The world was burning around me, but all I could hear was my own breathing. Slow. Ragged. Each breath a struggle, like dragging chains across shattered stone.
I stumbled forward, clutching my side where the spear had torn me. Blood soaked through the rags I wore, hot and sticky against my skin. Every step sent a bolt of pain through my ribs, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not after everything.
"Lily..." Her name slipped from my lips like a prayer, raw and broken. I didn't even know if she was still alive.
I had to find her.
The night sky churned above, thick with smoke and ash. Fires crackled across the compound, devouring the wooden structures, the kennels, the whipping posts. Shadows darted in the chaos—guards, slaves, panicked animals—all blurred together in a nightmare dance.
I barely noticed them. I only had one thought.
Find her. Save her.
I stumbled past a burning fence, coughing as smoke clawed at my throat. Somewhere in the distance, a bell was ringing frantically. Maybe calling for reinforcements. Maybe just screaming in fear, like the rest of us.
I didn't care.
"Come on, Ash," I muttered to myself, dragging my feet through the mud. "Move."
The blood loss was getting to me. I knew it. The edges of my vision flickered with black, and the world tilted dangerously every few steps. But I gritted my teeth and forced my body forward.
I reached the kitchen building, or what was left of it. Half the roof had collapsed under the fire, and broken beams jutted out like snapped bones.
And there, curled against the stone wall, was Lily.
She was conscious, barely. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, her face buried against them, her body trembling with each breath. Her golden hair was streaked with soot, but I would have recognized her anywhere.
Relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled. I stumbled the last few feet and dropped to my knees beside her.
"Lily," I rasped. I reached out, touched her shoulder. "It's me. It's Ash."
She lifted her head slowly. Her green eyes were glassy, unfocused at first—but then they locked onto mine.
"Ash..." she whispered, and something inside me cracked wide open.
She was alive.
I wanted to pull her into my arms, to promise her everything would be okay. But I couldn't lie. Not anymore.
"Can you stand?" I asked instead. My voice was rough, barely more than a growl.
She nodded weakly. I slipped my arm under hers, wincing as my wound flared with fresh pain, and hauled her to her feet. She swayed, leaning heavily against me. She was so light. Too light. Starved and beaten down to almost nothing.
But her heart still beat. That was enough.
I tightened my grip around her shoulders.
"We're getting out of here," I promised. "I swear it."
Even if I had to burn the whole damn world down to do it.
I lunged forward, the broken iron rod still gripped tight.
The first guard didn't expect it.
I smashed the rod into his throat. He dropped without a sound.
Another swung his sword at me, a heavy, clumsy arc meant to end it fast. I twisted aside, letting the blade whistle past my ear, and rammed the rod into his knee. His leg buckled. He screamed as he collapsed.
Two more rushed in together, smarter this time, flanking me.
I barely dodged a stab aimed at my ribs. Pain flared along my side where the spear wound tore open again, but I didn't slow. I pivoted and kicked the other in the gut, hard enough to knock him back into his partner.
The fire inside me burned hotter, flooding my limbs with unnatural strength. I felt invincible. Untouchable.
Until Vorran stepped forward.
He moved differently than the others—smooth, precise, deadly. He didn't waste motion. Didn't waste breath. He came straight at me, blade flashing.
I barely got the iron rod up in time. His sword sheared it in half like it was paper.
I stumbled back, heart hammering, defenseless now.
Vorran smiled without warmth. "Impressive," he said, voice still calm. "But you're no warrior. Just a desperate little rat."
I growled low in my throat. The fire coiled tighter inside me, begging to be unleashed.
Vorran lunged.
I threw up my hands instinctively—
—and the fire erupted.
Not a blast this time. Not wild and uncontrolled.
It answered me.
Flames roared outward, a wave of heat and light that hurled Vorran backward. His cloak caught fire. His men screamed and scattered.
I stood there, panting, hands burning with orange light, and for the first time, I felt it. The power wasn't a curse. It wasn't a burden. It was mine.
I turned to Lily. Her eyes were wide with terror—but also awe.
"We have to go," I rasped. My voice was rough, raw, but stronger.
She nodded, clinging to me.
We fled across the scorched yard, stepping over broken bodies, past flaming debris. Vorran's men didn't follow. Not yet. Maybe they feared me now.
Maybe they should.
We reached the outer wall—a tall, jagged barrier of stone and iron. Beyond it, the forest loomed, dark and beckoning.
Freedom.
But there was no gate here. No door.
Only the wall.
I glanced back. Vorran was on his feet again, sword in hand, face twisted with rage. His cloak still smoldered at the edges.
There was no time.
I shoved Lily up first. She clawed her way onto a pile of rubble, then scrambled up the wall, nails tearing, bleeding.
I followed, muscles screaming, ribs on fire.
Below us, Vorran shouted.
Arrows whistled through the rain.
One grazed my arm. I ignored it. Gritted my teeth. Kept climbing.
Lily reached the top first. She leaned down, hands outstretched.
I grabbed them.
Together, we hauled me over the wall—
—just as a second volley of arrows thudded into the stones where I'd been a heartbeat before.
We tumbled down the other side, landing hard in the mud.
I gasped, rolling over, clutching my side. Blood soaked my shirt.
But we were alive.
We were free.
I lay there for a long moment, rain pouring over my face, the forest looming ahead. The fires of the estate burned behind us, casting a hellish glow on the clouds.
Lily crawled to me, crying softly. She touched my face, her fingers trembling.
"You did it," she whispered.
I shook my head. "We did it."
She smiled through her tears.
And for the first time, I let myself believe it:
We had escaped.
But deep down, even as hope flickered to life, I knew it wasn't over.
Not yet.
Not until they paid for everything.
Not until I burned their world to ash.
The forest swallowed us whole.
The trees were ancient and gnarled, their twisted branches weaving a dense canopy overhead. The rain barely pierced it, only the occasional cold droplet sliding down my face.
I stumbled forward, Lily close behind me, both of us soaked and shivering. Every step sent agony lancing through my side. My legs trembled with exhaustion.
I couldn't stop.
I wouldn't.
Behind us, faint in the distance, I could still hear shouting. The estate was burning, but it wouldn't hold Vorran back forever. He'd hunt us.
I needed to find shelter. Somewhere to hide. Somewhere to heal.
The ground sloped downward, the mud slick underfoot. I half-slid, half-fell down a ravine, branches clawing at my skin. Lily yelped as she slipped after me.
At the bottom, we found a stream—fast, cold, cutting through the rocks. I dropped to my knees and drank greedily, ignoring the way my cracked lips stung.
Lily crouched beside me, her hands shaking as she cupped the water to her mouth.
When we were finished, I rose and looked around. The forest pressed close, silent but for the rush of the stream. No paths. No signs of people.
Good.
"Come on," I whispered. My voice barely worked.
We followed the stream, using it to cover our tracks. My thoughts blurred together, each one heavier than the last.
I needed to find medicine. Food. A place to rest.
I needed to keep Lily safe.
I needed to survive.
Step after step, the trees seemed to grow thicker, the underbrush more tangled. My body was shutting down. I knew it. The blood loss, the cold, the strain—it was too much.
I stumbled again, catching myself on a mossy boulder.
Lily rushed to me. "Ash, you need to rest—"
"No," I gasped. "Not yet. Not safe."
Her face twisted with worry, but she didn't argue. She slipped under my arm, helping me walk.
I leaned on her more than I wanted to admit.
Hours passed. Maybe more. Time lost all meaning.
Then, through the mist, I saw it.
A cabin.
Old. Abandoned. Half-rotted into the earth. But standing.
It was nestled at the base of a hill, half-hidden by vines and fallen trees.
Salvation.
Or a trap.
I hesitated. What if it wasn't empty? What if it was another kind of danger?
But I could barely stand. Lily's face was pale, her lips blue.
We had no choice.
We limped toward it together.
The door was hanging off one hinge. I pushed it open with the tip of my foot, ready to run at the slightest sound.
Silence.
Dust and rot and old wood filled my nose.
It was empty.
We stumbled inside.
I barred the door with a broken chair. It wouldn't stop Vorran's men if they found us, but it was something.
Inside, it was dark and cold. A few battered pieces of furniture sagged in the corners. A fireplace choked with ash.
I dropped to the floor, my head spinning.
Lily knelt beside me. Her hands hovered uselessly, unsure what to do.
"I'll find something," she said, her voice shaking. "Wood. Fire. Something."
I nodded weakly.
She slipped outside, leaving the door ajar just enough.
I pressed my hand against my bleeding side. It was bad. Worse than I'd let her see. The spear had gone deep, and now infection was setting in. I could feel the fever building behind my eyes.
I needed to clean it. Bind it.
But I could barely move.
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I drifted.
And in that darkness, I saw the figure again—the one from my dreams.
Eyes like burning coals. Chains wrapped around its arms.
But this time, it spoke.
Not words. Not really.
An invitation.
A choice.
Strength... for a price.
I flinched awake, gasping.
Lily burst back through the door, arms full of broken branches. She dumped them into the fireplace, working with frantic hands.
"I'll make a fire," she said. "Just hold on."
I tried to speak. Tried to warn her.
The figure's voice still echoed in my mind.
Not words.
But meaning.
Take it. Burn them all. Become the fire.
I shivered. Not from cold this time.
From fear.
But even as I hesitated, I knew:
I couldn't protect her like this.
I couldn't survive like this.
I needed more.
And whatever was inside me—whatever power had cracked my collar, had shattered Vorran's men—was offering it.
I just had to reach for it.
Lily crouched by my side again. She touched my forehead, frowning.
"You're burning up," she whispered. "Ash—please—"
I looked into her eyes. Those wide, green eyes.
And I made my decision.
I closed my hand into a fist. I reached inward, into the coals smoldering in my chest.
And I accepted the fire.
It surged through me, a river of molten power. My back arched. I cried out. The room flared with sudden, searing heat.
Lily screamed, falling back.
The branches she'd gathered caught fire without a match. Flames roared to life in the hearth, casting wild shadows on the walls.
My wounds seared shut. Flesh knitted together with terrible, burning pain. My muscles hardened. My vision sharpened until I could see every splinter in the rotting wood.
I gasped, slamming my hands into the dirt floor. Steam rose from my skin.
When the pain finally ebbed, I sat back, trembling.
Alive.
Stronger.
Changed.
Lily stared at me, her mouth open in shock.
"Ash...?"
I looked at my hands. They were the same—and yet not. A faint red glow pulsed under my skin, like embers breathing.
"I'm okay," I whispered.
A lie.
But she needed it.
We needed it.
The fire crackled, warm and steady now.
Outside, the rain fell harder.
And somewhere out there, Vorran would be hunting us.
I sat by the fire, Lily beside me, and for the first time since our escape, I let myself hope.
We had survived.
We were stronger.
But the road ahead would be paved with blood.
And I wasn't sure if I was the boy who could walk it...
Or the monster who would.