Kael woke to firelight.
Real fire.
Warm. Flickering. Comforting.
But even it recoiled at his touch.
He sat up slowly, the world spinning. Pain hummed beneath his skin, and something new lingered in his chest—a hollow ache, as if part of him had burned too brightly and hadn't grown back.
They were camped on a ridge outside the Vale, overlooking the scorched ruins of what had once been a forest shrine. Lira sat nearby, sharpening her blade with slow, angry strokes.
He looked at her. "What happened?"
"You lost control," she said, not looking up.
Kael winced. "Did anyone—?"
"Solen's dead," she snapped.
The words hit like a hammer.
The flames inside him curled inward, ashamed.
"I didn't mean—"
"I know," she said, quieter. "But meaning doesn't matter out here."
Another scout, a grizzled woman named Marren, stepped into view. "He saved us," she said firmly. "If he hadn't lit up like a firestorm, we'd be ash or frost."
Kael didn't know what to say.
Marren tossed him a skin of water. "You're no monk, Brightboy. That fire in you—it's wild. Untamed."
Lira finally looked at him.
"You need a master."
Kael stared at the fire. "They're all dead."
Lira nodded grimly. "Then we find one who isn't. Or we forge one from what's left."
They returned to Ashfall at nightfall.
Cynen met them at the gate, his robes dusted with ash. His expression darkened as Kael approached.
"You used it."
Kael nodded. "It used me."
"You let it."
Kael didn't argue.
The old man exhaled slowly. "The Pale Choir has begun their march. That was only the first ripple. Their saints will follow."
Lira spoke next. "He's strong, but he's raw. He needs training—now."
Cynen looked Kael up and down, eyes sharp.
"There is one who might shape him."
Kael leaned forward. "Who?"
Cynen's voice dropped like a stone in a still pond.
"The Cinder Witch."
Lira hissed. "She's mad."
"She's alive," Cynen said.
"And she was once First Flame of Ashira's chosen."
Kael stood straight. "Where is she?"
The old man looked to the western mountains, where clouds churned with sulfur and smoke.
"West of the Ash Spine, where the earth still burns. She keeps to the ruins of the Godforge. She will not welcome you."
Kael's eyes flared faintly. "I don't need welcome. I need answers."
Cynen gave a grim smile. "Then you may get both. Or neither. Pray she doesn't kill you first."