Jayden had never known silence could sound alive.
The wind that touched his face hummed faintly, like distant music that came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Aetherion spread before him in impossible splendor — plains of glass and gold dust, forests made of translucent leaves, and mountains that floated high above the horizon, their roots bound by veins of lightning.
For a long while, he said nothing. He just walked beside Kaelen, boots crunching against crystalline soil that shimmered under the pale morning light. His breath came slow and steady, his eyes trying to take in every strange, beautiful thing that crossed his path — silver-winged birds gliding without air, trees that whispered in unknown tongues, a faint glow tracing every step he took.
Kaelen's voice broke the trance.
"Don't stare too long," he said quietly. "Aetherion can feel it. The land itself listens when newcomers arrive."
Jayden frowned. "Listens? You mean it's alive?"
"In its own way," Kaelen replied, his tone part reverence, part warning. "This world is older than both our realms. The ground remembers every war, every spell, every drop of blood spilled upon it. Step carelessly, and it may choose not to forget you."
Jayden slowed, uncertain whether to laugh or take it seriously. Kaelen, as always, wasn't joking.
"So this is where my family came from?" he asked. "They lived here?"
Kaelen nodded, his eyes distant. "The House of Embers. Once, their flames were guardians of balance between the elemental clans. They kept peace when fire and ice sought to destroy one another. But that was before the fracture — before your parents vanished."
Jayden's heart stirred. The words House of Embers burned in his mind like a forgotten melody. "And you knew them?"
"I knew of them," Kaelen said. "I was a Keeper of the Gate — sworn to watch the border between worlds. Your father crossed it once, long ago, when your kind was still allowed to travel freely. He fell in love with someone from the mortal realm. It broke the old laws."
Jayden turned to him sharply. "My mother."
Kaelen nodded. "Yes. And for that, the Council stripped them of their titles. They vanished before the war began. Many believed they were dead."
Jayden felt the familiar ache twist inside him again — the ache of not knowing. For years, his dreams had been filled with fragments of voices, half-remembered warmth, and flashes of fire. Now, for the first time, those pieces began to form something whole.
"But why me?" he asked softly. "Why bring me here now?"
Kaelen's steps slowed. "Because the veil between worlds is breaking again. Shadows have begun to move — and the fire in your blood is the last that burns pure. You were hidden for a reason, Jayden. And if the wrong hands find out who you are…"
Jayden glanced at him. "Then what?"
Kaelen met his eyes. "Then all of Aetherion will burn."
They reached the edge of a wide valley by noon. The plains ended in a cliff overlooking a sea of clouds, and beyond it lay a city unlike anything Jayden had imagined.
It floated.
Massive chains of glowing crystal anchored it to the ground far below, and spires of obsidian and glass rose like frozen lightning toward the heavens. Streams of light flowed through its streets, connecting tower to tower. And at its heart — a flame. A single, colossal flame burning within a crystal sphere, its light pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kaelen stopped. "That is Pyraeth," he said. "The City of Fire. The stronghold of your bloodline."
Jayden stared, breathless. The city seemed alive, shifting with waves of red and gold that rippled through its towers. He could feel it — a pull deep within his chest, faint but undeniable.
"It feels… familiar," he said. "Like I've been here before."
"You haven't," Kaelen said. "But your blood remembers."
They began the descent toward the chains. A narrow path wound along the cliffside, carved from black stone that hummed faintly underfoot. As they walked, Jayden caught sight of people far below — figures wrapped in flame-colored robes, their movements graceful, almost ritualistic.
"Will they know who I am?" Jayden asked quietly.
Kaelen's face hardened. "They will sense what you are. But that doesn't mean they'll welcome you."
"Because of my mother."
"Because you are proof their laws failed."
The wind shifted suddenly, carrying with it a low, distant rumble. Jayden stopped. "What was that?"
Kaelen looked skyward. Dark clouds had begun to coil above the city — not storm clouds, but shadows that twisted unnaturally against the light. The hum beneath their feet grew louder, vibrating through the ground like a warning.
Kaelen's expression darkened. "We're not alone."
Before Jayden could speak, the air split open with a shriek of energy.
Figures burst from the clouds — winged creatures of smoke and steel, their eyes burning blue. They dove toward the cliffside, their screeches cutting through the roar of the wind. Jayden's heart slammed in his chest.
"What are they!?"
"Sentinels," Kaelen shouted. "Corrupted by the Shadowborn. Move!"
Jayden ducked as one of the creatures swooped past, claws scraping sparks from the stone. Kaelen raised his staff, striking it against the ground. A pulse of light burst outward, sending the creature tumbling into the gorge below.
Another dived from above — but before Kaelen could react, it slammed into him, hurling the old man backward. Jayden spun around. "Kaelen!"
"I'm fine!" Kaelen shouted, struggling to rise.
"Use your fire!"
Jayden's throat tightened. "I can't— not like this!"
"Yes, you can! Remember the Gate!"
The creature turned toward him, wings folding, eyes blazing. It let out a metallic screech and lunged. Instinct took over. Jayden raised his hand — and the air ignited.
Flame burst from his palm, bright and wild. It struck the creature mid-lunge, wrapping it in fire. The thing shrieked, twisting violently before disintegrating into ash that scattered with the wind.
Jayden stared at his hand — trembling, alive with golden light.
He'd done it without thinking. Without fear.
Kaelen limped toward him, clutching his side. "You learn quickly," he said, grimacing.
Jayden helped him up. "You're bleeding."
"It's nothing. The wound will fade." Kaelen's gaze turned skyward. "But the shadows won't stop. Not now that they've found us."
Jayden followed his stare. The clouds above the city churned, thickening into a vortex of smoke. From within it, something massive moved — slow, deliberate. A single, glowing eye opened in the dark.
"Kaelen…" Jayden whispered. "What is that?
Kaelen's face went pale. "An Echo."
The shadow unfurled, spreading wings so vast they blotted out the light. The air grew heavy, trembling with power. Jayden felt it in his bones — a weight pressing down on his chest, on his breath, on his flame.
"We can't fight that," he said.
"No," Kaelen said grimly. "But we can run."
They sprinted along the path as the Echo descended. The creature's roar shook the cliffs, sending shards of rock tumbling into the void. Jayden grabbed Kaelen's arm, half-pulling him forward as the ground cracked beneath them.
The bridge to the city was ahead — a glowing arch of molten stone stretching across the gorge. Jayden could see figures on the other side now, people in red and gold armor shouting orders, flames rising in their hands.
"Go!" Kaelen shouted. "Don't stop!"
The Echo roared again, its wings sweeping down. The shockwave sent Jayden stumbling. He barely caught himself before falling, then turned just in time to see Kaelen raise his staff.
"Kaelen—!"
"Keep going!" the old man shouted, and slammed his staff into the ground.
The air split open. A wave of light surged upward, forming a wall of fire between them and the Echo. The creature shrieked, rearing back, but the force of its energy was too great. The cliff shattered.
Jayden lunged forward, reaching for Kaelen's hand — but his fingers closed on nothing but air. The old man was gone.
"Kaelen!"
The roar of the wind drowned his voice. He stumbled onto the bridge as the cliff behind him collapsed into the abyss. The Echo dove again, its massive form blotting out the sky.
Jayden clenched his jaw, breath burning in his throat. His power surged, wild and desperate. He thrust his hands forward, and flame erupted around him — not red, but white. Pure, searing white.
The light struck the Echo square in the chest. For a heartbeat, the world went silent. Then the creature screamed — a deep, bone-shaking sound — and vanished in a burst of shadow.
When Jayden opened his eyes, he was lying on the bridge, chest heaving, the city's gates a few steps away. His body ached; his vision swam.
He pushed himself up slowly. "Kaelen…"
The air was still. No answer came. Only the faint hum of the city ahead, alive and waiting.
Guards in flame-colored armor rushed forward, their weapons drawn. One of them — a tall woman with eyes like molten amber — stopped short when she saw him.
"By the Flame, she whispered. "His mark… look at his mark."
Jayden blinked, confused. "My what?"
She pointed. He looked down — and saw it.
A glowing sigil burned faintly on the back of his hand — a flame encircled by silver, alive with movement.
The woman dropped to one knee. The others followed.
"Welcome home, heir of the House of Embers," she said. "The Council has awaited your return."
Jayden stood frozen, the words echoing in his skull. Heir.
The wind carried the last traces of ash away from the cliff. Somewhere beyond the clouds, a single ember floated downward — a whisper of fire that refused to die.