Dawn in Kareth was different.
The sunlight felt denser, as if the world were relearning how to shine.
People still cried in the streets, some simply staring at the sky, unable to believe that the day had finally returned.
We didn't believe it either.
After so many battles, seals, fragments, and echoes, seeing something as simple as a sunrise felt like miracle enough.
"So that's it?" Vespera asked, with a tired smile. "It's over?"
Celine watched the horizon, serious. "The sun rose, but the flame is still active. Zephyron is not gone… only resting."
"And if he wakes up?" Elara asked.
"Then the world will decide whether it wants to remember him or erase him for good."
I looked at the sky. The warmth in my chest was still there — a calm but living presence.
"He won't wake up," I said. "Not now. He trusts me."
Liriel gave me a curious look. "And do you trust yourself?"
"Most of the time," I replied, laughing awkwardly.
We left Kareth on the same day.
We descended the trail leading south, crossing stone bridges and valleys covered in silver flowers that only grew under twilight.
It was too beautiful to be real.
And from experience, things that were too beautiful usually came with a problem included.
On the second day of travel, we noticed something strange.
The sky seemed… stuck again.
Not dark, not bright — just suspended in a faded shade of gold.
"That's not possible," Elara murmured. "The sun stopped again?"
"No," Celine replied. "This is something else."
Liriel raised her grimoire, watching the pages tremble on their own. "The energy shifted. The world's balance is adjusting… or trying to."
Vespera spun a potion vial in her hand. "The flame wakes up and the planet has an identity crisis. Great."
Suddenly, the ground shook.
The silver flowers closed, the wind stopped — and a deep sound echoed, like underground bells.
In the middle of the road, the air split into golden sparks.
From them emerged three hooded figures, covered in spiral symbols.
Celine stepped back, tense. "The Watchers…"
"Watchers of what?" I asked.
"Of the Twilight. Ancient entities created to maintain balance between light and shadow. They awaken only when something… breaks."
The figure in the middle spoke, the voice echoing in a distorted tone.
"The fire of forgetting has been rekindled. The bearer of the flame must be judged."
Everyone looked at me.
"Great," I muttered. "Not even one day of rest."
The three figures advanced slowly. They carried no weapons, but the air around them vibrated like invisible blades.
Liriel opened her grimoire, conjuring a protective seal. Elara raised her bow, and Vespera was already preparing a potion that would probably explode.
Celine, however, raised her hand. "Wait. If we react with violence, the judgment becomes condemnation."
"And if we stay still?" I asked.
"They might listen before they attack."
The figure in the center observed me. "You carry within yourself two flames — one human and one divine. This should not exist."
"Yeah," I replied. "But since it does, let's talk like adults."
The second figure stepped forward. "Zephyron violated the balance when he tried to extinguish the fire. Now the cycle repeats through you. The bearer must prove whether he is remembrance or destruction."
"And how do you prove that?"
The Watcher raised its hand. "By entering the Twilight."
The ground opened beneath my feet.
Everything became light.
When I could see again, I was alone.
The world around me was made of moving colors — gold, gray, blue. Sky and ground were the same fabric, stitched together by lines of fire.
In the center, three mirrors floated.
One showed my face — human, tired, alive.
The second showed Zephyron — in flames, eyes closed.
The third… empty.
A voice echoed: "Choose who you are."
I walked to the first mirror. I touched the surface and saw flashes — the group, the laughter, the mistakes, the small victories.
The weight of humanity.
I went to the second. I felt power, strength, clarity — but also loneliness.
Eternity seen from inside a prison of light.
Finally, the third — empty, without reflection.
When I touched it, I saw only blue and golden flame mixed together, spinning.
And I heard Zephyron.
"Do not choose what the world wants. Choose what you want to be."
I closed my eyes.
"I'm not just remembrance. And I'm not destruction either."
I opened my hands, letting the fire flow.
"I'm what remains when the past and the future forgive each other."
The mirrors shattered, and the entire Twilight glowed.
When I awoke, I was in the same place as before.
The Watchers surrounded us, and the group stared at me in astonishment.
"You… glowed," Vespera said, blinking. "Literally. And you didn't explode. Unprecedented."
Celine watched closely. "The flame inside you stabilized. You managed to balance the two essences."
The middle Watcher stepped forward. "The judgment is over. The bearer is neither remembrance nor destruction. He is a bridge."
"Bridge?" I asked.
"The link between what was forgotten and what can still be remembered."
The three bowed, and the lights around them began to unravel.
"Be then the guardian of the flame, Takumi of Altherion. And may the world find peace through you."
And they vanished — just like that.
Silence returned.
No one spoke for a few seconds, until Vespera, of course, broke the mood:
"Guardian of the flame. Sounds fancy. You should get a plaque made."
"Or a cape with fire drawn on it," Elara suggested.
"Please don't encourage him," Liriel said, adjusting her grimoire. "He's already confident enough without divine symbols."
"Hey," I replied, pretending to be offended. "I'm humble."
"You talk to fire," Vespera shot back. "That automatically cancels humility."
We laughed, and for the first time in days, the sound didn't feel tired.
Celine remained silent, just observing. When the laughter faded, she said:
"The Watchers didn't appear by chance. They awakened because the balance truly broke. Something bigger is happening."
"Bigger than a god trapped inside me?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered firmly. "The flame has spread. Other parts of the world have begun to reignite. The awakening is no longer just Zephyron's. It's the fire in all places where forgetting once ruled."
Liriel closed her book. "The entire world is remembering… and that can be dangerous."
I looked at the sky. The golden hue was beginning to move again, turning into pure blue.
The balance was returning, but in a new form.
"Maybe remembering isn't dangerous," I said. "Maybe it's necessary."
Elara smiled softly. "I just hope the world is ready."
"And if it's not," Vespera added, "at least we'll have great stories to tell."
That night, we camped near a river that reflected the stars.
The flame inside me felt silent but alive — as if observing, not commanding.
While the others slept, I stayed awake, watching the fire's reflection in the water.
I thought of Zephyron, the Watchers, and everything that had changed since the first fragment.
I felt a gentle breeze and a voice whisper:
"The bridge does not exist to stand still. It exists to be crossed."
I smiled.
"Then let's see where this road leads."
The flame answered with a soft glow.
And for the first time, the fire inside me didn't seem to burn — only to illuminate.