Veyne stirred in his sleep
His breath shallow
His skin pale
Kael sat beside the fire
Watching
Lirae knelt by the glyph she had drawn in the dirt
It glowed dim orange
A weak barrier
Barely holding against the chill of Emberhymn's breath
He's still connected to the seal
She said
That magic never broke clean
Kael frowned
You said the glyph was blood-forged
What does that mean
It means someone sacrificed more than they had
She answered
To keep something in
Or keep someone out
Kael looked at Veyne
His eyes narrowed
Was he the seal
Or the key
Both
Lirae whispered
A long silence followed
Kael broke it
The creature that rose
That Echo Knight
It said Ash still lives
It wasn't talking about me
Was it
Lirae didn't answer
Her fingers traced the edge of the glyph
Kael pressed again
Tell me
She stood slowly
Faced him
There was another
She finally said
Before you
Before the Scorch
There was one who burned the stars themselves
The First Flame
The one who lit the fire and then vanished
And now the world thinks you're his return
Kael shook his head
I'm not a god
I'm not even whole
Lirae looked down
Then why did the glyph open for you
Why did the chains bend
Why did the child call you flame
Before Kael could speak
Veyne gasped awake
His eyes shot open
Burning silver
His voice was different
Older
Not his own
The fire is a wound and you are the blade
The stars remember
But the sky bleeds
Kael rushed to him
Veyne grabbed his wrist
They will come now
Not the Scorchless
The Black Emissaries
The glyph around them cracked
The wind changed
Lirae grabbed her spear
Kael drew his blade
The fire died suddenly
All heat vanished
From the shadows beyond the broken temple arches
They came
Cloaked in robes darker than void
Faces hidden by mirrored masks
Each held a staff carved from obsidian bone
The Black Emissaries moved without sound
Six of them
Then twelve
Then more
Fading into view like memories returning too fast
Kael stepped forward
Flame rising in his palm
But Lirae stopped him
Don't
They don't come to fight
Not yet
One stepped forward
The mask shimmered
Its voice was neither male nor female
Ashborn
We kneel not to you
But to what sleeps beneath your skin
Kael's eyes narrowed
What do you want
To offer a pact
The world ends either in rot or fire
We choose flame
They bowed as one
Veyne trembled
Lirae stood between them
What's the price
The lead Emissary lifted their hand
From their sleeve fell a scroll sealed in molten wax
Unbind the Gate of Cinders
We will serve your flame without betrayal
Kael didn't take the scroll
Why would I trust you
The Emissary tilted its head
Because even gods will fear what follows if you don't
Lightning cracked in the sky above
For the first time since Kael had risen from the ash
The sky broke
A single flame-colored star fell
The Emissaries looked up
Then vanished
Kael stared at the spot they had stood
His flame was shaking
Not from weakness
From recognition
Lirae spoke first
This is moving too fast
The flame inside you is waking pieces of the old world
And not all of them care whether you survive it
Kael looked at the scroll still burning gently on the stone
Veyne whispered again
You're not a king
You're a torch
And torches are meant to be used
Then broken
Kael didn't flinch
He picked up the scroll
The wax burned his fingers
But he didn't let go
Then I'll burn everything they fear
And I'll decide what remains