Sai opened his eyes slowly, his body aching like molten metal cooling inside him. The world was quiet — no roars, no flames, only the soft sound of footsteps.
He blinked. Amal was carrying him in her arms, ash still glowing faintly around her shoulders. Behind her, Tai, Xei, and Shi were slumped on her back like broken dolls.
> Amal (teasing): "Oh, sorry if I woke you up, sleeping beauty."
Sai (weakly smiling): "It's okay."
Amal (grinning): "Just kidding. Get off me, you heavy flame."
She dropped them — gently for Shi, less so for the others.
> Sai (groaning): "Ouch. You could've warned me."
Amal: "Where's the fun in that?"
They settled beside a fallen tree as the cold air rolled in. Amal sat cross-legged, watching the moon rise while Sai lay beside her, still breathing through pain.
A few quiet minutes passed. Then Shi stirred, followed by Tai and Xei.
> Amal (relieved): "Finally. They're awake."
Tai (stretching): "Did we… win?"
Amal (smirking): "I won."
Sai (cutting in): "We won."
Xei rubbed the side of his head, touching the bandages that wrapped over the wounds he got from the fight. His expression turned heavy.
> Xei: "I'm sorry. I was too weak."
Sai (sitting up): "Don't say that."
Xei (frowning): "But I—"
Sai: "If you hadn't sacrificed yourself… I would've given up."
Xei looked stunned, silent for a while, then gave a small smile.
> Tai (grinning): "Alright then — next beast, I'm taking the glory. You'll all call me the hero."
The group laughed — tired, broken, but alive.
The sun dipped, and the night wrapped around them. The forest glowed faintly with blue embers and falling ash. One by one, they drifted into sleep.
Only Amal stayed awake. She looked at them — her family, her burden — and whispered,
> Amal: "I should heal them."
She raised her hand, and soft dark ash rained down like starlight. It shimmered as it touched their wounds, sealing cuts, calming pain.
Sai's eyes opened slightly. He watched her in silence, her silhouette against the moonlight — graceful, strong, lonely.
> Sai (thinking): "I bring her so much pain… Why didn't she tell me?"
A voice answered, quiet but familiar — inside his head.
> Voice: "Because she didn't want to hurt you."
Sai (whispering): "Who… said that?"
Voice (soft laugh): "Me, smart Sai."
Sai: "What?"
The voice chuckled faintly — like his own echo from another world.
> Voice: "The flames talk, remember? You just stopped listening."
Sai froze — eyes widening, heart pounding. Amal turned toward him slightly, unaware that a dark ember pulsed beneath his skin.
And for the first time, the flames within him… whispered back.
Sai sat up, his chest still aching, breath shaky. The night air was quiet except for the soft crackle of dying embers. But the sound wasn't from the campfire — it was from inside him.
A whisper, deep and old, echoed through his veins.
Voice: "You finally hear me."
Sai (startled): "How can you talk?"
Voice (calm but powerful): "I am not talking, Sai. I am the Eternal Flame."
Sai (confused): "I get that, but… fire can't talk."
The voice's tone sharpened — hot and commanding.
Voice: "Do not compare me to your mortal fire. I am the flame that burns through creation itself — the curse your bloodline carries, the power you call yours."
Sai clenched his fists, the heat under his skin rising.
Sai: "Then why now? Why speak to me after all this time?"
Voice: "Because you are changing. You've touched death, faced despair, and yet you stand. That makes you… worthy to listen."
The ground beneath him shimmered faintly — black ash twisting into faint orange light.
Sai: "You said you'd help. What do you want from me?"
Voice (quiet): "Nothing. Not yet. Before you walk into the next beast's domain, rest. Enjoy the quiet. Talk. Laugh. Be young while you still can."
Sai frowned, the words catching him off guard.
Sai: "You want me to… be a teenager?"
Voice (soft, almost amused): "Even eternal fire knows warmth, Sai. The time will come for burning again. But for now… just live."
The voice faded, leaving behind only a gentle pulse of heat — not pain, but calm.
Sai looked toward his friends, sleeping peacefully under the moonlight.
For the first time in a long while, he smiled.