Chapter Thirty-Six:

  "The Fire Within"

  The dense forest finally broke open, revealing the first glimpse of Emberwood Village.

  Keira stepped forward, her boots shifting over packed earth as the trees gave way to rolling hills and carefully built stone-and-wood homes fused into the landscape.

  Smoke rose from chimneys, waves of heat distorting the air. Narrow streams of clear water wove through the village, catching the light of the morning sun, reflecting the warm orange glow of countless hanging pumpkin lanterns.

  Bonfires, still unlit, were being constructed all around the village, great stacks of wood carefully arranged.

  The scent of autumn spice and burning wood lingered in the air, a town preparing for something grand.

  Rachel took everything in at once, her eyes darting from the bonfire stacks to the intricate carvings of flames worked into the buildings. "They aren’t just celebrating fire magic," she said under her breath to Keira, "they revere it. This whole place is built around it."

  David nodded, scanning the fire symbols marked onto banners. "Festival of the Flame. This seems be their biggest event of the year. Their... Christmas I guess you could say."

  Chris sniffed the air, eyes lighting up like a kid seeing fireworks for the first time. "Now that's what I call a bonfire! Think they'll let me light one? Or is that, like, a sacred fire thing?" He grinned, hands twitching with anticipation.

  "Don't you dare," Keira muttered, shooting him a look before turning back to the village.

  They were being watched.

  Villagers had stopped what they were doing. Men and women, old and young, stood frozen, eyes wide, whispers spreading.

  "Mythic Players."

  Keira caught the murmur from somewhere in the crowd. The words carried something between fear and reverence. A hopeful skepticism.

  Naida stepped forward, clearing her throat before addressing the onlookers. "They came with me," she said, her voice firm but measured. "They are here in peace."

  The tension didn’t fully ease, but the whispers softened. Some of the villagers exchanged glances, nodding to one another. A few even stepped forward, curiosity outweighing fear.

  An older man, his face weathered by firelight, stepped forward. His robes bearing the same ember-colored embroidery as Naida's. "Welcome to Emberwood," he said, his voice carrying the weight of tradition.

  "I am Sage Ryn, keeper of the festival rites. You have arrived on the most sacred day of our year, the Festival of the Flame. Come, let us not keep the other Sages waiting."

  Keira nodded, glancing at the others before stepping forward. "Lead the way."

  As she walked, a slow warmth built against her hip. The lighter in her pocket, it felt hotter than it should, as if it, somehow, recognized something waiting ahead."

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  As they continued forward, the preparations for the Festival of the Flame became even more apparent.

  Craftsmen carved intricate fire symbols into wooden masks, artisans wove banners depicting great flame-wreathed warriors, and young initiates practiced fire dances, their hands glowing with controlled embers. The festival was more than just a celebration, it was a ritual, a rite of passage.

  Then, at the far end of the village, standing before the largest bonfire yet to be lit, were the other Fire Sages.

  The moment Keira’s eyes landed on them, she felt it.

  A pull.

  The eldest among them, a woman cloaked in deep crimson robes, turned before Naida could even announce their arrival. Her gaze settled on Keira, something knowing behind her eyes, as if she had been expecting her all along.

  The feeling sank into Keira’s chest. She didn’t know what this meant, but she knew one thing for certain.

  This was where she would grow stronger.

  The warmth of the village surrounded Keira as she walked alongside the elder Fire Sage, Sage Elyndra. The others had dispersed, Rachel already deep in conversation with a local artisan, David inspecting the bonfires being prepared, and Chris, well, she had already lost track of him.

  It left her alone in the company of Elyndra, who led her through the heart of Emberwood, past the stonework homes infused with fire magic, the unlit pumpkin lanterns resting in careful arrangements, waiting for the evening’s festivities.

  The preparations for the Festival of the Flame continued all around them, the trees overhead bursting with autumn colors, the leaves glowing in shades of red, orange, and gold, a forest set ablaze without flame.

  "This is why the festival is held now, when the very land mirrors the fire we honor. You are comfortable here,” Elyndra observed, watching Keira with a knowing gaze. “You act as though fire has always been a part of you.”

  Keira glanced at her, hesitating. “I’ve always felt… something,” she admitted. “Even before all this. Before,” she gestured vaguely around her, “ Gameweaver gave me control over flame, but it was already there. I could feel it. Sometimes, it felt like it responded to me. Like I could control it.”

  Elyndra gave a small, knowing nod. “I do not know this Gameweaver you speak of, but I see that you never controlled the flames, they simply moved with you, as if recognizing one of their own.”

  Keira frowned slightly. “Is that what you'd call it? I don't need to be one with the flames, I need to be able to control them, to... wield them.”

  "One can never control the intense purity of the souls that burn within the flames, one can only ever seek to reach a... harmony you might say."

  The Sage extended a hand toward one of the nearby bonfires being arranged. “Each flame is a soul, Keira. A pure life. They burn brightly, but briefly. They are not meant to last forever, only to shine while they can.” She gestured to the many lanterns lining the pathways. “This festival honors the cycle of the flame, of life itself. We do not mourn the embers, for we know that from them, new life will rise.”

  Keira looked at the lanterns, their unlit forms waiting for the night’s fire. “And you think I’m meant to be a part of this?”

  “I think the flames have always been a part of you.”

  She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so instead, she followed Elyndra’s lead as they approached a long table where villagers carved into hollowed pumpkins, their movements steady and precise, each cut deliberate.

  The scent of fresh pumpkin mixed with the rich aroma of roasting seeds, and for the first time since she could remember, Keira felt something close to peace.

  Elyndra handed her a carving knife and a pumpkin of her own. “You should partake. It is tradition for each of us to create a lantern to honor the flames that have burned for us.”

  Keira smirked slightly. “I think I know exactly what to carve.”

  She worked the knife carefully, the design taking shape beneath her steady hands. When she was finished, she held it up, the Boston Fire Department symbol etched into the surface. As she turned it in her hands, she could almost hear the station alarms, the rush of boots on pavement, the roar of real flames.

  Elyndra studied her work, nodding in quiet approval. “A fitting tribute.”

  Keira exhaled, setting the lantern down. “There are more of us,” she said suddenly. “Back at our camp. Tobias, the others. We need to bring them here.”

  Elyndra smiled. “Then it shall be done. We will send our strongest warriors and Fire Mages to escort them safely.”

  Keira glanced up at her. “All of them?”

  Elyndra met her gaze, unshaken. “All of them.”

  For the first time since entering The Dive, Keira truly felt at ease.

  Maybe, just maybe, this was exactly where they needed to be.