Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 57: "The Fire That Remembers"
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Shockwaves cracked through the earth as Kara and Calen collided in a blaze of fire and shadow. Time seemed to pause, holding its breath. The force of their powers meeting tore at the crater, shaking the foundation of the Arkive buried deep below.
Above, the skies wept ash and lightning.
Below, Adrian staggered to his feet, shielding his eyes from the blinding light. "Kara!"
She didn't respond.
She couldn't.
This wasn't just a fight — it was a memory war.
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Inside the Mindscape – Kara's Perspective
Kara was falling again. Not through space, but through memory.
Every scream, every injection, every betrayal — flashing in reverse like a cursed reel of film.
She saw her mother's face.
The moment she was taken.
The scientist who whispered: "You'll save us, Kara. Even if it breaks you."
Then — Calen.
A little boy with eyes like stormclouds, clutching her hand. "Don't let go."
"I won't," she whispered now.
But she had.
And guilt burned deeper than any flame.
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Reality – Crater Core
Calen roared, his powers spiraling uncontrollably. Black tendrils writhed from his body, tearing into the sky.
"You don't understand!" he shouted. "They made me forget you! They erased everything!"
"I know," Kara said, voice calm despite the fire searing from her skin. "But you're not lost. You're still you."
"You're wrong!" he shrieked. "I am what they made me! A monster!"
Kara stepped forward, slowly, even as energy cracked around them like thunder. "No, Calen. You're my brother."
A pause.
And in that silence — a flicker.
A heartbeat.
The tiniest drop of humanity bleeding through the storm.
Calen's hands trembled.
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Outside the Crater
Adrian and Ghost regrouped near the van. The ground was unstable, crumbling inward.
"What's the plan?" Ghost asked.
"We wait," Adrian said. "If we go in now, we'll only get in the way."
Ghost clenched his jaw. "So we leave her alone in that nightmare?"
"No," Adrian replied, his voice low. "We believe in her."
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Back Inside – The Vault Awakens
The Arkive below sensed the sync.
Energy lines sparked to life, lighting up underground corridors not touched in over a decade.
The servers began rewriting themselves.
A message blinked on a dormant console:
> Omega Sync - Override Detected. Initiating Phoenix Protocol.
From the tree-like core, a crystal flower unfurled — and from its petals emerged a small, glowing disk.
The Final Key.
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Memory Fracture – Calen's Collapse
Kara reached Calen.
Placed a hand on his chest.
And whispered, "You were never alone."
Calen collapsed to his knees. The darkness around him shattered into falling ash.
He looked up, his expression broken.
"I remember now…"
His voice cracked like old glass.
"I didn't want to forget you, Kara. I never did."
She dropped beside him, holding him like the brother she lost and found again.
"I'm here now. That's what matters."
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Above – The Calm After the Storm
The sky cleared.
The winds died.
Silence returned to the crater.
Kara rose, cradling the glowing disk in one hand, her other arm supporting Calen.
Adrian ran forward, breath caught. "You… you did it?"
Kara nodded, eyes still shimmering with faint embers. "The Arkive is waking. And this—" she held up the disk, "—is the truth they buried. The beginning. And the end."
Ghost raised an eyebrow. "So… now what?"
Kara looked to the horizon. "Now we finish what they started. We shut them down. For good."
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Meanwhile – In the Lazarus Project Headquarters
Dr. Elias Vane stood before a massive display.
Kara's image glowed brightly.
The disk pulsed in her hand.
"She found the core…" he whispered, rage building behind his calm exterior. "Then she's become what I feared."
Behind him, alarms began to blare.
A subordinate ran in. "Sir — global encryption breaches across Lazarus nodes! Someone is unlocking everything!"
Vane turned slowly.
"Activate Protocol Thanatos."
"But sir, that will—"
"Do it," Vane hissed. "If I can't control the fire… I will extinguish it."
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To be continued…
🔥 Fire has reclaimed its memory, and shadow h
as found its light — but the real war is just beginning.
Vote, comment, and follow Ashes of Our Flame by RapwizzyDebaron. The spark has become a blaze — and it's coming for the truth.