(Gate 9 — Naphtali: The Willing Flame)
The path led Eliah to a windswept plain, where great banners danced in the sky—not of cloth, but of pure energy. Each banner shimmered with words unspoken, songs unsung, choices not yet made.
In the center of the plain stood a great brazier of white fire. It did not burn the air—it sang through it, pulsing like a heart.
A tall figure stood beside the flame, clad in robes of gold and deep red. His eyes were kind but strong, like the eyes of someone who had said yes to something very difficult—and never turned back.
“I am Naphtali,” he said. “Guardian of the Gate of Intention.”
Eliah felt the air around him stir. His heart beat faster.
“You have remembered who you are,” Naphtali said. “Now comes a new question: What will you do with it?”
Eliah blinked. “I… I don’t know.”
Naphtali gestured to the flame. “This fire does not consume. It listens. It burns away fear, doubt, and delay. Speak your heart. Offer your intention.”
Eliah stepped forward. The fire flickered gently, inviting.
He thought of the Valley of Forgetfulness. He thought of the Gates he had crossed, of the voices he had heard, of the whisper that was now becoming a roar in his chest.
“I want to walk the whole path,” Eliah said, his voice trembling. “I want to be Light again. I want to help others remember.”
The flame brightened, answering him with a swirl of warmth and joy.
Naphtali smiled. “Then your will is now a flame. And your journey cannot be stopped—not by shadow, not by time.”
The Gate appeared—a radiant arch of burning crystal, shaped like a torch turned upward. Above it:
“Gate 9 — Naphtali: Intention Lights the Way.”
Eliah stepped through, and behind him the fire rose—not to destroy, but to bless.
And the voice within him whispered once more:
“A willing soul becomes a walking flame.”
To be continued…
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