Mira didn't wait for Kael's answer. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the narrow alley behind the blacksmith's shop. The village square, once so familiar, now pulsed with danger. Torches flared in the distance, and shadows moved in formation—too disciplined to be townsfolk.
"The Ember Watch," Kael muttered, clutching the satchel. "They're real?"
"They were always real," Mira said. "You just weren't supposed to see them."
They darted through side paths, weaving past shuttered homes and silent gardens. Every step away from the brazier seemed to cool the fire inside him, but it didn't vanish. It stayed, quiet, like a sleeping beast.
"When were you going to tell me?" Kael hissed, trying to keep pace. "You knew about them. About me."
Mira glanced at him, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I didn't know it would happen so soon. The flame chooses when it's ready. I just—"
She stopped mid-sentence, raising a hand. Kael froze beside her. Ahead, three cloaked figures moved toward the village gates. Their steps were slow, deliberate. Each carried a blade etched with red runes that pulsed in rhythm with Kael's heartbeat.
"They can feel me," Kael whispered.
Mira nodded. "We go around."
She led him toward the eastern fields, where the tall grasses grew wild and untamed. The moonlight caught their blades as they crouched low and crept along the edge. A strange calm settled over Kael, like the fire within him was guiding his breath.
"You said they think I'm the heir," he said as they ran. "Why would they think that?"
"Because you are."
Kael stopped. "What?"
Mira turned, her eyes sharp. "You are the last living descendant of the Ember King. That flame didn't just choose you—it recognized you."
"But I'm just... me."
"No," she said. "You're Kael of the Flame. And the Watch hunts your kind."
A howl pierced the night. Not from any beast Kael had ever heard. It was cold, hollow, and full of ancient hunger.
"They found us," Mira said.
A surge of heat erupted from Kael's chest, flooding his veins. His hands blazed orange, lighting the field in firelight.
"Mira..." he said, breath catching. "I don't know how to stop it."
She smiled grimly. "Then don't."