The wind was no longer cold.It was hot.Too hot.
Not from fire.But from presence.
The world shifted as Kael stepped onto the red sands of Taranos—the land scorched in the First Sundering. A place no map dared mark. Iris tightened her cloak around her. Vaerin's hand hovered near his axe. None of them spoke.
Even breath here felt like betrayal.
Then they saw him.
Standing atop a dune of black ash, robes swirling like smoke, flames curling around his fingers without burning them.
He wore Kael's face.
Older.Sharper.And scarred by power.
The Flame-Touched
"You're late," the figure said, voice smooth as cooled steel.
Kael's jaw clenched. "You know me?"
"I am you. Or what you could have been."
The man stepped down the dune. His eyes glowed, not red—but gold.
"I am the first son of Avelryn. The one she didn't hide."
"Impossible," Kael said.
"She scattered her children like seeds. One to be buried. One to burn."
Kael's heart thundered.
"You're lying."
"No, brother. I'm waiting."
The War of Bloodlines
His name was Solren.
Raised in the Ember Vaults. Taught by the remnants of the Hollow Flame. While Kael had starved, Solren had ascended—bathed in fire, anointed in the ashes of the gods.
"You were hidden because you were dangerous," Solren said. "But I was chosen because I could be controlled."
"Then you're just a tool."
"No," Solren said calmly. "I am the blade."
He raised his hand, and fire roared up from the ground—not to attack, but to show what lay beneath:
A city.Lost beneath centuries of ash.The capital of the old rebellion.
Kael stepped closer.
"You brought me here to fight?"
"No," Solren said. "To decide."
The Choice
Solren led them into the buried city.
Once called Elyrris, it had been the heart of their mother's war. Statues still stood—weathered, yes, but proud. Her likeness, carved in obsidian, bore a crown of twisted flame.
"The gods lied. You see that now," Solren said. "They abandoned us. Our mother rose against them. And now, her sons return."
Kael stared at the statue. She looked strong.
Nothing like the broken woman in his memory.
"You're not wrong," Kael said softly. "But you worship her like a god. Isn't that the same sin?"
Solren's eyes narrowed.
"She didn't demand worship. She earned loyalty. That's different."
"No," Kael said. "It's not."
Brotherhood Fractured
The tension cracked like lightning.
"You're not here to join me, are you?" Solren asked.
"No," Kael said. "I'm here to end this war."
Solren laughed bitterly. "Then you'll die. Just like she did."
They drew weapons at the same time.
Kael with the godbone blade.Solren with fire forged from the core of the world.
Their first clash shook the stones of Elyrris.Sparks flew. Ash churned.
But neither fought with full strength.
Something deeper held them back.
Kael's strike halted inches from Solren's throat.
Solren's flames curled away at the last second.
They stood panting.
"We're not enemies," Kael said.
"Then don't make me one," Solren whispered.
What Lies Beneath
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
A pulse.Then a crack in the courtyard.
Iris cried out as the ground split beneath them.
From the depths of the city, something rose.
Tall.Twisted.A statue?
No.
A prison.
Inside it—
A creature bound in chains of starlight.
Skin like molten glass.Eyes hollow.It opened its mouth—
And spoke in every voice Kael had ever heard.
"Sons of Fire. Come home."
The Forgotten One
"What is that?" Vaerin hissed.
"One of the gods," Solren said, stepping back. "The last one they couldn't kill. So they buried it."
The creature surged against its bonds.
"Free me… and I will end the gods for you. I will return your mother. I will burn the stars if you ask."
Its promises filled their ears like honey and poison.
Iris fell to her knees, shaking.
Kael raised his sword.Solren raised his flame.
And for the first time—
The brothers stood side by side.