The road beyond Varynth was no longer a road
It was bone and soot and silence
Kael walked without rest
His feet bled but he did not feel it
The flame within him numbed everything except purpose
He had none yet
But he would
By the time the moon rose over the ruins of the east ridge
He saw the first sign of life since the girl with the flute
A figure crouched beside a broken cairn of blackened stone
Cloaked in blue threadbare cloth
White hair braided with beads of bone
Her back to him
Singing in a voice that seemed older than the stars
Kael stopped
Watched
Waited
She turned her head slightly
Eyes glowing faint violet
You stink of cinder and sorrow
Kael didn't speak
She stood slowly
Tall
Graceful
But cracked at the edges like a vase that had fallen and been reassembled too many times
You're the one who broke the cathedral
She said
Her voice carried no accusation
Only prophecy
Kael stepped forward
And you are
She bowed slightly
My name is Lirae
I keep the deathstones
Kael looked at the cairn she had tended
Rocks stacked like a tower of grief
Scratched with symbols
Some ancient
Some desperate
They carve names into stone for the dead
Lirae explained
But most don't remember their names
So I carve what they were in their final breath
She pointed to one
This one was brave
She pointed to another
This one was afraid
Another
This one forgave
She looked at Kael
And you
What would yours say
Kael answered without thinking
Still burning
Lirae nodded
Then carve it
He hesitated
She handed him a jagged piece of bone
Charred black
Use this
Kael approached the largest stone
Knelt
And carved three words slowly
Still
Burning
Kael
Lirae read it aloud
And a small smile touched her lips
Then she turned
And her smile faded
They're here
Kael looked past her
The trees beyond the ridge shifted
Shadows moved
Not animals
Not men
The Scorchless
Lirae whispered
The wind screamed
From the ash rose creatures made of stone and char
Humanoid
But eyeless
Mouths filled with teeth like rusted nails
Skin like blistered glass
They did not walk
They crackled
Lirae grabbed Kael's arm
Do not burn them
Why
Because they were born of it
You'll feed them
You'll make them worse
Kael gritted his teeth
Then what
We run
But it was too late
One of the Scorchless leapt
Kael pushed Lirae aside and caught the creature midair with both hands
It screamed without breath
Its touch like frost and coal
He threw it back
And it shattered against a tree
But it reformed instantly
Ash pulling it back together
Lirae held up a rune-marked blade from her belt
Silver
Worn
And humming
Use the stone edge
Cut where the ash does not reach
Its heart is in the coldest part
Kael snatched the blade
Another one came
He stepped forward
Watched its movements
And when it lunged
He ducked beneath it
Slashed upward through its spine
It fell apart like broken pottery
Dead
More followed
Lirae fought beside him
Her movements were dance and precision
Not flame
Not strength
Just knowledge
They cut through five
Then ten
When it was done
The ground was littered with twitching shards of Scorchless remains
Still trying to rebuild
Lirae crushed the final one's skull with a heavy rock
She breathed hard
You're reckless
But you listen
Kael stared at the twitching remains
I need answers
Not monsters
Lirae wiped her blade
Then follow me
The one who can answer waits in the ruins of Emberhymn
What's in Emberhymn
The last temple of the Ashborne flame
And the only thing that can tell you if the fire inside you was meant to save the world
Or end it