Kiara's breath caught in her throat.
The figure was barely human — it moved like smoke in water, limbs too fluid, too wrong. Its eyes were bottomless black, its voice like whispers layered in static.
"Kiara Everen," it hissed, stepping closer. "Daughter of dust. Marked by fire."
She didn't speak. She couldn't.
Her body was frozen — not by fear, but by something else.
Like the very air around the creature had turned thick and slow.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
One word from Kaelith.
"Run."
That single word shattered the stillness — her body broke free.
She turned and bolted.
The creature howled behind her, voice rising in unnatural echoes, chasing not with steps but with shadow — leaping from wall to wall, window to window, warping the world around it.
But she didn't stop.
Not until the flames found her.
---
Kaelith
He didn't remember leaving the house.
Didn't remember bursting through streets and alleys like a living storm.
All he knew was the fire — it wasn't just beneath his skin now.
It was calling to him.
A voice, ancient and deep, whispered from within:
"Let the seal break."
He found her cornered in a narrow alley, the creature pressing Kiara against the wall. Its fingers hovered inches from her skin — not claws, not quite. But hungry.
And then everything stopped.
Because Kaelith stepped forward.
And the world responded.
Wind howled. Sparks flew from nowhere. The walls around them cracked from heat.
The creature turned slowly.
"You," it growled. "Halfborn. Unsealed."
Kaelith raised one hand, and flame spiraled upward like a serpent — crimson and gold, but lined with black.
"I'll only say this once," he said quietly.
"Step away from her."
The creature hissed. "She bears the mark. Her blood is tied to your fire. She is not just human—"
Kaelith didn't wait.
He threw the flame.
It struck like lightning — but silent.
The alley lit up like day. The creature screamed, body writhing as its shadow peeled off the ground like smoke torn from flesh.
And when the light faded… it was gone.
---
Aftermath
Kiara sat on the ground, panting, eyes wide. Her skin glowed faintly — just for a moment — like embers beneath her veins.
Kaelith knelt beside her.
"You okay?"
She nodded shakily, then looked him in the eye. "It said my name. It knew me. What… what the hell is going on, Kaelith?"
He swallowed, torn between truth and protection.
Then...."Whatever you are… whatever you saw… you don't have to face it alone."
A beat passed between them. The air still warm.
Her hand found his. She gripped it tight.
---
Somewhere Else…
The angels watched the burn left behind — a scorch mark in the shape of a sigil long forbidden.
The first angel turned to the others.
"She's part of it," she said.
"She was always part of it," the Fallen replied. "He was never meant to burn alone."