The storm broke before dawn.
Thunder rolled across the horizon like the sound of chains dragging through the sky.Aarohi stood on the balcony of her apartment, her eyes locked on the lightning tearing the clouds apart.
The city slept below, unaware that something old had awakened above them.
She could feel it.The air wasn't just heavy — it was alive, pulsing, breathing.
And then — her mark began to burn.
The Omen
The glow beneath her skin spread like wildfire — across her throat, her arms, her hands.She gasped, clutching the railing.
A voice whispered behind her — deep, ancient, cold.
"The Flame returns… and still, she remembers love."
Aarohi spun around — but there was no one there. Only the faint shimmer of gold dust in the air, twisting into the outline of a man's silhouette.
Golden eyes.Radiant light that hurt to look at.
And a presence that made her heart freeze.
The First God
"Who are you?" she demanded, forcing her voice steady.
The being tilted his head, smiling faintly.
"Once, you called me Father. Once, you defied me."
Her breath caught. "You're—"
"Elyon," he said. "The God of Mercy… though mercy is not what you deserve."
The sky darkened as he stepped closer — light rippling off his form like burning glass.
"You and the Guardian defied divine order. You burned my heavens to save him. You killed gods to protect a mortal bound to shadow."
"I wasn't human," she whispered. "Was I?"
"You were more than human," Elyon said softly. "You were creation's first flame — meant to give life, not destroy it. But you chose love over order."
His voice deepened, laced with sorrow and fury.
"And for that… I unmade you."
The Confrontation
Aarohi's flames rose instinctively, wrapping around her like armor."Then why bring me back?"
"I didn't."
The words hit like thunder.
"You returned because the Guardian refused to let you rest. His curse called to your soul — defying even death's silence."
Her heart stopped. "Arin… brought me back?"
"He chained your soul to his. Love twisted into rebellion. That is your punishment."
Her voice broke. "You mean—"
"You will be reborn again and again — finding him, loving him, burning everything in your wake until the world drowns in your fire."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Then end it. Kill me now."
Elyon's gaze softened — not mercy, but regret.
"If I could kill you, I would have done it eons ago. The Flame cannot be destroyed — only consumed."
He raised his hand, and light surged forward — pure, divine, blinding.
The Protector Returns
A wave of black cut through the gold.The light shattered.
And from the broken storm stepped Arin, shadows swirling around him like living armor.
He stood between her and the god, his voice calm but edged with fire.
"Touch her, and I'll end your heaven again."
Elyon's golden eyes narrowed. "You still speak as if you have power, Guardian. But all you hold is her curse."
"Then let it burn us both."
The god raised his hand again — the air crackling, reality bending under divine pressure.
Aarohi screamed as the force pushed against her chest — light and darkness colliding, tearing through the clouds.
Arin grabbed her hand, their marks glowing in unison — black and crimson threads intertwining, forming a circle of power around them.
The light exploded.
For a moment, there was nothing — no sky, no ground, only them.
The Aftermath
When the world returned, they were back in the ruins of the church — both on their knees, breathing hard.
Aarohi's vision blurred. "Did we… survive?"
Arin nodded faintly. "For now."
She stared at him — the exhaustion, the pain, the quiet defiance still burning behind his eyes."Why didn't you tell me?"
"That you were never meant to remember?"
"No. That you brought me back."
Arin looked away. "Because every time I do, I lose a piece of myself."
She reached out, her fingers brushing his cheek."Then stop."
"I can't."
"Why?"
He met her eyes, the answer soft, breaking:
"Because even if it kills me, you're the only thing that ever made me feel alive."
Lightning flashed through the stained-glass ruins, painting them in colors of blood and gold.Aarohi leaned against him, her flame flickering weakly.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled again — not from the storm, but from something far older, waking in the heavens.
The war was coming.
And this time, even the gods feared what love could become.