Chapter 24: Enflamed

Song Connection: "I Know Who You Are"

"Are you okay?" Amber quietly asked James, touching his arm as a form of comfort.

James smiled, gently clasping his sister's hand in his. "I'm okay. I think…" He nodded toward Ember, who was still crying, though her wretched sobs were now silent yet continuous. "I know what she did was wrong, Amber, but…" Something inside of him was crumbling a bit. He knew Ember had threatened Amber, and he understood that she'd done some terrible things, but… He was very close to his own sister, and with their similar appearances and connections, he was conflicted. Ember was so much like Amber in her own way, except to a greater extreme. He hated seeing Amber hurting, and now…

She nodded. "I know." She released his hand and moved over toward Ember, kneeling in front of her and hesitantly reaching out. "Ember—"

The queen's eyes snapped to Amber's, and without a word, she reacted viscerally, pooling dark magic in her hands and holding them up to her, some of the particles grazing Amber's dress sleeves, which became singed and started unraveling thread by thread, until it stilled, a hole visible where the fabric was once joined. Lowly, she warned her, "Get away from me before you're the next to die."

Amber, surprisingly calm and levelheaded considering the circumstances, stayed still and asked her counterpart, "Hasn't there been enough suffering lately, Ember? Aren't you tired of this?" She sighed as Ember glared at her. "I get it, you know: the bitterness, the jealousy, the irrational anger… When I was younger, I wasn't that different from you. But thanks to my family and friends, I've been able to overcome that and be happy."

"I don't have friends," Ember snapped, her magic brimming on the edge of her fingertips again as she contemplated slicing her lookalike in two in front of everyone she loved. But… "Everyone who's ever been in my life, including my own family, has either abandoned me or died. Or…" She looked down at Jaime, feeling pressure building in her chest as she cradled his head in her hands. "Or…" She glanced to the side after feeling something strange around her, and she noticed that, off to the side, Cedric and Sofia were sitting next to each other, both holding out one hand and sending a soft stream of magic toward Jaime, who was now being enveloped in the magic. "W-What are you doing?! Stop!"

Sofia eyed her gently. "It's okay. Cedric is using some of his positive magic, and I'm blending it with my Light Magic. We're attempting to counter the dark magic within your brother and also keep him stabilized after the ritual."

The Exchancian blonde queen scoffed. "You are wasting your time. Dark magic, when it seeps deep enough into your soul, will eventually kill you. Jaime knew that… And so do I." She frowned, brushing her fingers through her twin's hair, sighing. "Dark magic has been part of us for so long… It's been eating away at me for years now, slowly corroding whatever 'goodness' is left inside of me." When Amber attempted to reach out to her, Ember snarled and struck her in the shoulder, her potent magic leaving a dense scratch mark on her skin not covered by the collar of her dress.

"Amber!" James gasped, his gaze hardening as he glared at Ember. "What is your problem?! She's just trying to help you!"

"I don't need her help, or her sympathy, or whatever else she's trying to do." Ember placed both of her hands back on her brother's head, absently caressing his hair. "I don't need anyone's help. I never have…"

Desmond pressed a handkerchief against Amber's injury, staying near her to guard her if possible. He felt so helpless when it came to this kind of magic. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine," she responded, though she was in a bit of pain. However, she knew the blast wasn't as potent as it could have been if Ember had really been using her full abilities. Her distraction right now was lying lifeless on the floor, and for that, she felt bad. She had James back, but another had fallen on his behalf. She just wanted everyone to experience happiness and for all the death to cease. This world of dark magic was so dangerous and deadly, and she wasn't sure how anyone could survive it…

Ember blinked when she felt her hands removed from her brother's hair, and she instead found them enclosed in another pair of familiar-looking hands. Glancing up, she saw Amber there, yet again. "You're either incredibly stubborn and relentless, or inexplicably stupid—"

"Shut up and listen to me," Amber ordered, mildly impressed when the other queen did just that. "Listen, Ember. I know you've done terrible things, and there's no way you can make up for those things. But for the sake of Jaime, and for the sake of your kingdom, I need you to grow up and take responsibility for everything and everyone around you for once."

"It's no use… It's too late. Everyone around me is dead or dying. People are on the way to destroy me, and they'll probably destroy my kingdom too…" She frowned heavily, lowering her head. "It's not my fault though. It's their fault—those stupid advisors. They didn't even try to protect me or anyone else. They're just in it for themselves."

"And how is that any different from you, exactly?" Cedric challenged, though he hadn't stopped focusing his magic on the other twin. "You are every bit as selfish as the men you are chastising. If you weren't, we wouldn't be here right now."

Amber pulled Ember to her feet, staring at her seriously. "Ember. I need you to hear what I have to tell you." Her grip on Ember's hands tightened, her voice unwavering despite the tension in the room. "I can see what this is doing to you, Ember. All this anger, all this bitterness… It's consuming you. I know what it's like to feel lost, to blame others when things go wrong. But holding onto that rage isn't helping you—it's only making things worse. I understand you're angry—furious, even—but you need to channel that rage into something productive, something that can help you and your kingdom survive this."

Ember scoffed, attempting to pull away, but Amber held firm. "You would say that. You haven't lived my life, faced my pain. You've had everything handed to you. Your life has been nothing but light and happiness. You don't know what it's like to fight for scraps, to watch everything you care about slip through your fingers."

"That's not true…" Amber shook her head, eyes gleaming with determination. "I've also had some dark struggles in my life. But I haven't let that darkness define who I am. I had to open my heart and release that anger, and you must do the same…"

Ember's eyes narrowed, her dark magic simmering beneath the surface, threatening to erupt. "Why should I?" she growled, irritated. "Why should I forgive, forget, and move on? Don't patronize me, Amber. You're nothing but a naïve girl. My kingdom is falling apart, and it's not because of me—it's because of the people who failed me. I'm powerful, but somehow that's still not enough. How can you stand there and tell me that I should just give up and 'be good?'" She struggled to move away from her inverse twin, but Amber's grip was stronger than ever. "Let me—"

"I know who you are," Amber interrupted, her voice soft yet firm. "There is so much more to you than this! You're strong, you're brave, and you're charismatic. You have to stop punishing others, even yourself, and maybe you can start to heal the wounds that you and others have opened. You've got the power to break these chains this dark magic seems to hold over you."

"That's easy for you to say," Ember spat back, her voice dripping with venom. "You really think it's that simple, don't you? You think I can just change overnight and everything will be fine. But nothing's ever that easy…"

Amber's gaze softened, though she refused to let go of Ember's hands. "I don't think it's easy. I know it's hard. But we've all fought battles, and we've all suffered, and you don't have to do this alone. You don't have to let this darkness consume you."

For a moment, Ember faltered. Her gaze shifted to Jaime, lying so still and fragile on the floor, Cedric and Sofia desperately trying to keep him alive. The sight twisted something deep inside her, a mix of guilt and anger warring within her chest. "My powers are strong," she whispered, more to herself than to Amber. "But… They're not enough… They haven't ever been enough…"

Amber didn't hesitate. "Ember, how you choose to use your powers is what matters. You can still change, but you have to want it. Release this rage that has a hold on you, and you can become a better person."

Ember's eyes met Amber's, and for the first time, they weren't filled with hate or anger—they were filled with something else: something much more dangerous. "And what if I don't want to change? What if this is who I am?" Her magic stirred, vibrating against her palms as Amber winced at the small jolt.

"Then you'll destroy everything," Amber said, her voice trembling slightly. "You'll destroy your kingdom, your brother, yourself. Is that what you want?"

Before Ember could respond, Cedric's gasp broke through the tension. "He's got a pulse! Jaime is breathing!"

Both women turned their attention to Jaime, who was blinking slowly, his eyes unfocused. Cedric's voice was strained as he spoke. "He's alive, but… I'm afraid the dark magic may have done more damage than we anticipated. He's not responding, not speaking… It's possible the magic stripped him of his ability to communicate, or worse, his cognitive skills and awareness might be… gone."

Ember's world shattered. Her brother—her twin, the one person who had always been there for her—was alive, but he was no longer the Jaime she knew. A sob tore from her throat, raw and anguished, as she fell to her knees, clutching at the remnants of the one person she had left.

Amber knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around her trembling form. "I know who you are," she reminded her softly, her voice filled with a quiet strength. "And so do you, Ember… Somewhere deep inside you is the real Ember, dying to be free. Do yourself and Jaime a favor, and let go. Just…let go."

For the first time, Ember didn't resist. She let the tears flow, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. In that moment, she wasn't a queen, a ruler, or a wielder of dark magic—she was just a broken woman, grieving the loss of everything she had ever known.

But deep down, the darkness still lingered, and those horrible voices still echoed in her mind, like they had for years now. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't allow that darkness to fully overtake her and drown her in her own anger, bitterness, and rage.

Not this time.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Burned