The golden blaze surged from Kai's body, illuminating the stone walls and darkened skies in radiant firelight. For a heartbeat, Emberheart glowed like the heart of a sun—but only for a moment.
Then the Nightmares shrieked.
They recoiled from the light, their formless shadows writhing and twisting. One of them lunged—an obsidian blur with glinting red eyes—but before it reached him, Kai lifted his hand. The flame exploded outward in a spiral arc, consuming the creature mid-leap. It vanished in a hiss of black smoke and ash.
Linya stood frozen, eyes wide.
"You—" she began.
"I can hold them," Kai said, the flame roaring at his fingertips. "But I need you to evacuate the outer sectors. Get the civilians out. Now."
Linya hesitated, but only for a second. She nodded. "Don't die, Kai."
She vanished into the night, her cloak trailing like a shadow in the wind.
Kai stepped forward, past the city's gate, his feet crunching on blackened stone. The Nightmares hissed and slithered, regrouping in the darkness. More of them were coming—scores, perhaps hundreds—rising from the forest beyond the walls like smoke.
He closed his eyes, letting the fire within him guide his breath.
The First Fire was not just destruction.
It was clarity.
It was life.
And if he truly listened, it spoke.
You are not their prey… you are their end.
Kai opened his eyes, golden flame flaring in his pupils.
Three Nightmares charged.
He met them head-on.
The ground cracked as his foot struck forward. A pillar of flame erupted beneath him, sending him flying into the nearest creature. His fist struck shadow—but where his skin met darkness, fire ignited. The Nightmare screeched as golden light tore through it.
Another came from the left. Kai ducked, then spun—his back hand arcing with fire. A whip of flame sliced through the beast's center, burning its form apart in midair.
The third paused, unsure.
Kai pointed at it.
Flame roared from his palm and vaporized it in one breath.
But for every Nightmare destroyed, five more crawled from the woods.
They were endless. Like rot, like plague, like death given shape.
Kai dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
The fire... it was strong, but his body was straining to keep up. His muscles ached. His skin was hot and blistering under his robes. The fire was starting to burn him too.
But still he stood.
Still he fought.
Because he couldn't stop.
Not now.
Just as the next wave surged forward—more massive than the last—a horn sounded.
From the rooftops, blazing arrows fell like rain. Dozens of city guards fired from above, and behind them, Linya appeared again, sword drawn, eyes burning.
"You thought I'd leave you here?" she shouted.
Kai smiled. "Took you long enough."
The guards formed ranks at the walls, and flames joined arrows as Emberheart's defenses roared to life. Magic flared. Blades gleamed. The people of the city were rising—not to run, but to fight.
Kai turned back to the oncoming Nightmares, their shrieks shaking the air.
He didn't feel afraid.
He felt ready.
The ground trembled.
From deep within the forest, something new stirred—something larger. The trees bent. The air darkened. The other Nightmares paused, almost... waiting.
Then it stepped into view.
A massive creature of shadow, easily three times taller than a man. Horns curled from its head, and its chest glowed with a deep red core like molten coal.
Kai froze.
Even the First Fire inside him recoiled.
This wasn't a Nightmare.
It was something older.
Something worse.