The fire crackled softly, its warmth a comfort in the frozen ruins. The night had settled around them, a thick blanket of snow and silence, broken only by the occasional snap of the flames.
Kael sat beside his father, Dren, who was still adjusting to the reality of being free after so many years. His mother, Lira, stood nearby, the flickering light casting shadows on her face. There was a quiet urgency in the air, a tension from the many years apart, the weight of Kael's journey, and the pain of their shared past.
The reunion had been swift but the words were slow to come. Each of them had been lost in their own thoughts, Kael struggling to find the words for the grief and anger that had been simmering inside of him for years. His father, Dren, seemed lost in his own thoughts, but his eyes were filled with a mix of awe and fear, as if he still couldn't believe his son was standing before him.
The fire crackled again as Kael looked at his father, the man whose voice had once comforted him, whose presence had once been a steady foundation in a world that was now fractured beyond recognition. Dren's face was gaunt, his features hardened by time and pain, but his eyes—those golden eyes—hadn't changed.
"You've changed," Dren said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. "But you're still my son. Still the boy I remember."
Kael couldn't find the words to respond. Instead, he swallowed hard and nodded. His heart was heavy, but there was a relief in the air. His father was real, tangible—no longer just a memory. And yet, there was something else, something unspoken.
"You've been through so much," Lira spoke softly, her voice carrying the weight of her own sorrow. "But we never thought… we never knew you were out there, fighting. We were taken because of you. To force you to come. To make you… to make you face the truth."
Kael's throat tightened. "I couldn't let go of the past. I had to find you."
Dren reached out, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, his touch warm despite the coldness of the surroundings. "You found us. But now, you have to tell me. How? How did you come by this power?" He glanced at the gauntlet, which lay in the snow beside Kael. The gauntlet, the cursed artifact that had bound him to the gods and the flames. It was a reminder of everything Kael had lost, everything he had gained.
Kael looked down at the gauntlet, his fingers brushing its surface. It had been so much more than just a weapon, so much more than just an object. It was a part of him now, something that connected him to his past and his future.
"I don't know how to explain it," Kael said quietly, his voice strained. "It came to me in pieces. The gauntlet… it was just the beginning. At first, it felt like something I couldn't control, something that would consume me. But now… it's more like a part of me. It's connected to the flame, to the old powers I never knew I had."
Lira took a step forward, her eyes filled with concern. "But how? How did you survive all this time? How did you find us?"
Kael looked up at his mother, the woman whose face had been a blur in his memories. She was still beautiful, still fierce, but there was a sadness to her that mirrored his own.
"The journey wasn't easy," Kael admitted. "I didn't know where to start, didn't know what I was looking for. But the gauntlet… it spoke to me. It guided me, even when I didn't understand what was happening."
Dren frowned, studying Kael's face closely. "You're telling me that this artifact… this thing… guided you?"
Kael nodded slowly. "It's not just an artifact. It's a key. A link to something greater, something the gods—" He stopped himself, the memories of what he had learned from the creatures and the Ashbound flooding his thoughts. "Something ancient, something older than us. The gauntlet… it's been with me for longer than I can remember."
Lira's gaze flickered to the gauntlet, her expression darkening slightly. "So, it's true, then. The gods… they were the ones who took us. They used us as bait, to get you here."
Kael's hands clenched at his sides. "They did more than that. They're not just watching. They want me to fight for them. To fight against something that could tear the world apart. The Incursion."
"The Incursion?" Dren asked, his brow furrowing. "What is that? What does that have to do with us?"
Kael looked at his father, his heart heavy with the burden of what he had learned. "The Incursion is what the gods fear. It's a force from the void, from beyond the realms. It's what they've been preparing for, what they've been using us for."
Lira's eyes widened. "You mean… the gods were preparing for war?"
"Yes," Kael said. "A war that will consume everything. The gods… they've been gathering forces, using vessels like me to stand between them and the darkness. But it's not just a battle for power. It's survival."
Dren's face hardened. "So, the gods have been manipulating us all this time? Using you as a pawn in their games?"
Kael nodded grimly. "I don't know how much of it was planned. But I do know this: they want me to be the key. The one who decides the fate of everything."
His mother's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "And you? What do you want?"
Kael's gaze softened as he looked at her, the weight of his decisions pressing heavily on him. "I don't know. I don't know what to want anymore. I've lost so much already. But I can't let them win. Not like this. I won't let them control my fate."
Dren placed a hand on his shoulder, his grip firm and comforting. "Then we'll fight. We'll fight with you. Whatever it takes."
Kael turned his gaze back to the gauntlet. "I don't know if I'm ready for this. But I don't have a choice, do I?"
Lira smiled softly, a tear tracing the edge of her cheek. "No. You never did."
For a long moment, they sat in silence, the fire crackling between them. There was a weight to the silence, but it wasn't oppressive. It was a kind of quiet understanding, a shared bond that had been broken for so long but was now being mended.
Kael felt something stir within him—a sense of purpose that had been buried under the weight of years of loss and regret. He was no longer alone in this fight. He had his parents back. And together, they would stand against whatever came next.
The flame of the fire flickered brightly as Kael looked up at the sky, the weight of destiny heavy on his shoulders. The journey was far from over. But for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel as if he were carrying the burden alone.
They would fight, together.
And whatever the future held, Kael was ready to face it.