Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
---
Episode 60: "The Fire Within"
---
The Chimera Core roared.
Its tentacles lashed like storm-wracked trees, crackling with red lightning. Kara ran straight into its fury, her silhouette framed by blazing light. Every heartbeat was a countdown — every breath, a declaration.
"I was made in your image," Kara whispered to the Core as the world trembled, "but I'll end you in mine."
Behind her, Adrian and the team fought to hold the perimeter. Sparks flew as Tessa hacked into what remained of the lab's internal systems, bypassing firewalls with trembling hands. "We've got three minutes before the whole place collapses!" she shouted.
"Make it four," Adrian growled, dodging a whip of shadow as he fired a pulse grenade into one of the Core's limbs. "Kara's still in there!"
---
Inside the Core
It was a cathedral of madness.
The interior was vast and shifting — walls made of steel veins and flickering memories. Kara walked through echoes: a child's scream, a mother's lullaby, her own sobs in a cold lab. Every step forward brought a new wave of the past crashing down.
"Why do you fight me?" the voice of the Core boomed, deep and omnipresent. "You are me."
"No," Kara whispered. "You're the lie they built. I'm the truth that survived."
The golden flame on her chest pulsed.
The Chimera's central heart throbbed ahead, a swirling orb of energy infused with faces—countless clones lost to Vane's experiments. They weren't gone. They were trapped.
And Kara understood.
This wasn't just a machine.
It was a grave.
And she had to set them free.
---
The Battle Outside
X7, weakened but conscious, stood beside Calen, blood dripping from his fingers. "You're still protecting her?" he asked, voice heavy.
Calen nodded. "Always."
X7 laughed, bitter. "She's going to die in there."
Calen looked him in the eyes. "She's not the type to die. She's the type to ignite."
Tessa screamed, "The containment field is destabilizing! If she doesn't do something now, it'll consume her and us with it!"
---
A Memory Reclaimed
Kara reached the heart.
It pulsed violently, shadows writhing, trying to claw their way into her mind.
And then — it showed her everything.
Her birth.
The experiments.
The day Dr. Vane looked into her infant eyes and said, "This one will be perfect."
Her body shook.
But her flame grew brighter.
She pressed her hand to the heart, and whispered, "To those who never had a voice… I hear you."
The golden fire burst from her chest, wrapping around the orb. The shadows screamed as the light pierced them.
One by one, the faces faded — at peace.
The fire devoured the darkness.
And the Chimera Core began to collapse from the inside out.
---
Kara's Choice
As the structure crumbled, Kara turned to leave—only to find the final barrier blocking her escape.
"You think you deserve freedom?" Vane's voice boomed. "You were never meant to survive!"
She stood tall, eyes glowing.
"I wasn't meant to burn this bright either."
And with one last pulse of her fire, she disintegrated the wall in front of her — and ran.
---
The Escape
Outside, the team saw the top of the facility erupt.
Flames and debris shot into the sky.
"Kara!" Adrian screamed, running toward the rubble.
From the smoke, a figure emerged — coughing, bleeding, limping.
But alive.
Kara.
Adrian caught her before she fell.
"You did it," he whispered.
She smiled faintly. "We did."
Tessa and Calen pulled them into the van as the rest of the facility imploded behind them. A firestorm rose in the distance — but it wasn't destruction.
It was cleansing.
It was rebirth.
---
Later That Night
The team sat around a flickering campfire miles away from the chaos. Kara sat in silence, her eyes reflecting the flames.
Adrian sat beside her. "Do you remember who you are now?"
She nodded slowly. "I remember what they tried to make me. I remember what I became to survive."
He touched her hand gently. "And now?"
She looked up at him. Her voice was quiet, but steady.
"Now… I remember who I choose to be."
---
To be continued…
🔥 A monster defeated, a legacy rewritten. But scars don't vanish overnight — and the war behind
the curtain is just beginning.
Vote, comment, and follow Ashes of Our Flame by RapwizzyDebaron. The fire survived. But will it burn for justice — or revenge?