickering shadows across the volcanic stone as Bloodbane and I approach the island at the lake’s center. The heat radiates around us, but my gaze is fixed on the figure lying motionless on the burning pyre, her wings outstretched, her arms crossed over her chest, cradling a sword.

The angel is a breathtaking sight, a tapestry of crimson wings edged with fire, her deep red robes interwoven with golden flames. Her pale blue hair, like the sky at dawn, shimmers in the fiery light, adorned with rubies that gleam like droplets of blood. The rose golden sword rests against her chest, its hilt embedded with a brilliant ruby that catches the light, shimmering like lire. The flames lick at her form, their tongues caressing her robes and wings. yet they do not consume or harm her. It’s as though she is eternally burning in her own sacred fire.

I’m breathless, my eyes darting over the angel’s resplendent form, feeling an overwhelming sense of awe and reverence. She is radiant, a being of pure power and light, her presence like staring directly into the sun. The aura of strength radiating from her fills the chamber, a palpable energy that makes my skin prickle.

“Now what? I begin to wisisper to Bloodbane, but before I can finish, the air around us shifts, a current of electricity crackling through the cavem. We turn back to the angel, her eyes slowly opening, glowing with an inner fire that ignites the depths of her gaze. She stares straight into the nothingness above her, her lips parting to speak, her voice an echo of divinity, resonant and otherworldly.

“Arianna Caves, Bloodbane of the Southern Wastes, I am glad that you have come to me,” she intones, her voice wreathed with the crackling of flames, a harmonious blend of celestial trumpets. The key to traveling between the worlds lies in my hands.”

My gaze shifts to her hands, resting over the hilt of the rose–golden sword, its brilliant ruby shimmering. The gemstones are the key…” I murmur

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Chapter 99: The Fire Angel’s Gift

breathlessly.

“Yes,” the angel affirms. There are six gemstones, each embedded in the sword of each realm’s guardian angel. These stones, like their owners, are sisters, plucked originally from the crown of the Creator when my sisters and I were made. They connect us, and they can form a bridge between the realms. By laying your hand over mine, over the Fire Gem, and visualizing the realm you wish to travel to–the Earth Realm, home of Verde’s emerald- you will be transported to that place, to my sister, Verde.”

“But the angel of the Earth Realm has been missing for millennia,” Bloodbane says, his brow creasing with concern.

That’s

why you must travel there, the angel responds, her eyes blazing with fervor. “Not only to reunite Arianna with her love, but also to find and free my sister. But you cannot do it alone. You will need the Queen of Fire. You will need Pyra. Just as she needs you at this very moment, she is in mortal danger.”

I feel a chill run down my sp

my spine despite the cavern’s oppressive heat.

“Pyra is in danger?” I repeat, my mind racing. The angel’s gaze shifts to me, her eyes gleaming with a fiery intensity.

“Yes,” she says, her voice a resonant murmur. “The forces against her grow bolder by the hour. You must find and protect her, for only together can you accomplish what lies ahead.”

My heart tightens, a surge of fear gripping me. The angel’s warnings burn in my ears, her words a searing reminder of the perilous path that awaits us Bloodbane’s eyes meet mine, the same mix of worry and resolve reflected in his gaze.

“We need to get back immediately,” he says, his voice hot with urgency.

I turn back to the angel, her presence a radiant flame amidst the flickering shadows. “Thank you,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

The angel’s eyes gleam, a hint of a smile touching her lips. “IT have a gift for you, to make the journey easier. Each of you, take a feather from my and keep it close to your heart.”

wings,

I do as she says, gently plucking a glorious crimson feather tipped with gold, as Bloodhane mirrors my actions. I place it under my robes, over my heart, feeling the warmth of the feather against my bare skin. The moment I do, the feather burns into my skin, a brief moment of pain and then nothing. I look down and see a small scar over my chest, white as the moon, the shape of the angel’s feather burned into my skin, and the feather itself disappeared from my grasp.

“With my mark, you are now able to bypass the magical wards placed upon Mount Pyrocardia, which suppress your powers,” the angel intones. “Now go, my children, and hurry. The three of you must return here without delay and travel to the Earth realm, and find my sister. Restore balance between the realms. Go.”

With a final nod, I turn, my heart pounding, and lead the way back across the lake of fire. The black stone shifts beneath my feet, the heat radiating through my soles. Bloodbane follows closely behind, his presence a steady anchor amidst the chaos swirling in my mind.

Pyra is in danger, and the path ahead is fraught with peril. But we press an, determined to find her, to fulfil our mission, and to face whatever lies

beyond.

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