Chapter 109 The Third Flame Stirs

• Lucia felt the world deepen.
• The stone beneath her palms throbbed like a living heart, beats rising from far beneath the earth—older than kingdoms, older than bloodlines. Her breath came uneven, clouding the air as the warmth beneath her hands spread outward in rippling rings. The Third Flame was not a quiet force. It was pressure, power, memory, and demand all woven together.
• Kelvin stood at her back, broad and immovable—a shield carved from will and bone. She could feel him even without turning. His presence grounded her as the power tried to pull her consciousness deeper into the Flame’s ancient core.