Reborn: Wrath of the flame

If I must be tested, then let me burn."

The flame changed colors, dancing violently as though in response to her voice. From within the blinding blaze, the colors shifted again until the fire turned pure white. A radiant light erupted, and from the heart of the fire, something emerged. A seed, tiny, shining, unbreakable.

Her new core.

It was not forged from the stolen one. It came from her. From the essence of her soul's true flame. The core found her chest and embedded itself within her body, releasing a burst of power that rippled through the blazing world around her. The Phoenix quivered, and its massive eyes opened. For the first time, Mei felt truly seen.

A voice echoed in her mind, strong and ancient.

"You are reborn, not of privilege but perseverance. Keeper of the true flame. You have passed the first test. As you awaken, your path begins anew."

Mei's body glowed. Ancient markings, like the lines of forgotten scrolls, crawled across her skin and then vanished. The weakness she once carried disappeared. Her breath came steadily. Her presence, once frail and unsure, now radiated strength.

She was whole, she was different.

As the realm of flame faded and unconsciousness drew its curtain once again, a final whisper followed her into the dark.

"The world that broke you will fear the fire you now carry."

___

She gasped.

Her eyes flew open as if waking from a nightmare. The world around her was eerily still. Cold.

The ceremonial hall was unrecognizable.

She lay on the stone floor, motionless. The scent of burnt incense still lingered, but the sacredness had been replaced by a sense of abandonment. Torn red fabric clung to her limbs. Her fingers dug into the edges of her shredded robe, her breaths shallow but steady.

The once-grand hall was now a ruin. Ashes littered the floor, cups were shattered, ceremonial drums destroyed. The incense holders lay overturned. The silence was overwhelming. The guests were gone, the elders, the priests, the sect members. All of them were gone.

Mei sat up slowly. Every muscle in her body ached. She remembered everything. The blaze, the Phoenix, the test, the words. The new flame that pulsed within her.

Her hand rose to her chest instinctively. Beneath her skin, something beat like a second heart. Deeper, stronger, alive in a way that defied explanation. She was not who she had been. Something fundamental had changed.

Twin ceremonial mats lay still at the altar. Hers was charred, nearly consumed. His was untouched.

Xie Tianlei.

The name curdled in her mind like sour wine.

She stood, unsteady at first. Her gaze roamed the ruined space, her movements slow but determined. She stepped forward, her feet brushing ashes, and stared at the altar.

Rage began to build within her.

Not a wild, mindless fury, but a steady, molten anger. A fire that would not be extinguished.

"He left me here to die," she whispered to the empty air. "All of them did."

He had taken everything. Her flame,her trust. her hope and her life.

But he had failed.

She was still here.

A breeze swept through the ruined hall, stirring the ashes and her hair alike. The room had been sealed during the trial. Shielded by sacred fire, no one could approach. No one had even tried.

Then a memory returned. The silver-eyed man.

Footsteps echoed behind her. Mei turned sharply, flames sparking to life along her fingertips. They came without conscious thought. Responding not to her command, but to her heart.

A boy stood at the threshold of the hall. His eyes widened.

"Mistress Mo..."

Mei said nothing. Her silence was answer enough.

"You are alive? But... the elders said..."

She narrowed her eyes. "What did they say?"

He hesitated. "They said you were gone. That your flame was cursed. That your bloodline was unstable. That Tianlei ended it to stop corruption from spreading."

She laughed. Bitter and sharp. "So mercy is another word for betrayal now?"

The boy flinched.

"Go," she said. "Tell them their mercy failed. Tell them the flame they tried to kill has awakened stronger than ever."

He needed no more prompting. He turned and ran, panic in his steps.

Mei looked at her palm. The flame flickered there, soft but unyielding.

She was not sure what she had become.

But she knew this much. She was no one's puppet, no longer Tianlei's fool, no longer the sect's disposable heir.

She had to leave.

The Flame Sect would never let her live now. Not after seeing what she had become. Not after losing control of what they had tried to shape. Trust was dead, burned with betrayal and deceit.

And Tianlei... he would come again. He would strike with precision this time. No mistakes. No mercy.

But before she fled, she needed the truth.

She walked to the back of the ceremonial hall, her steps slow but full of intent. A corridor lay hidden behind the altar, where ancient records and scrolls were kept. Her fingers brushed the sealed door. The locks melted under her touch, sensing the flame within her.

Inside, the room was dim. Dust lay thick across the shelves, but the scrolls were intact. Mei walked straight to the section marked "Lineage."

Her name had never been officially written. She had no record of her parents. The Phoenix had called her daughter of fire.

She pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. Her fingers trembled as she scanned names from generations past. Near the bottom, a more recent entry caught her eye.

Lu Meiyun - Wife of the Flame Monarch, died during childbirth.

Beside it, in smaller print:

Child - Unnamed, presumed stillborn.

Her breath caught.

Her mother. They had declared her stillborn. But that had been a lie, a cruel fabrication to hide her identity. A child they wanted to erase.

They had known who she was all along and they had tried to use her. To train her, control her, drain her.

"Not anymore," she whispered.

She folded the scroll and tucked it into her robe. Just as she turned to leave, the morning light filtered through the cracks in the stone walls, her steps faltered

And Xiao Yun... where had she been? Not once had Mei seen her before or after the ceremony, dis she betray her too?

She froze.

Someone was watching her.