The sky burned crimson as dusk fell upon the village of Elarin. Wind carried the scent of smoke and something older—older than time, older than fear. In the shadows of the quiet hills, a boy stood alone, watching the last light dip beneath the horizon. His name was Kael.
Kael had always felt out of place. Not because of how he looked—dark hair like scorched earth, eyes like storm-washed stone—but because of what he heard. Whispers. They came in the wind, in the flames, even in the silence. Tonight, they came again.
"Awaken..."
He flinched. The fire in the brazier beside him crackled louder, as if answering. The villagers said the Flame of Elarin was sacred, eternal. But Kael saw something else. In its flickers, shapes danced—figures of light and shadow locked in an ancient struggle.
He had told no one, not even Mira, his closest friend. She would laugh, or worse, worry. But tonight, the whispers were stronger. More insistent.
"Awaken... child of ember..."
His hand moved involuntarily toward the flame. It didn't burn him. Instead, warmth spread through his palm and up his arm, settling behind his eyes like a second vision. Images rushed forward: a tower crumbling under moonlight, a sword buried in roots, a throne of cinders.
Kael gasped, yanking his hand back.
"Kael?"
He turned. Mira stood at the edge of the square, her cloak wrapped tightly against the wind. Her eyes widened when she saw his face.
"You're glowing."
He blinked. The light faded.
"I—I don't know what's happening," he whispered.
She stepped closer, grabbing his wrist. "You're not alone. But we have to leave. Now."
"What? Why?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled a small satchel from beneath her cloak and tossed it to him. "There's no time. They're coming."
"Who?"
"The Ember Watch."
Kael's stomach dropped. The Ember Watch were myth, guardians of flame-magic from stories no one believed anymore.
"They think you're the heir," Mira said. "To the Ember Throne."
Kael stared at the fire. It danced again, and this time he felt no fear—only a quiet, dangerous pull.
"Then let them come."