**Volume 2, Chapter 8: Embers in the Dark**
It had been five months since the attack that nearly killed us. Five months since we escaped the tunnels of that rotting city. Since then, everything changed.
My name is Dalren.
It wasn't the name I was born with—I wouldn't know. But it's the one I chose.
And now, we weren't alone anymore.
After stumbling through the ash-coated streets and slipping through the silent ruins of Virelia, we found them: the Revolutionaries.
A small, tight-knit group of survivors and rebels, scattered across the kingdom but united by a single flame—hope. They were Virelia's last light, and we had joined them.
The leader, Liz, was a firebrand. Literally. Her abilities rivaled Lina's, and her resolve might even outshine it. She wasn't tall, but there was a power in her stance, in the way she moved. Red hair, tied back in a scorched braid, eyes like embers that refused to die. She didn't speak often, but when she did, the room listened.
We trained together. Fought together. Bled together. And now, all that remained—was to strike.
---
The meeting room in the hideout was dimly lit, the walls of carved stone still damp from rainwater that dripped through cracks above. Maps and parchment were spread out on the table, lit by enchanted candles that flickered with a strange, bluish light. The other Revolutionaries whispered among themselves until Liz stepped into the room.
"Why did you call us here?" I asked, stepping in and noting everyone had already gathered. Even Lina and Cilia sat on opposite ends of the long table.
Liz didn't even look up. Her voice was sharp, clean. "We were discussing when to attack."
"Oh wow," I said, sliding into a chair. "Things are progressing so fast."
"Obviously, big bro," Lina yawned. Her head was nearly on the table already, clearly bored out of her mind.
"Well, can't blame her," I muttered, watching her. "Planning's never really been her strong suit."
Liz scanned the room. "Any suggestions on when we should move?"
"What about a fronta—"
"No," I cut Lina off, straightening. "Too dangerous. Too risky. We're outnumbered by a disgusting margin. We'd be slaughtered."
"Tch." Lina stood and marched out of the room without another word.
A tense silence followed.
Liz exhaled slowly. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone, go get some rest."
Chairs scraped the floor as the room slowly emptied.
I stayed seated.
"Wow. Sharp tone. She's depressed again. I swear she only gets like this when she's too emotionally constipated to yell." I stood up, groaning a bit from the ache in my legs, and wandered off to make some tea.
Yes, tea. I'm a revolutionary, not a barbarian.
When I returned, two cups in hand, I found Liz still there, alone.
Her head was on the table, hair slightly messy, her brow creased in exhaustion. She looked... peaceful, almost. Like a fire that had stopped burning for just a moment.
And maybe I stared too long.
"Are you going to keep staring or are you just going to stand there until your tea goes cold?" she asked, her voice muffled by the table.
I flinched. "Um…here. Brought you this."
She sat up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. The lines under her eyes were deep. Too deep for someone our age. She took the cup and sipped it slowly.
"Thanks."
I sat down across from her.
"I know why you're here," she said without looking at me.
"...Aren't you going to talk more than that?"
She stared into her cup for a long second. "To be honest, I want to charge in there and burn him alive. But I'd die. A stupid, meaningless death. I watched him kill my father when I was a child. Burned him from the inside out. Just because he spoke against the crown."
The air thickened. Even without her fire, the heat of her rage was palpable.
"...I can't relate," I thought. And it was true. I felt sympathetic. I understood the pain. But I didn't *feel* it. I didn't remember anything about my family. Maybe I never had one.
"Let's get down to business," she said, finally snapping me from my daze.
"Business?"
"Yeah. Why were you staring at me all this time?"
Oh. No.
Why. Why was she grinning like that?
Abort. Abort.
"I just thought you were… kind of beautiful."
And boom. Her face flushed instantly.
"B-but I don't know what beauty actually means!"
I don't even know why I added that.
Liz exploded. Literally.
A plume of fire erupted behind her, the table groaning in protest. "YOU IDIOT! DENSE, STUPID, FIREWOOD-HEADED BUFFOON!"
I shielded the tea like it was the last heir to the throne.
"I TAKE BACK EVERY NICE THING I'VE EVER SAID ABOUT YOU!"
"YOU CALLED ME NICE?!"
"SHUT UP!"
---
Somewhere outside the door, Cilia and Lina watched the muffled explosions and sighed.
"How long before he dies?" Cilia asked.
Lina snorted. "Please. He's tankier than he looks. He'll live. Barely."
And in the hideout beneath a dying kingdom, laughter finally returned.
Even if only for a moment.