The desert winds howled like distant cries of the fallen as the sun dipped below the horizon. Inside the House of Nūr's encampment, celebration clashed with unease. Nael and Rayyan had triumphed over the Hollow Flame, but something deeper had been stirred—within them, and within the world.
Whispers passed like wildfire between houses: the Brothers of the Sun had awoken something ancient.
---
A Night of Visions
Nael sat alone, his eyes closed, but his soul wide open. Within his dreams, he saw a battlefield scorched by divine and infernal fire. Towering beings with wings of shadow clashed with luminous jinn wielding blazing staves. Amidst them, a boy stood—his eyes blue and bleeding. The boy wasn't human. Nor fully jinn. He was made.
Then he saw him.
A figure cloaked in silver and gold, with eyes that mirrored Nael's own sunlit gaze. Iblis.
He raised a vial of glowing red liquid and poured it over a child of flame. "From Isa, peace be upon him, to you. Rise and burn the world of balance."
Nael woke with a scream. His left eye blazed, literally catching the tent fabric alight. Rayyan rushed in, dousing the flames with a divine mist from his palm.
"What did you see?" Rayyan asked.
Nael only whispered, "He called me... son."
---
The Priest of Hollow Flame
Rayyan slipped away that night. In the abandoned ruins near the Kalos tournament grounds, he met a hunched blind man—robes of charred white clinging to his frail form.
"You are the child of sacred cause," the priest said. "But your brother—he is forged from blasphemy."
Rayyan gritted his teeth. "He is not evil."
"He is love given to fire," the priest whispered. "He may love you. He may even love justice. But the one he calls father... will not let go."
---
The Third Trial: Tomb of the Fallen Light
The High Voice of Kalos announced the final pre-Gate trial: a co-op exploration and battle through the Tomb of the Fallen Light.
"In this resting place lies the first of those who defied divine command. Face your heritage. Face your fate."
Each house sent their strongest. House of Nūr was joined by rivals, including House Ravenn and the mysterious House Marid. But the tension between Nael and Rayyan was heavier than armor.
---
Descent Into Ruin
Inside the tomb, ancient murals lined the stone: fire-winged jinn kneeling to a bright star. Others turning away, led by a golden-eyed being crowned with smoke.
Nael touched the wall, and his eye glowed.
"You feel it, don't you?" Rayyan asked.
"Like it remembers me," Nael replied.
Deeper in, they found the sealed chamber: blackened scrolls wrapped in protective flame. Every house tried to reach them. All failed.
Until Nael stepped forward. The flames bent to him. The seal opened.
A scroll hovered before him, unraveling with forgotten language and a single, resonating voice:
> "My son... You are not broken. You are becoming."
Nael stumbled back as a flash of golden light surged from his chest. The tomb trembled. The murals came alive, depicting a war to come.
Rayyan saw the final mural. It showed two figures: one with the eye of the sun, the other with eyes of frost and mercy. Both stood above a shattered world.
---
The Awakening
As the tomb began to collapse, Nael didn't flee. He stood in the center, arms outstretched, light erupting from his eye.
"Iblis is not just a devil," he whispered. "He is my blood."
Rayyan grabbed his arm. "Then remember who you choose to be. Not who he was."
Nael looked at him. And for the first time, his power calmed.
As the tomb closed behind them, the world of Kalos changed. The Gate was opening. The brothers had crossed from pawns to prophecy.
And the war of heaven and flame was only beginning.