Kaelen stood frozen, his mind still reeling from the vision. The heat in the chamber seemed to thicken, pressing against his lungs.
"Who was that?" he asked, his voice low but edged with urgency.
The guardian stepped forward, the faint glow of the Heart of Ash reflecting in his silver-lined eyes. "They are called the Ember Warden. A servant of the Flame Sovereign… and once, a mortal like you."
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "A servant? They destroyed everything I had. Why?"
The guardian didn't answer at first. Instead, he began circling the Heart, as if measuring his words. "The Sovereign has many servants. But the Ember Warden is different. They are not bound by chains… they serve by choice."
Kaelen's stomach twisted. "Then they chose to burn my home."
"Yes."
The single word hit harder than a blade.
"Why me? Why my village?" Kaelen's voice cracked, but he forced it steady.
The guardian finally met his eyes. "Because your village sat atop a gate. One of the few places where the Ash Veil is thin enough for the Sovereign's power to seep through. They destroyed it to keep others from finding it first—and to leave a mark that only the Heart of Ash would remember."
Kaelen's mind raced. A gate. That meant there were others.
"And now," the guardian said, his tone deepening, "the Ember Warden has seen you. They will not let that stand."
The Heart pulsed again, and this time the smoke formed an image—not of the past, but of the future.
A burning field. A black sky. And Kaelen, standing face to face with the Ember Warden, their blades locked, the world crumbling around them.