The man's blindfold shifted slightly in the wind, revealing not weakness—but control. His presence was quiet, yet carved with intention. He didn't flinch when Kai stepped closer.
"That mark," Kai said, eyes narrowing. "You're from the Hollowroot Sect."
The man tilted his head. "Was. Before they were erased."
Ayaka moved to Kai's side. "I thought the Hollowroot were destroyed during the First Flame Purge."
"They were," the man said evenly. "But some of us were too stubborn to die."
He unsheathed a short blade from his side—not in aggression, but in memory. The metal was dark steel, engraved with runes that pulsed dimly.
"I am Ashen," he said. "One of the Nine Embers. And the balance you created beneath that mountain... has fractured the outer realm."
Kai's grip on the orb tightened. "Fractured how?"
"The World Root felt your choice," Ashen said. "And now, so did the broken clans, the wandering sects, the blood-famished monarchs. They move to seize it. They believe the Heaven-Breaker has risen."
Ren scoffed. "So what—you're here to fight us? Warn us? Recruit us?"
Ashen smirked. "To test you."
He moved in a blur—one step, and his blade was at Ren's throat. But before Ayaka or Kai could react, Ren blocked it with a sudden gust of wind, barely pushing it back.
Ashen stepped back, impressed. "You'll need to be faster. Stronger. Smarter. The world isn't waiting."
He tossed something at Kai's feet. A token—ancient and cracked.
> "When the three moons align, come to the Shardspire. That's where the first war begins."
With that, he vanished into the mist, leaving the wind thick with silence and tension.
Kai stared at the token.
Ayaka touched his shoulder. "What now?"
Kai's voice was steady. "Now, we gather our strength."
Because war wasn't on the horizon.
It had already begun.