Even as the celebration flared to life in the heart of Infernal Star Academy, darkness brewed beyond the veil of light.
Far away, in a realm uncharted by mortals, the demon lord knelt before his master—a being so ancient and vast that time itself recoiled in his presence. The demon lord's breath was shallow, his voice tight with fear and duty.
> "My lord, I bring grave tidings."
He recounted the battle in the Netherlands: how the boy with green hair, barely in his first year, had pierced through the heart of their fortress, stood before a demon general without flinching, and awakened something—ancient. Something forbidden.
The dark master stirred.
Not physically. He didn't need to. His presence alone warped the air, bent logic, made gravity seem like an afterthought.
> "So… the jade dragon's spark breathes again."
It wasn't a question. It was prophecy confirmed.
The demon lord lowered his head further, voice now little more than a whisper. "Yes, my lord. His aura matches the Sealed Flame from the last era. The boy is its vessel."
The dark master was silent. Then, with a breath that cracked the stone walls of the chamber, he spoke.
> "Then the realms will burn again… unless we make the first move."
---
Hours later, deep within the ruins of the Obsidian Nexus, an impossible meeting unfolded.
A demon.
A celestial emperor.
And a mortal sage.
Three beings who had spent centuries in conflict. Now seated together at a triangular obsidian table.
> "The Jade Flame has awakened," the demon lord said. "The prophecy will move. It already is."
> "Prophecies bend to will," the Heaven Emperor replied coldly. "They do not command it."
The Human Sage, older than most stars and robed in dusty grey, closed his eyes. "No," he said. "This one does. That child is not just power. He is a fracture. A convergence point between fate and choice. If he tilts toward chaos, the mortal realm won't survive the aftershock."
> "So we kill him," the demon lord said flatly.
> "No," replied the sage. "We guide him."
> "We deceive him," the Heaven Emperor added. "Let him burn for us without knowing."
The silence that followed wasn't indecision—it was calculation.
For now, they agreed on one thing:
The boy must not be allowed to awaken fully.
---
Meanwhile, Back at Infernal Star
The academy was unrecognizable.
Every wall wore shimmering banners. Lanterns floated overhead, casting soft, fiery hues across the courtyard. Magic students had conjured glowing birds that danced in the night sky. The usually somber halls of Infernal Star pulsed with laughter, cheers, and joy.
It was the Festival of Crimson Resolve, an annual celebration honoring past victories and new beginnings. This year, it carried heavier meaning: for survival, for unity, for Jade.
At the center of the courtyard, Jade Ryan stood awkwardly, a ceremonial crimson robe draped over his shoulders. His green hair shimmered unnaturally under the lantern light.
> "You're the reason this school still stands," someone whispered in passing.
> "He faced the demon lord alone," said another.
> "The prophecy," murmured a third. "It's him."
Jade clenched his jaw.
He had fought. Won. Survived. But he hadn't asked for this pedestal. The reverence unsettled him. Worse, he didn't feel stronger. If anything… he felt heavier. As if something ancient coiled tighter inside him each time he tapped into his power.
---
Kieran, despite being his usual vibrant self, seemed more distant.
He raised his glass, clinking it with Jade's. "To the man of the hour."
Jade smiled faintly. "You fought too, Kieran."
"I didn't glow," Kieran replied with a smirk. "Didn't sprout wings. Didn't blast the sky open."
There was humor in his voice, but also something else.
Jealousy? Resentment?
Or maybe it was the slow realization that their paths were diverging.
---
The Whispering Flame
Later that night, Jade excused himself from the crowd and made his way to the Moonwell Garden—a silent place hidden deep behind the academy. It was his refuge, his clarity.
But the moment he stepped into the garden, something changed.
The air thickened. The torches flickered, though no wind blew.
And then… the voice.
> "You've seen only the first flicker, child…"
Jade froze. The voice didn't echo aloud—it throbbed inside his chest.
> "You carry the Flame, but you lock it in chains. You fear it."
His hand instinctively touched the markings on his forearm. The green flame tattoos had begun to shift again, glowing faintly beneath the skin.
> "Who are you?" Jade whispered.
> "I am memory. I am fury. I am what they sealed long ago."
> "I am the Jade Flame—and you are my last vessel."
A shockwave of visions poured into his mind. Dragons soaring above broken heavens. Cities drowning in molten rain. A green-haired warrior screaming in agony as the sky tore apart.
Jade dropped to his knees, breathing hard.
Then the flame said something else—something that made his blood run cold.
> "They all lie. The demons. The gods. Even your teachers. Especially them."
---
As Jade returned—face pale, hands trembling the party was at its peak.
Fireworks boomed in the sky. Students danced wildly. Principal Leander gave a speech honoring the "champions of the Nether march."
But none of it registered.
Jade's eyes scanned the crowd and for a moment, just a moment, he saw someone watching him.
A hooded figure standing perfectly still in the shadows beyond the last torch.
Their eyes glowed with a faint red hue.
When Jade blinked, they were gone.
---
At midnight, the academy held its final ceremony: the Carving of Honor.
Each year, the academy etched one name into the Eternal Obsidian Wall reserved for the most outstanding warrior of the generation.
Master Leander raised his hand to silence the crowd.
> "This year," he said, "we honor a first year. A student whose strength, resolve, and courage saved not just lives, but hope itself."
He turned toward Jade.
> "Jade Ryan, step forward."
Jade didn't move at first. Then Kieran nudged him, eyes unreadable.
As Jade approached, the head of the combat class stepped forward, handed him a jade green dagger, and gestured to the wall.
Jade raised the dagger, its edge humming with magic, and etched his name beside the ancient heroes who had come before him.
Jade Ryan.
Year One.
Bearer of the Jade Flame.
---
As dawn broke and the students returned to their dorms drunk, exhausted, happy the sky above the academy cracked silently.
A thin, invisible rift tore itself open above the highest spire.
On the other side… demons waited.
And watching from a distant tower of black glass, the demon lord closed a book titled "Jade Prophecy: Volume XIII."
He smiled.
> "So it begins."