The wind carried the scent of smoke.
Aarohi stood outside the church, her pulse still unsteady from training. The flames that once frightened her now obeyed her, dancing at the tips of her fingers like living threads.
But beneath the calm, something else stirred — a pull deep in her chest, as if a heartbeat that wasn't hers echoed inside.
She knew what it meant.He was near.
And so was something else.
The Arrival
Arin appeared behind her without sound.No shadow this time — just the faint rustle of his coat, the glint of black in his eyes.
"You're improving," he said quietly. "But power like that doesn't awaken without consequence."
Aarohi turned to face him. "You mean the things that attacked me?"
"The remnants," he said. "Fragments of souls destroyed in our last war. They seek the Flame's return."
Her throat tightened. "Because I caused it?"
"Because you ended it."
His words hung heavy in the air.She wanted to ask more — but the ground beneath them trembled before she could.
The air shimmered, and a low growl echoed across the churchyard.From the mist emerged three figures — cloaked in black ash, eyes glowing white.
Arin's body moved instinctively, stepping in front of her.
"Stay behind me."
But Aarohi lifted her hand."No."
The mark on her collarbone flared, and the air around her ignited. The creatures screamed, retreating — but one broke through, faster than the others.
It lunged.
Arin moved like lightning — catching the creature mid-air, his hand glowing with a violent darkness that twisted the thing into dust.
The battle was over in seconds.Silence again — except for the soft crackle of fire fading around Aarohi's hands.
The Revelation
She stared at him — at the shadows still curling from his fingertips."What was that?"
"My curse," he said. "Born the moment I failed to stop you."
Her eyes widened. "You mean…?"
"The gods bound me in darkness. Said if I couldn't protect the world from you, I would serve it as its warden — until the end of time."
Aarohi took a shaky step closer. "So you're… immortal?"
"Immortal enough to keep dying in every life I find you."
The words broke something inside her."All this time… you've been protecting me from what I unleashed."
"No," he whispered. "I've been protecting you from what the world will do when they realize you've returned."
She clenched her fists, the fire trembling with her breath. "Then teach me to fight. I won't hide anymore."
He looked at her — a long, unreadable gaze. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"You're not ready."
"Then make me ready."
His lips curved, barely a smile. "You sound just like her."
"Her?"
"The first you. The one who burned the heavens to save me."
The Memory of Blood
The moment he said it, the world blurred.Aarohi staggered — visions crashing through her mind like a flood.
A battlefield under a crimson sky.Thousands kneeling before her, chanting her name.Arin at her side, his sword dripping gold light.
And her own voice — fierce, unstoppable —
"If the gods demand his life, then let their heavens bleed for him."
The vision shattered.She gasped, falling to her knees, blood trickling from her nose.
Arin caught her, his hands firm around her shoulders. "Breathe. You're pulling too much of the past at once."
Her voice trembled. "It's real, isn't it? All of it."
"Every memory comes with blood," he murmured. "And every truth with pain."
The Confession
He helped her stand, his thumb brushing the blood from her cheek.For a moment, their faces were inches apart — too close, too still.
Aarohi whispered, "Were we ever happy?"
Arin's eyes softened — that impossible mix of darkness and devotion.
"Once. For a moment. Before the world remembered what we were."
"Then promise me something."
"Anything."
"When this ends," she said, voice trembling, "if I lose myself again… find me. Even if the world burns."
He leaned in — his forehead resting against hers, their breaths mingling in the space between.
"I always do."
And just as the first light of dawn broke through the clouds, the black mark on his wrist pulsed — glowing faintly in sync with the fire beneath her skin.
Their bond was awakening again.And somewhere beyond the veil, something ancient stirred — watching, waiting for the Flame and the Shadow to reunite completely.