Jae stood motionless as the final fragments of the previous vision faded.
Ash.
Flames.
A kingdom erased.
Prince Caelan disappearing into an army of Yokais.
The image lingered in Jae's mind like a scar.
His chest felt heavy.
Then the world blurred again.
Reality twisted like rippling water.
He was back in the weird room where all the divine curses were.
The Divine Flame of Curses spoke once more, its voice ancient and distant.
"Right when the Divine Flames broke the sacred oath… everything changed."
"Not only were we punished created the Yokais," the flame continued.
"We received another punishment."
The new vision showed the divine flames standing in an endless void.
Their light was weaker now.
Dimmer.
Fractured.
"The oath we broke carried consequences."
The flames flickered violently.
"We could no longer survive on our own."
Jae narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean…?"
The voice answered calmly.
"Our existence became incomplete."
"To continue living, we needed human vessels… humans capable of carrying our divine aspects."
Jae felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"So that's what a divine aspect really is…"
"Exactly."
The vision shifted again.
Three flames surrounded the fourth.
The Flame of Sun.
The Flame of Shadows.
The Flame of the White Moon.
And the broken fourth flame.
The newly cursed one.
"They hunted me," the flame said quietly.
"But I escaped."
The scene shattered again.
Now Jae saw the same lonely forest.
trees towered over the land like silent guardians.
Wind howled through the branches.
In the middle of that forest—
A fading flame.
The Divine Flame of Curses.
Its once-great fire was weak now.
Unstable.
Flickering like a candle in a storm.
"My power was fading."
"I needed a human contractor."
The flame drifted through the forest slowly, searching.
Days passed.
Weeks.
Months.
It found humans.
Travelers.
Bandits.
Soldiers.
But every time it looked into their eyes, it saw the same thing.
Greed.
Ambition.
Selfish desire.
"They wanted power… but not purpose."
The flame's voice grew quieter.
"And so I continued to fade."
The forest darkened.
Rain began to fall.
The flame shrank further.
Until—
A boy stumbled through the trees.
Young.
Dirty.
Crying.
Eryndor.
The same boy who had run from the burning kingdom.
He tripped over a branch and collapsed into the mud.
"I'm a coward…"
His voice broke.
"I left him…"
"I left my brother behind…"
Jae watched silently.
The Divine Flame drifted toward the boy.
Slowly.
Carefully.
It reached out a burning hand.
But the moment Eryndor looked up—
He screamed.
A monster made of fire stood before him.
He scrambled backward in fear.
"Stay away from me!"
Jae clenched his jaw.
"…Makes sense."
Anyone would have been terrified.
But the flame didn't attack.
It simply observed.
And as it looked into the boy's eyes—
Something different appeared.
Not greed.
Not arrogance.
But three things the flame had never seen together before.
Fear.
Weakness.
And unbreakable determination.
The flame spoke softly.
"You wish for strength."
The boy froze.
"You wish for power to avenge the one you lost."
Eryndor's breathing slowed.
"How… do you know that?"
The flame's voice echoed gently.
"Because I can see it in your eyes."
Jae crossed his arms.
"So that's when the deal happened…"
The flame continued.
"I offered him power."
"I offered to train him."
"And in return…"
"I asked him to accept me as his divine aspect."
The boy hesitated.
He stared at the strange flame.
Then he looked down at his shaking hands.
His brother's final smile flashed in his mind.
Run.
The boy clenched his fists.
"…I accept."
The flame burned brighter.
"And so…"
"That was the day he became my student."
Seven years passed.
The vision moved forward.
Eryndor was no longer a frightened child.
He stood tall.
Seventeen years old.
His body was strong and lean.
Long black hair tied behind his back.
Red embers occasionally flickered in his eyes.
The Divine Flame of Curses had kept its promise.
Eryndor had mastered its power.
Flames obeyed him.
Curses bent to his will.
His swordsmanship was deadly.
He was no longer weak.
He was dangerous.
One day, he entered a small village to buy new weapons.
But fate had other plans.
Standing in the marketplace—
A familiar face.
His father.
Older now.
Weaker.
Beside him stood a small girl.
Blonde hair.
Bright black eyes.
A seven-year-old child.
His half-sister.
Ellie.
The king froze when he saw him.
"…Eryndor?"
Shock filled his voice.
"You're… alive?"
Eryndor's eyes were cold.
"I looked at him without emotion."
"We aren't family anymore."
He began to walk past them.
But then—
A small hand grabbed his sleeve.
"Brother… please don't go."
Eryndor stopped.
Slowly he looked down.
Ellie.
Her eyes were shining with desperate hope.
He hadn't seen her since she was a baby.
Now she stood before him.
Seven years old.
Alone.
Afraid.
Jae watched Eryndor's face change.
He saw something inside him soften.
Memories surfaced.
Prince Caelan kneeling beside him.
Encouraging him.
Protecting him.
His brother had been his only comfort.
And now—
Ellie had no one.
Eryndor sighed.
"…Let's talk."
They moved to a quiet room inside the inn.
The king sat across from him.
His hands trembled.
"…Where is Caelan?" the king asked quietly.
Eryndor looked away.
"…He died."
Silence filled the room.
The king's face broke.
"My son…"
He began to cry.
"No… first my wife… now Caelan…"
But instead of sympathy—
Anger exploded inside Eryndor.
He slammed his fist onto the table.
"It should have been YOU beside Caelan!"
The king looked up in shock.
"How could you—"
"How could I?" Eryndor interrupted coldly.
"How could YOU abandoned your own sons during the yokai invasion!!!"
"Caelan is dead because of YOU!"
"THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARED FOR ME IS DEAD!"
The king opened his mouth.
"I care about you—"
"NO YOU DON'T!"
Eryndor's voice shook the room.
"If you cared, you wouldn't have treated me like garbage my entire childhood!"
The king fell silent.
Eryndor stood up.
He walked past him.
Then paused.
"I'm taking Ellie with me."
The king looked up.
"You can't—"
"She deserves better than a father like you."
Eryndor left the room.
Outside, Ellie waited nervously.
He knelt in front of her.
"Pack your things."
She blinked.
"Where are we going?"
Eryndor smiled softly.
"…I don't know."
"But I won't leave you alone again."
"I promise."
Ellie smiled.
And for the first time in years—
Eryndor smiled back.
The Divine Flame of Curses spoke quietly.
"She became his reason to live."
"His last family."
The vision slowly began to fade.