True
1653;
Score | 18
Mariam Akorede Student @ Adekunle Ajasin university Akungba
Ibadan, Nigeria
1218
124
41
8
In Literature, Writing and Blogging • 2 min read • May 22, 2025 10:02a.m.
Ice and fire
<p>Chapter Five</p> <p><br></p> <p>The Void Stirs</p> <p><br></p><p>Beneath the crust of the world, where no light reached and no soul had walked in a thousand years, the Hollow Flame pulsed.</p><p><br></p><p>It did not burn.</p><p><br></p><p>It unburned.</p><p><br></p><p>It was not fire, nor cold. It was the absence of both—consuming, unraveling, endless.</p><p><br></p><p>And it was waking.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p><br></p><p>Dreams began to twist.</p><p><br></p><p>In the north, Kaelara stood in her sleep among frozen trees that bled fire. The snow beneath her feet turned to ash. The moon fractured in the sky. She heard her own voice echo through the frost, screaming—only it wasn’t her voice.</p><p><br></p><p>It was her sister’s.</p><p><br></p><p>“Don’t leave me here...”</p><p><br></p><p>She woke gasping, frost creeping up her neck like a collar.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p><br></p><p>In the south, Seren dreamed of dancing flames that whispered lies. The lava turned black and rose into tendrils, gripping her wrists, her throat. In the smoke, she saw Kaelara’s face—distant, fading.</p><p><br></p><p>“You let me go...”</p><p><br></p><p>She jolted awake, her room stifling despite the night air.</p><p><br></p><p>Fire swirled at her fingertips without her calling it.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p><br></p><p>Across the continent, temples crumbled. Rivers reversed their flow. Animals howled into the sky without cause. Lightning struck from clear skies. The balance had begun to tear.</p><p><br></p><p>The Hollow Flame whispered through the cracks in the world:</p><p><br></p><p>&gt; One fire. One frost. One end. One cost.</p><p>Split, they fall. Together, they burn.</p><p>Come to me.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>It reached into old bloodlines. Into crumbling ruins. Into hearts afraid of power and minds filled with guilt. It promised safety. Simplicity. A world without pain.</p><p><br></p><p>All it asked for in return was everything.</p><p><br></p><p>---</p><p><br></p><p>In opposite corners of the world, Kaelara and Seren stood alone in their chambers, hands trembling.</p><p><br></p><p>They both whispered the same question:</p><p><br></p><p>“Where are you?”</p><p><br></p><p>And in the hollow dark, something whispered back.</p><p><br></p><p>“Come find&nbsp;her.”</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>
epic fantasy
|
Read and engage with the story
Send tip
1
views 5
0 share
Mariam has 3 badges
badge
badge
badge
Learn more about badges

Other insights from Mariam Akorede

Insights for you.
A little about the Nkwerre people
Jefferson Nnadiekwe
Jefferson Nnadiekwe Freelance scriptwriter and creat...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
A little about the Nkwerre people
 Nkwerre is one of the local governments in Imo State, Nigeria. It is a small town of about 80,000 people (according to the 2006 national population...
1626 views
6 upvotes
3 comments
premium insight Finding meaning with anything anywhere all at once
Joshua Omoijiade
Joshua Omoijiade Architect @ James Cubitt Arch...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
Finding meaning with anything anywhere all...
 Once, in the Northern part of France, in the Parisian Cafes on the left bank, a diminutive son of a sailor named Jean Paul Satre was playing his pa...
864 views
5 upvotes
3 comments
A Murderously Funny Guide to Writing About Serial Killers (Without Actually Killing Anyone!)
Esther Omemu
Esther Omemu Content Specialist @ ICUC Social
city icon on TwoCents Paris, France
Literature, Writing and Blogging
A Murderously Funny Guide to Writing About...
 I can already imagine you wondering, why on earth is this even important. Oh well, you’ll find out why very soon, that much I can assure you… but b...
819 views
7 upvotes
1 comment
THE MEETING
Samuel Ibok
Samuel Ibok
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
THE MEETING
 Sometimes it takes one meeting for our lives to change forever.&nbsp;It was never Femi's intention to join the league of exceptional gentlemen know...
810 views
9 upvotes
5 comments
premium insight OMÓ ÉSAN
Samuel Ibok
Samuel Ibok
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
OMÓ ÉSAN
 They say the apple does not fall far from the tree, but I was the exception, or I was supposed to be. I grew up hating my parents, who died when I ...
799 views
11 upvotes
4 comments
Peter vs Seun : A worrying case of intolerance
Jefferson Nnadiekwe
Jefferson Nnadiekwe Freelance scriptwriter and creat...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
Peter vs Seun : A worrying case of intoler...
 Last week, we experienced the social media brawl between Seun Kuti and Peter Okoye (one half of music group; psquare). A very short recap; the figh...
771 views
2 upvotes
2 comments
Follow the yellow brick road
Jefferson Nnadiekwe
Jefferson Nnadiekwe Freelance scriptwriter and creat...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
Follow the yellow brick road
 If you know about the movie 'The wizard of Oz', you should be familiar with the yellow brick road. To shed a little light, it is the road which the...
750 views
3 upvotes
0 comments
Social media filters and how they affect us
Jefferson Nnadiekwe
Jefferson Nnadiekwe Freelance scriptwriter and creat...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
Social media filters and how they affect us
 Everyone loves photo filters right? There are a lot of them across different social media apps, that help us look our best. The most popular ones a...
742 views
1 upvote
1 comment
I Love you for Now
Joshua Omoijiade
Joshua Omoijiade Architect @ James Cubitt Arch...
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
I Love you for Now
 Articulating my thoughts on matters we have settled as human beings is usually within reach. Maybe we never know things for certain, but at least w...
727 views
4 upvotes
0 comments
premium insight DEAD BEN: LETTERS TO THE LIVING (THE ENEMY WITHIN)
Samuel Ibok
Samuel Ibok
city icon on TwoCents Lagos, Nigeria
Literature, Writing and Blogging
DEAD BEN: LETTERS TO THE LIVING (THE ENEMY...
 What if I told you someone in your circle wants you out of line? For religious folks, let's just call this the Judas effect. Yeah, I mean that gu...
714 views
2 upvotes
0 comments
What is TwoCents? ×
+