After leaving the Wind Temple, the cold wind carried Eren and Leylin's footsteps toward the Frost Mountains, where it is said that the Flame of Liberation lies hidden within the heart of the snow, waiting to be awakened to free fire from the shackles of the Shadows.
The snow stretched endlessly before them, and the cold wind cut into the skin, but it did not extinguish the faint golden flame that Leylin held in her hand despite the frost.
"Do you feel anything?"
Eren asked as the snow swirled around the wings of the wind behind him.
Leylin nodded slowly.
"The fire inside me... trembles, as if it remembers something here."
Legend of the Flame of Liberation:
Before their departure, Zerath recounted that an ancient fire heir came to these mountains a thousand years ago, fleeing the shadows that pursued her. Before she was defeated, she left a portion of her fire here, which they called the Flame of Liberation.
It was said that whoever awakened this flame would free fire from its shackles and protect it from the shadows, but it required the bearer of the flame to face a test of truth.
Facing the Storm:
Deep in the mountains, the icy winds intensified, and black clouds gathered in the sky, snow falling like knives. A giant ice wolf emerged from the icy winds, its eyes glowing green, standing before Eren and Leylin.
"He is the guardian of the mountains."
Leylin whispered, raising her hand, the golden flame trembling violently against the frost.
The wolf roared, unleashing an icy storm toward Leylin. The flame nearly froze in her hands, but she cried out, "I will not allow the frost to kill my fire!"
Leylin unleashed a powerful flame that melted amidst the ice, while Eren summoned the wind to push the storm away. The two found themselves within a ring of fire and wind amidst the snow.
The wolf charged again, but Eren quickly closed his wings, pushing the wind around him into a transparent shield. Leylin entered the shield, unleashing a concentrated flame that pierced the wolf's icy chest.
The wolf's scream broke the silence before shattering into ice crystals that scattered in the wind.
The Hidden Cave:
After the battle, an ice wall opened behind the wolf's fall, revealing a deep cavern with a faint golden glow amidst the snow.
Leylin entered first, the flame in her hand slowly flickering, until she stopped in front of a small golden flame floating in the air, pulsing slowly like a living heart.
"It's... like my fire."
Leylin said, approaching, the flame growing brighter the closer she got.
Test of Truth:
Suddenly, the flame's glow rose, forming the image of the ancient Fire Heir they had seen in the Wind Temple. Her hair was a red flame, her face fading into the flames.
"Heir of Fire... Are you ready to free the fire, even if you face the shadows of yourself?"
Leylin trembled, but held her head steady.
"I am ready."
The flame shot out into Leylin's chest, and she fell to her knees, screaming, flames flaring from her body, mingling with black shadows trying to seep through the flames.
"Leylin!"
Eren shouted, but a strong wind blew him away, leaving him helpless as Leylin fought alone.
Seeing Shadows:
Inside her flame, Lilin saw images from her past: a little girl fleeing the ashes that killed her family, her fire burning everything around her, and the voice of the shadows whispering:
"The fire is our door... you are our door."
But Lilin cried out through the flames:
"I am the fire... not your door!"
Freeing the Fire:
The golden flame ignited within Lilin, and a ring of pure flame exploded, expelling the shadows from her body. Lilin stood with the fire burning in her hands, purer and cleaner than ever.
Eren approached her slowly, his eyes shining.
"You did it..."
Lilin raised her hand, the golden flame swirling in the air.
"I have freed the fire within me... the shadows no longer control it."
Chapter 5:
The two men emerged from the cave, the cold winds bending to the glow of the new fire Lilin carried, as if the entire mountain range acknowledged her newfound power.
"This is the beginning of the end for the Shadows."
Lilin said firmly, while Eren looked out into the white horizon and said, "And now... it's time to return and defeat them together."