The war had ended, but the land still smoked.
The Solar plains were scarred wuht trenches of cooled obsidian, the sky still faintly gold from kibfirebhad torn through the cloud.
The clans gathered in silence—thousands of warriors, elders, captains, and emissaries—each aware they were standing at the edge of a new era.
At the center of the sacred valley stood the Sunspire Volcano, its fiery breath pulsing like the heartbeat of Firelonia.
And atop it, carved into the ancient stone, the Sun-King's Platform awaited the one warrior who had ended the Great War.
Bao Bao Hamato.
The stairs spiraled upward like a burning ribbon.
Bao Bao climbed each step slowly, not from weariness, but from respect. Behind him walked Raijin Sarurama, Veshlor Rana (still weak but alive), and Kuro Saru.
For the first time in generations, the four great leaders walked side by side.
When they reached the upper platform, the Sun Throne glowed faintly, reflecting the volcanic fire below.
Raijin spoke first.
> "Your voice ended what our flames began.
No other stood when the world demanded unity.
Rana rested a hand on his chest.
> "You fought us without hatred.
That deserves a crown."
Kuro smirked, folding his arms.
> "Just don't get boring, Sun-King."
Bao Bao turned, flames flickering around his shoulders like a cape of living fire.
> "If I wear the crown, it will be for the Sun—
not for myself."
The clans below erupted in a roar.
The Elders stepped forward, representing all 13 clans, great and lesser.
They carried the Solar Diadem, a circlet made of obsidian, gold, and crystallized flame.
It had not been worn since the Age of Embers.
Elder Yura placed a hand over the crown.
> "Bao Bao Hamato.
You ended the war none could stop.
You turned four flames into one.
Do you swear to burn for Firelonia,
even if it burns you in return?"
Bao Bao bowed his head.
> "I swear it."
The crown descended.
The instant it touched him—
The volcano shook.
The sky brightened.
A column of fire spiraled upward like a phoenix rising.
The clans knelt as one.
Elder Yura raised her staff.
> "Rise—
SUN-KING BAO BAO HAMATO.
Guardian of the Realm.
First Flame of the New Age."
Bao Bao stood, fire whispering around him, the Sun-Blade glowing with renewed power.
For the first time since the ancient era, Firelonia had a king.
Bao Bao lifted the Sun-Blade.
> "No clan will raise arms against another without standing before this throne.
The age of divided flames is over."
His voice carried across the plains.
> "The Hamato clan will not rule alone.
The Sarurama shall guard truth.
The Rana shall guard the borders.
The Saru shall guard the under-realms.
And the lesser clans will be honored as pillars of this realm."
The crowd erupted again—every clan screaming their vow of unity.
Far beneath the volcano —
in tunnels the clans never mapped —
hooded figures gathered around a stone altar.
Their leader pressed a hand to the carved symbol:
A closed eye.
Thirteen broken flames.
A symbol older than the clans.
> "The king has risen,"
the leader whispered.
A follower knelt.
> "Does this hinder the Plan?"
> "No."
"We forged the prophecy he follows."
"Let him build a kingdom…"
The leader's smile sharpened.
"…so we can tear it down."
The torch went out.
---
AFTERMATH
Bao Bao Hamato became the flame that held the realm together.
But in the shadows, the true enemy moved —
A secret order who wanted the clans unified…
just so their fall would be even greater.
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