Chapter Three: Eyes That Never Sleep
(3/1000)
On the following night, as clouds cloaked the sky, Rayn sat on the roof of his cabin, staring at the missing stars. The blue flame hadn't appeared since that moment, but he could still feel its warmth deep within him—as if it were sleeping... breathing slowly.
Dark's words echoed in his mind:
"Spirit Flame... a continent burned... don't tell anyone."
But how could he ignore it? How could he bury something that ignited his veins with every breath? He felt like a creature of fire, pretending to be calm.
Suddenly, his body tensed. Something was watching him.
He stared into the forest. Between the trees, he spotted a glimmer of red eyes glowing in the darkness. He jumped up, gripping a rusty knife he had kept nearby, though his heart beat with a strange force—stronger than fear.
The footsteps advanced slowly. A girl, about his age, stepped out from between the trees, cloaked in gray. Her face was hidden, and a wooden staff in her hand emitted faint smoke.
"You're the one who awakened the flame, aren't you?" she asked calmly.
Rayn stiffened. "Who are you? Who sent you?"
"My name is Ira. I'm one of the Silent Wardens. I came to observe, not to fight... for now."
She took a step closer. "The blue flame doesn't belong to you. It belongs to an ancient pact. If you can't control it, you'll be killed before you even speak your name."
"Enough riddles!" Rayn snapped. "What is this flame? And why do you all suddenly appear from nowhere?"
She looked at him with dark, unreadable eyes. "The blue flame is one of the Seven Forbidden Flames. It existed thousands of years ago... and destroyed everyone who tried to wield it. None survived—except the first bearer."
"And who was that?" Rayn asked.
In a hushed voice, she replied, "The greatest traitor... the one who tried to burn the world to rebuild it anew."
Rayn fell silent, his heart racing. Was he now carrying the power of a man who once destroyed a continent? Was he just another pawn in fate's hand?
Ira suddenly said, "Three great powers are now in motion. Each seeks the flame. One of them... has already reached this village."
Before he could grasp her words, the sky split open as a red flame crashed down like a meteor at the village's edge, followed by a wave of unbearable heat.
Rayn gasped, turning toward the incoming blaze, as a voice rose within him—a voice only he could hear:
"Kill… or be killed."