{ } OPEN. {🔥} CLOSED. { } IN THE FURNACE. The F.L.A.R.E. flame burns again. This time, the readers decide who rises. 🔥Step into the Mini Awards, discover new stories, and be part of the judging. Read, vote, and help decide which entries shine the brightest.

Samika Orelvin and Kesar Astor were never meant to belong to the same world, let alone exist within the same story. She is the illegitimate daughter of a condemned colonel. He is the last heir of a ruined noble house. Different beginnings. The same stain. By the time they arrive at Arx Royal Military Academy, neither expects survival to come without a cost. For most cadets, Arx is a place of discipline and transformation. For the Bravian seeds, children of executed traitors, it is the last chance to stay alive. They have been dying across the kingdom for years, and even within the institution, the pattern does not stop. Samika insists she and Kesar are nothing more than circumstance. Kesar treats attachment as weakness. Yet in a place where trust can get you killed, they are each other's only constant, bound by violence, shared secrets, and everything they refuse to name. As Arx strips them of innocence and morality, they must decide what they are willing to become in order to survive. And in Arx, that is the most dangerous transformation of all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inspiration: The Empyrean series by R. Yarros, The Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab, and The Firebird Trilogy by C. Gray ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Content Warnings This story contains mature and sensitive themes, including: • graphic violence • torture • sexual violence / sexual assault (non-graphic depiction with trauma aftermath) • psychological abuse and manipulation • war crimes and wartime atrocities • death, including of minors • body horror • dissociation • self-destructive behavior • abuse of power • sexual content (18+) Reader discretion is advised.