The blue fire blazed high, painting Lyra's face in glowing light. Her breath caught as the flames swirled into a spiral, opening a rift in the air itself.
From that spiraling fire... he stepped out.
A boy—maybe sixteen, tall and slender, with skin like dusk and hair kissed by starlight. His eyes were a soft, silvery gold, and when they met Lyra's, the world seemed to hush. Time, wind, even Thalen's whisper fell silent.
She couldn't breathe.
He stood calmly, barefoot on the forest floor, wearing a cloak woven from midnight mist. Runes shimmered on his fingertips as if written in moonlight.
"You called me," he said softly, his voice like wind through ancient trees.
"Or perhaps... your magic did."
Lyra blinked. "Who—what are you?"
He tilted his head, studying her with quiet intensity.
"I am Kael, Guardian of the Echo Flame. I was born when the First Spell was cast… and I've waited centuries to meet the one who would awaken it again."
"Me?" she whispered. "Why me?"
"Because," he stepped closer, his eyes never leaving hers, "your soul still remembers the beginning."
She should've run. Should've doubted him. But instead, her heart… leaned toward him, drawn by something older than memory. His presence felt like a melody she'd heard in dreams—half forgotten but achingly familiar.
"You're not afraid," Kael noted, a rare, gentle smile playing on his lips.
"Should I be?"
He shook his head slowly. "No. But the world will be."
Thalen's staff struck the ground with a warning thud. "This is dangerous. The Echo has never summoned a guardian like him. Not in a thousand years."
But Lyra didn't move.
She took a step toward Kael.
And in that moment, the blue fire surged around them, weaving threads of light between their hands, binding something deeper. Not just fate. A bond.
> "We're connected, aren't we?" she asked.
Kael's voice was barely a breath. "We always were."
Far above them, hidden behind the stars, something ancient stirred. The Aether Council, who once sealed the Echo Flame, had felt its pulse once more.
And they were watching.