Eren and Leylin's footsteps echoed in the silent stone corridor, the flickering flames on the walls illuminating their tired faces.
The air was heavy, the heat mingling with an eerie chill from deep within, as if the temple were holding its breath before a decisive moment.
They stopped before a large stone gate, engraved with an inscription half red flame, half blue curved wind, and in the center of it a small, slowly pulsing black seal.
Eren reached out to touch it, but Leylin suddenly grabbed his wrist, her eyes trembling.
"Eren... this is the Seal of Death."
Eren stared into her eyes, seeing her fear and tears, but he smiled calmly despite the terror in his chest. "I will not let anything harm you."
Suddenly, they heard a deep voice coming from the inscription:
"To free the fire and wind, one of you must choose redemption."
The black seal suddenly ignited, creating a magical circle of fire and wind around them. Another, warmer voice issued from it:
"Either the winds die down so that the fire may live... or the fire may die down so that the winds may live."
Lylin raised her head toward Eren, her face trembling.
"No... it can't... I don't want you to die."
Eren clenched his fist, feeling the blue flames in his chest dance, the winds slowly swirling around him.
"If I choose to stay, your fire will disappear... and if you choose to stay, I will lose the wind within me."
Lylin was silent for a moment, then grasped his hand tightly.
"Eren... I am just a flame, born to burn. You are the heir of the winds, you must live."
He shook his head violently, shouting,
"Don't say that! You... you are not just fire."
The magic circle suddenly exploded with red and blue light, and for a moment, Liara's image appeared, smiling calmly.
"The choice is yours... Life needs both fire and wind... but sometimes, you must sacrifice one part of yourself to protect the other."
Eren fell to his knees, feeling the wind in his chest calm, as if preparing to surrender to the fire, while the fire inside Leylin trembled, as if about to be extinguished.
Leylin whispered, placing her hand on his face, "I am ready... I will disappear if it will keep you alive."
He took her hand, his eyes shining with tears.
"And I am ready... if I must lose the wind to keep you."
At that moment, the black seal glowed purple, and a calm voice came out of it:
"The test was never death... it was the fear of loss."
The circle exploded with a powerful light, and the flame and wind entered their bodies simultaneously, radiating a red and blue glow around them, before the light suddenly disappeared.
Eren opened his eyes, feeling the wind inside him blowing stronger than ever. The fire hadn't died down, but had grown calmer and more stable.
Lylin looked down at her hands, seeing their red flames moving gently, but without the usual pain, for the first time since she'd fallen to the ground.
"Eren... we..."
She said in amazement.
He smiled as he stood up and extended his hand toward her.
"We succeeded... we didn't lose the fire, and we didn't lose the wind."
The stone door in front of them slowly opened, revealing behind it a stone staircase ascending toward the light.
"Lylin, this path... the path to our freedom."
She held his hand tightly, her tears falling onto his.
"Together... to the end."
Together they advanced toward the light, toward the world that awaited them outside the temple, carrying with them fire and wind that nothing could separate them.