Crown of Thorns and Roses

The forest was no longer a forest. The towering trees gave way to jagged cliffs and desolate plains, their cracked surfaces glowing faintly with a dull red light, as though fire burned beneath the earth's skin. The air grew thin and sharp, each breath Elena took filling her lungs with something heavy and unnatural.

She felt the weight of the final trial before she even saw it.

Cassian walked ahead, his expression set in grim determination. He hadn't spoken much since they left the Gate of Endurance, but Elena didn't need him to. She could see the tension in the way his shoulders hunched, the way his hand never strayed from the hilt of his sword.

"Is it here?" she asked finally, her voice hoarse.

Cassian stopped at the edge of a ridge, staring out over the barren land below. In the distance, an enormous stone gate loomed. Unlike the others, this one was alive. Flames licked at its surface, and dark chains coiled around its edges like serpents, pulsing with a crimson glow.

"It's here," Cassian said softly, his voice carrying a note of warning.

Elena swallowed hard as she stepped up beside him. The sight of the gate sent chills through her bones, despite the oppressive heat that rolled off it. It felt wrong, as though it didn't belong in this world—or any world.

"This is the Gate of Sacrifice," Cassian continued, his silver eyes fixed on the glowing threshold. "The final trial."

"What does it want?" Elena whispered, though she already knew the answer.

Cassian turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "The gate will ask for something of you. A price. To pass through, you must give it willingly."

"A price?" Elena frowned. "What kind of price?"

Cassian's gaze held hers, and for the first time, she thought she saw something like regret flicker in his silver eyes. "That is for the gate to decide."

Elena's blood ran cold. She turned back to the gate, watching as the flames twisted and danced, as if beckoning her forward. A sacrifice. Her mind raced with possibilities—her strength? Her memories? Her life?

"Will it take everything?" she asked softly.

Cassian hesitated before answering. "It may."

She turned to him sharply. "You've done this before, haven't you?"

Cassian's jaw tightened, and he looked away. "I have."

"And what did you sacrifice?"

The question hung in the air between them, heavy and unspoken. Cassian didn't answer, but his silence was answer enough.

"Can you pass it more than once?" Elena pressed, her voice trembling.

Cassian's gaze snapped back to her, hard and unyielding. "No. The gate only takes once."

The implication struck her like a blow. He had already given something up. Whatever Cassian had sacrificed in his past, it had been enough to mark him forever. She could see it now, the weight he carried in every step, in every word.

Elena turned back to the gate. Her heart thundered in her chest, her palms slick with sweat. A sacrifice.

She took a deep breath. "Then let's get this over with."

As Elena approached the gate, the heat grew unbearable. Her skin prickled, and the air itself seemed to hum with anticipation. The flames danced higher, parting as she stepped forward, as if the gate were watching her—waiting.

When she reached the threshold, the ground trembled beneath her feet. The chains coiled tighter, and a deep, resonant voice filled the air, though it seemed to speak from inside her mind.

"You seek the crown. You seek power."

Elena clenched her fists, lifting her chin. "I seek to save my people."

The voice rumbled with dark amusement. "The crown does not come freely. What will you give, little one, to claim what you desire?"

Elena's breath caught. "What do you want?"

For a moment, there was silence. Then the voice whispered, soft and insidious.

"Your heart."

Elena froze. "My… what?"

"Your heart," the voice repeated. "Not your life. Not your strength. Your heart—your ability to love, to feel. Give it, and the path to the crown will open."

Her knees nearly buckled. Her heart. To lose her ability to love, to feel joy, hope, connection—it was a price that felt far worse than death.

"Why?" she demanded, her voice cracking. "Why that?"

"Because it is what makes you weak," the voice said. "And the crown has no place for weakness."

Tears stung Elena's eyes. She thought of her village, of the people she had lost. She thought of Cassian, of the way he had stood beside her when she was ready to fall. Her heart had kept her going through all of it. Without it, would she even still be herself?

"You can't ask that of me," she whispered.

The voice chuckled, dark and hollow. "Then turn back."

Elena looked over her shoulder, back toward the ridge where Cassian stood. He hadn't moved, but she could feel his gaze on her. He had given something up once. Now it was her turn.

This is for them, she reminded herself. For my people. For everything I've lost.

She turned back to the gate, tears slipping down her cheeks as she placed a trembling hand on its burning surface. "Take it," she said hoarsely. "Take my heart."

The gate flared to life, the flames erupting into a blinding inferno. Elena screamed as heat and light consumed her, tearing through her chest, searing her very soul. Pain unlike anything she had ever known wracked her body, and for a moment, she thought she would die.

And then—

Silence.

When Elena opened her eyes, she was kneeling on the ground, the gate silent and still behind her. The flames were gone, the chains shattered. The air was cold again, but Elena felt… empty.

She pressed a hand to her chest, her breath coming in short gasps. The steady rhythm of her heartbeat was still there, but something was missing.

"Your heart…" the voice echoed faintly, fading into nothing.

She looked up as Cassian approached, his face pale, his silver eyes filled with something she couldn't quite place—concern? Sorrow?

"You did it," he said softly.

Elena nodded, tears still trailing down her face. "I did."

Cassian crouched beside her, searching her expression. "Do you feel it?"

Elena looked away, her throat tight. "I don't feel anything."

The words hurt more than she expected, because they were true. The ache in her chest was not physical—it was the absence of something vital, something that had once made her Elena.

Cassian stood, offering her his hand. "The path to the crown is open now. It's almost over."

Elena took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She looked toward the horizon, where a faint golden light shimmered in the distance. The crown was waiting.

But as she followed Cassian toward the final path, one thought echoed in her mind:

Was the price too high?