The sky above the Temple of the Exiled Flame had turned an eerie violet. Clouds swirled unnaturally as if they, too, feared what was about to unfold.
Kairos stood at the temple steps, wind tearing at his coat. Ayaka was behind him, silent and still, but her presence burned like a star.
Across the stone bridge that led to the sacred grounds stood the bounty hunter.
He was tall—inhumanly so—wrapped in black robes that shimmered like oil in sunlight. His face was hidden behind a mask resembling a wolf's skull, marked with glowing sigils of the Guild.
But his weapon spoke the loudest.
A long blade, humming with energy, carved with two names:
Kairos of Akaros – Kill on Sight
Ayaka Tenrou – Terminate with Protocol 9
Kairos's blood boiled.
"You came for me…"
The hunter said nothing. Instead, he lifted a hand—and with a twist of his fingers, the world snapped.
Gravity shattered.
Chunks of earth rose, flipped, and hovered. Birds froze mid-flight before disintegrating into light. The hunter stepped forward, one boot at a time, his voice a rumble:
"Subject 117. The sealed flame. Orders: Extraction or elimination."
Kairos gritted his teeth. His body still pulsed with the energy Ayaka had unlocked, but he didn't understand it. Couldn't control it.
"I'm not going with you."
The bounty hunter tilted his head. "You don't have a choice."
And then he moved.
---
Battle Ignites
The bounty hunter vanished.
In a blink, he reappeared behind Kairos, blade already slashing down. But before steel met skin, a barrier of light exploded outward—Ayaka.
She had raised her hand, glowing chains wrapped around her wrist again, blocking the attack.
"Touch him, and I burn this temple to the ground," she said, her voice calm but deadly.
The hunter spun, kicking toward her chest. She caught the blow mid-air, her palm igniting with runic fire, hurling him backward. He landed on his feet, sliding across the stone, and looked between them.
"So the seal is broken."
Kairos's eyes burned. "What do you want from me?"
"To end the mistake your father made."
The words struck deeper than a blade.
But before Kairos could react, Ayaka placed a hand on his shoulder. "Focus on me."
He turned. Her eyes glowed like twin moons.
"You are not weak," she whispered. "You are not broken. You are not alone. Say it."
He blinked. "I'm not—"
"Say it like a flame."
And then she stepped away, lifting both arms.
Light erupted.
Ayaka's entire body shimmered, and in a burst of radiance, she summoned her true form:
A glowing figure wrapped in living scripture, wings of flame unfurling behind her back.
The bounty hunter froze for just a moment—just enough.
That's all Kairos needed.
---
The Flame Awakens
Something broke inside Kairos.
Not in pain.
In freedom.
He felt it—like a door opening in his chest. The fire Ayaka had shown him in the soul realm… it was real. It was him.
His fingertips burned, not with destruction, but with control.
He took a deep breath.
And let go.
The ground beneath him cracked. His veins lit up. Symbols traced across his arms and neck like fire-born tattoos. His eyes turned molten gold.
He stepped forward.
The hunter lunged, blade-first—but this time, Kairos met him halfway.
Clang!
Kairos raised his forearm, catching the blade with sheer flame-infused force. It should've sliced through him—but the steel melted.
Ayaka smiled faintly. "You've finally heard it."
Kairos roared.
He moved with speed that blurred reality. One punch—the hunter flew back, crashing into a pillar. Kairos didn't stop.
He raised his hands. Fire formed a sigil in the air—Akarosian Flame Glyph: Tier 1 – Wrath Spiral.
He slammed it down.
A vortex of spiraling fire engulfed the entire battlefield, searing the air, shaking the heavens.
The bounty hunter screamed—his cloak caught fire, his mask cracked.
But still… he didn't fall.
He emerged, broken, burning, yet standing. Blood trickled down his chin. "You're still just a child…"
Kairos was breathing heavily. "And you're just a pawn."
He raised his hand to finish it—
But the hunter threw a smoke shard at the ground.
BOOM.
The world went white.
And when the smoke cleared… he was gone.
---
Aftermath
Silence returned to the temple.
Ayaka walked to Kairos, placing a hand over his heart.
"Do you feel it?" she asked softly.
He nodded. "Like a storm waiting to break."
Ayaka looked toward the horizon. "They'll send stronger ones next. The Guild won't stop. You have maybe a week before the Purifiers come."
Kairos asked, "Then what do we do?"
She gave a small, sad smile.
"We run. And we find the others like you—those born with the forbidden sparks."
Kairos's eyes widened. "There are more?"
"Scattered. Hunted. Forgotten."
She turned to him. "But together… you might just set the world on fire."