The day the Erdtree burned, I almost rejoiced alongside my brothers. But I saw it, just a little. That wasn't our Fire. I turned to my then-wife, and she nodded in agreement. It hadn't fooled her for a moment. Nothing ever did, until…
The Flame of Frenzy would spread further than anyone of healthy mind could have forseen. It followed the roots of the Erdtree into sea and stone. That was its purpose, of course. To sow Chaos and burn away distinction. We too had wished to burn away the shackles of the gods, but we would not cast our own selves into the flame. We would not burn ourselves out and become hollow vessels for such madness.
My wife and I left without hesitation, abandoning the others. It would be only hours before even our distant camp would fall to ash. Nothing would stop the Frenzied Flame, we knew. It burned beneath the earth itself, chasing the relentless spread of the Erdtree across the whole of the Lands Between.
Fire Monks do not often keep animals. The rites of Flame frighten them. The two of us carried all we could on our backs and hurried to visit other camps. Not all our daughters were so clever as their mother. The second eldest did have a streak for bucking tradition and had a contract with a phantom steed. We met her on the road with her younger, wiser twin.
By the time we had gathered all seven, the Flames had already consumed Altus. We hurried to the river well. Perhaps the water would provide some barrier. Perhaps the Eternal City which hid even deeper than the roots of the Erdtree would be safe. I bid my wife and daughters seek shelter. They were cleverer than I and could build a better world from the ashes.
I would not hide as I had when Marika had come to the North. I remained above to watch the world burn.