They stayed in an old house whose walls were cracked and half-broken, the scent of dust and age heavy in the air.
Lyra brushed her fingers across the crumbling wall, tracing the jagged lines like forgotten memories.
Outside, the sky deepened into dusk.
Kairis stretched, arms above her head, while Kael sparked a flame and lit a small fire in the center of the room.
Azel lingered by the doorway, silent, his gaze distant and unreadable.
Kairis summoned her satchel, pulling out pieces of raw meat. The faint hiss of cooking filled the air, the only sound between them.
When the smell finally spread, she called, "Dinner's ready."
Azel stepped in and sat by the fire. No one spoke.
The crackle of burning wood filled the silence — a quiet too heavy to break easily.
They ate without words, tired from the journey, weighed by things unspoken.
Then Kael finally said, "This time, I'll take the watch."
He glanced at Azel, a faint smirk on his lips. "Frontland isn't safe. Last time was yours — this time's mine."
Lyra looked between them.
Kairis raised a brow. "You really did it last time? Guess that means you do have a heart."
Azel didn't answer. His face stayed still, expression unreadable. When Kairis noticed, she said nothing more.
Lyra sighed softly. "Alright. We should rest."
Kairis and Azel nodded and lay down near the fire's warmth.
Kael stepped outside to take the watch.
Lyra stayed for a while, staring at the flickering flames.
Her thoughts drifted. If I'm not wrong… there'll be a guardian at the next seal. At least, that's what I remember.
She leaned back against the wall. The house creaked quietly in the wind.
Her eyes softened when she looked at her companions — Kairis already asleep, Azel's features hidden in shadow.
"They must be exhausted," she whispered, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
Then she rose and walked outside it was already dark outside
Kael stood leaning against a wall, a faint amber flame flickering between his fingers — small, restless, alive.
When he sensed her approach, he closed his hand, and the flame vanished instantly.
Lyra stopped beside him, already knowing. Still hiding it, she thought.
"You didn't sleep," Kael said, eyes still on the horizon.
Instead of answering, Lyra stepped closer and gently took his hand, turning his palm upward as if studying it.
"Why are you hiding it?" she asked quietly.
Kael looked away.
Lyra released his hand and leaned beside him against the wall. The silence between them stretched — not awkward, just heavy.
After a moment, Lyra spoke again. "You've been protecting us since the first beast, haven't you?"
He didn't answer.
Then, after a pause, he said, "Why do you think that?"
Lyra said nothing.
She simply raised her hand.
A black and white flame ignited in her palm swirling, unstable, clashing and yet bound together.
Kael's eyes flickered.
The flames struggled for balance, then she threw them high into the night sky.
They soared upward, bursting into light before fading into darkness.
Kael's eyes widened slightly, then a small grin touched his lips.
"Interesting. So, you knew all along."
Lyra turned her gaze toward him. "No, just a guess. It was obvious no beasts have gotten close to us for days."
Her lips curved into a faint smile.
Kael's voice lowered. "I'd ask you not to tell them. If you may."
His tone was unreadable quiet but firm.
Lyra looked at him for a long moment.
"It's safe," she said softly, "as long as you don't do something wrong."
Then she stepped away, her cloak brushing against the cracked wall.
"I'll be back soon."
Kael watched her go, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Sharper than I expected," he murmured to himself.
He tilted his head back, eyes tracing the dark sky above — where the stars pulsed faintly, like watching eyes.
High above, unseen by mortals, something stirred.
[Remnant 'Eternal Flame' is observing the mortal world.]
A quiet voice followed.
[Remnant 'Silent Oath': "Still watching her?"]
Eternal Flame didn't answer immediately.
Her amber and golden eyes glimmered, her hair flowing like firelight through the void as she watched Kael.
Then she whispered — calm, distant, almost fond.
"No… not her this time. The one who carries the same flame as me."
Silent Oath said nothing, only turned his gaze toward the mortal world below.
[Remnant 'Eternal Flame' continues to observe the mortal world.]
The air outside was cold, heavier than before.
Lyra walked past the old fence, the wood breaking under her touch.
The night stretched endlessly — quiet, empty, yet loud enough for her thoughts to echo back at her.
Kael's flame still lingered in her mind. That faint glimmer in his hand…
Amber, warm… too familiar.
She exhaled slowly, as if the air itself would burn if she spoke his name aloud.
He was hiding something — but then again, weren't they all?
Her gaze drifted to the sky, where not even a single star dared to shine.
Illythra… if you were here, you would've known what to say.
A dull pain throbbed behind her chest — the kind that doesn't fade, only learns to stay quiet.
Her fingers brushed the pendant at her neck, its edges cold against her skin.
She could feel it — the slow pull of something vast and unseen, waiting at the edge of their path.
Each step closer felt heavier.
Each silence longer.
Her companions thought she was calm — composed, unshaken —
but inside, her thoughts flickered like a dying flame,
one breath away from breaking.
She stopped when she realized how far she'd gone. The faint glow of the fire was barely visible behind the broken wall.
A quiet smile touched her lips — the kind meant to keep the pain from showing.
They'll worry if I stay too long.
She turned back, her shadow stretching long behind her.
Her heart ached, but her steps were steady — because that was who she had to be.