Louie stood, breathless but triumphant, his crust now golden and firm. The Crumblends had tested him, but he had passed. The Keeper of Crumbs had retreated into the mist, leaving only the echoes of his words behind.

  But there was no time to rest. The Resistance had come this far, and the second stone was still within reach. Louie knew the Crumblends were just the beginning of a greater challenge. Ahead of them y the Oven Keepers—a legendary order of bakers who had forsaken the art of fvor to serve only the cold, unyielding w of perfection.

  Rond, still slightly crumbled from the test, limped to Louie’s side. “You did it, Loaf. You rose above it.”

  Se’s gze shimmered in the fading light. “But it’s not over. We have to face the Oven Keepers now. They’re the final barrier between us and the second Stone of Leaven.”

  Loxley, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up. “I’ve heard stories. The Oven Keepers aren’t just skilled bakers. They’re... well, relentless. They test your dough with fire and pressure. If you can’t withstand it, you crumble. Literally.”

  Louie felt a knot tighten in his dough. Fire was one thing he hadn’t had to face yet. But he would not be deterred.

  “I’m ready,” Louie said, his voice steady. “We all are.”

  The journey continued through the Crumblends, the terrain shifting and growing darker as they approached the heart of the nd. Strange, ancient ovens stood like monoliths, their fires long since extinguished, but still they held a strange power, pulsing with a faint warmth.

  As they crossed into the shadow of a massive, crumbling bakery, the air grew thick with heat. From the shadows emerged figures—tall, gaunt, and wrapped in aprons of fire-baked cloth. Their faces were shadowed, their eyes glowing like embers.

  “The Oven Keepers,” Rond muttered under his breath. “Here we are.”

  One of the Oven Keepers stepped forward, her voice like the crackling of a fire. “So, the Loaf has arrived. Do you think you’re worthy of the stone?”

  “We do,” Louie said, stepping forward. “We’ve come to cim it and restore fvor to the world.”

  The Oven Keeper tilted her head. “Many have come before you. They thought they were worthy too. The stone tests only the strongest dough. The purest crust. The deepest fvor.”

  “We’re ready,” Louie repeated, his heart pounding. “We have to be.”

  The Keeper’s eyes narrowed. “We shall see.”

  With a flick of her wrist, she raised her hand, and the ground trembled. From beneath them, a great oven door opened wide, revealing a pit of fire—a searing bze that filled the air with heat. The air shimmered with the intensity of it.

  “Prove your strength, Loaf. If you can withstand the fire, you will earn the stone. If not…” The Keeper’s voice trailed off, and she didn’t need to finish her sentence. The danger was clear.

  Louie stood at the edge of the pit, staring into the roaring fmes. He could feel the heat licking at his crust, the fire testing his very essence. This was it. The trial of endurance. The test of heat and pressure.

  “Don’t go in alone, Louie,” Rond warned. “We’re with you.”

  But Louie shook his head. “No. I have to do this. I’ve come this far.”

  He stepped forward, his feet sinking slightly into the smoldering embers. The heat seared his dough, but he kept moving. Each step felt like it was shaping him further, transforming him into something more. Something greater.

  The fire roared around him, trying to tear him apart, but Louie held strong. With each burn, with each blister, he felt something inside him crack open—a strength, a purpose, a unity. The stone was within reach.

  He could feel the warmth of the stone’s energy, pulsing through the fmes. It wasn’t just about enduring the heat. It was about becoming one with it. Rising, not just against it, but with it.

  As Louie reached the heart of the fire, the fmes parted, revealing the second Stone of Leaven—a brilliant, glowing sphere of golden light. It was alive with energy, swirling with the power of centuries.

  Louie stretched out his hand, feeling the heat of the stone. He closed his fingers around it, and the stone hummed, as though recognizing his strength.

  “I rise,” Louie whispered.

  The fire, sensing his resolve, swirled around him, forming a protective ring of warmth as the stone settled in his hand.

  The Oven Keeper, watching from the edge, stepped forward with a slow, deliberate motion. “You have passed the trial. You have endured. The second Stone of Leaven is yours.”

  Louie turned, his crust glowing brighter than ever, the heat of the stone within him fueling his determination. “Thank you,” he said, his voice steady. “But this isn’t just for me. It’s for all of us.”

  As the fmes of the Oven Keepers’ trial faded behind them, Louie and his companions stood at the threshold of the next great challenge.

  The two stones were in their possession. But they knew that the journey ahead would be more dangerous than ever.

  And Armand du Croissant, with his army of perfect pastries, was closing in on them.

  To be continued…