"Mother…"
A figure stood near him—shape out of the glow.
Hair like silver smoke.
Eyes soft as dusk.
The word left him shaking—half-believing, half-terrified. He feared that if he blinked, she'd vanish again, like every other memory.
Her outline steadied. When she spoke, her voice trembled between calm and urgency
"Listen carefully, Kael. This isn't truly me. It's a part of my soul—an imprint. The rest of me… somewhere far away, still alive. That's the only good news I have."
Kael's eyes widened. "Alive, Where—"
"Please."Her voice cracked, and for a heartbeat, he heard the strain beneath her composure.
"Let me finish first. I don't have much time. I know about your dream, about him—but that's not important right now."
She took a shallow breath that looked like effort. Her light wavered once, then steadied herself.
"Before you were even born, I could feel something inside you. A flame seed stronger than anything I've ever seen. Stronger than mine—and mine was one of the rarest flames in this kingdom."
Kael swallowed. "Inside me?"
"Carrying you was like holding a miniature sun inside a glass lamp," she said quietly. "Too bright for mortal flesh. You were too fragile to bear it. So I had to suppress it—with my own flame. I tried to give your body time to grow strong enough to hold it."
Her gaze flickered, part fear, part pride.
"But you weren't like others, Kael. You weren't even like me. You were born with a monster core—something no human body should have. And that core couldn't handle the flame inside you."
Kael just stared at her, speechless.
She smiled faintly through the exhaustion."You are… something the world shouldn't have been able to make. An existence so rare it breaks every law of nature. Even the heavens had no script written for you."
Her light pulsed once—dim, soft, proud."And I was proud, Kael. So proud. Even if the world calls you a anomaly… you're my miracle."
He opened his mouth, but she shook her head gently.
"My cultivation crippled that day. You've seen the aftermath—the coughs, the weakness, the days I could barely stand. That was the price. I bent destiny itself to delay your birth three months, just to keep you alive. I nourished you with my own lifeforce so your flame wouldn't devour you before you took your first breath."
Kael's voice cracked. "You shouldn't have done that for me—"
"Don't you dare," she cut in sharply, the strength returning for a moment. "Don't you dare see yourself as my suffering. You were the reason I survived after your father's disappearance."
Her expression shifted—fear creeping in around the edges.
"But when your heart first beat, something else stirred along that seed. Something vast. Older than time. It watched… and it laughed with amusement."
She looked up as if she could still hear it. Her voice went cold.
"It wasn't darkness, Kael. It was… consciousness.—Endless. Like a god who forgot how to feel."
She nodded slowly. "He told me no mortal could cage a sun. That I was trying to dam a volcano with silk. Said the awakening couldn't be stopped—that you'd die, no matter how hard I tried. That I was wasting my life on futile efforts —on you."
Kael clenched his fists. "And you—what did you say?"
Her smile returned—fragile, fierce.
"I told him I'd tear down heavens itself before I let any thing happens to my son."
For an instant, her glow flared—like the echo of that defiance burning through the years.
"Your father's blood carries the true Dragon line," she continued, quieter now. "A heritage so old even his clan calls it myth. He never knew. None of his ancestors could awaken it—their blood was too thin. "
"They only carried fragments. hat birthed arrogance and fierce talent with flame—but never communion"
"You are the first in centuries whose blood is strong enough to form that bond — and the first in centuries that could truly see him. "
Her hand lifted, shaking."You did, Kael. You made it emerge again on land."
She paused, smiling faintly despite the exhaustion.The edges of her body flickered. Her voice started to fade.
"Kael… I can feel the energy in this imprint running out. So listen, quickly."
He nodded, desperate, holding his breath.
"Don't come looking for me yet. It'll only get you killed. Find my sworn sister first—she'll know you when she sees the ring."
She gestured toward his hand; the faint band of light glowed at his finger.
"That ring isn't jewelry. It's a soul-bound storage ring, sealed to our bloodline. Only you can open it. It has almost everything that will help you grow. And…"
Her voice softened.
"It can tell you if I'm still alive."
Her shape was breaking apart now, pieces of her fading into light.
Kael reached toward her. "Mother—wait!"
"If world will come for your flame, Kael," she said, voice trembling but steady. "Let it come. But make it earn the burn."
She smiled once more, eyes shining with tears she no longer had.
"I love you, my child. Always. Remember—some questions will answer themselves… when destiny calls them."
Her hand moved as if to touch his face—but the light dispersed before it reached him.
A thousand tiny motes spiraled upward, then vanished.
Silence returned.
Only the faint warmth of the ring remained, pulsing against his skin.
Kael sank to his knees. His breath came slow, uneven.
The ash fell around him like snow.
He pressed his hand to his chest, where her light had faded.
"You're alive somewhere," he whispered. "And I'll find you."
The ring pulsed once—steady, resolute.
And for a heartbeat, he thought he felt her smile.