Kaen's dreams were not his own anymore.
Flames danced in the void, forming fragments of people he'd never met. A woman cloaked in sunfire whispered his name. A tower made of obsidian and gold burned from within. A key—a fire-wrought key—hovered over a shattered gate beneath the world.
He woke with a gasp.
The cave was quiet, lit only by the soft embers of the previous night's fire. Mira and Selyra slept close by, while Tane stood on watch, sharpening a blade that was more decorative than practical—probably just to keep himself busy.
Kaen's body still ached from the clash with the Ashbound. His arm shimmered faintly with gold, even in sleep. The shard had become more than a tool. It was changing him. Not just in strength, but something deeper.
Something older.
Selyra stirred first, eyes fluttering open, her gaze immediately seeking his.
"You saw something again," she said quietly, sitting beside him.
He nodded. "A vault beneath the world. A woman in sunfire. And a key."
She didn't flinch. "The Vault of Embers."
Kaen's breath caught. "You know it?"
Selyra hesitated, then reached into her satchel and pulled out a worn journal, its edges singed, its cover cracked.
"My mother spoke of it," she said. "A place lost to time—buried beneath the Ashlands. Said to contain the true source of elemental fire, untainted by gods or mortals."
Kaen's heartbeat quickened. "And now I'm seeing it in my dreams?"
"Because the shard you carry," she said, looking at his arm, "is a key fragment."
Tane whistled low from the cave mouth. "Well, that explains why half the world wants to kill us."
Kaen chuckled dryly, but inside, dread churned. If the Ashbound knew… others might too. Factions, cults, even kingdoms.
Mira finally woke, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "You're all talking like you're in a prophecy. Should I be worried?"
"We might be," Kaen muttered.
Just then, a soft tremor passed beneath them. Barely noticeable—but Kaen felt it in his bones. Like something stirring… waiting… beneath the earth.
He stood. "We need to go."
"To the Ashlands?" Mira asked.
"No," Kaen said, eyes distant. "Under the Ashlands."
Selyra's eyes widened. "The Ember Vault."
Kaen nodded.
The journey wasn't over. It was only deepening.
And this time, they weren't walking into war.
They were walking into memory.