The hush before dawn felt heavy, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
Mist rolled across the ground, pooling around Aeris's boots as he stepped away from the camp, the ember warm beneath his skin, pulsing in quiet rhythm with his heart.
Behind him, the small fire crackled softly, Mira's shape outlined in its glow as she checked her herbs, her staff resting across her knees. Liora lay curled in her blanket, the bell at her waist chiming softly with each breath, her silver hair tangled around her face.
Evin moved like a shadow, checking the perimeter with careful steps, his eyes sharp, every movement measured, ready.
They were tired.
They all were.
But there was no turning back now.
⸻
The forest grew darker as they moved, the mist thickening, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves. The trees twisted overhead, branches tangled, clawing at the grey sky.
The deeper they went, the stronger the ember pulsed in Aeris's chest, a steady beat that matched the low hum in the air, a sound so faint he could barely hear it, but he could feel it in his bones.
It was as though the forest itself was alive, breathing, waiting.
Liora walked beside Aeris, her small hand in his, her eyes distant, storm-grey, reflecting the faint glow of the ember beneath his skin.
"They're waiting," she whispered once. "For us."
Aeris squeezed her hand gently, the heat from the ember bleeding into his palm, warming her cold fingers.
"Then let them wait," he said softly.
Mira fell into step beside him, her staff glowing faintly, her eyes catching his, worry there, and something more.
"Aeris… when the time comes," she said, voice low, "you can't hold back."
He didn't answer, but the ember did, pulsing sharply, as though it understood.
⸻
They reached the ruins by midday, a crumbling circle of ancient stones swallowed by moss and creeping vines. The air was colder here, the mist swirling in strange patterns, shapes moving just beyond the edge of vision.
Liora tugged at Aeris's sleeve, pointing toward the stones, her eyes wide.
"They're here," she said. "They're trapped."
Mira's staff flared brighter, pushing the mist back, revealing what lay within the stones.
Blight.
Pools of it, black and swirling, veins of green light pulsing through it like a heartbeat. Shapes moved beneath its surface, clawed hands reaching up before sinking back down, silent mouths open in screams that never came.
Evin drew his sword, the steel singing softly in the hush, and stepped forward, planting himself between the pools and the others.
"They're close," he said, scanning the shadows.
Aeris felt the ember flare, the heat rising until it burned beneath his skin, light leaking into his vision.
The Blight pulsed, and the ground cracked, splitting open as creatures pulled themselves free, slick with ichor, eyes burning with pale green light.
They came in silence, crawling, stumbling, dragging themselves forward with broken limbs, jaws snapping, empty eyes fixed on them.
Evin moved first, sword flashing, cutting down the first of the creatures, ichor spraying across the moss, hissing where it touched.
Mira raised her staff, light blooming at its tip, flaring outward in a wave that burned the creatures back, scorching their flesh, leaving smoking holes in their twisted bodies.
Liora screamed, clutching Aeris's sleeve, the bell at her waist ringing wildly as the creatures closed in.
The ember within Aeris roared, heat flooding through him, light bursting from his palms in a blinding flash.
Blue-white flame swept through the ruins, slamming into the creatures, burning them to ash, the Blight hissing, retreating from the light.
For a moment, the forest screamed.
And then there was silence.
⸻
They stood among the ash, breathing hard, the ember sinking back into Aeris, leaving behind a cold emptiness that made him shiver.
Evin cleaned his blade, green eyes flicking toward Aeris with a nod.
"Good," he said simply.
Mira lowered her staff, sweat shining on her brow, her eyes lingering on Aeris, her mouth opening as though to say something, but she closed it again, turning away to check on Liora.
Liora's small hand found Aeris's, squeezing tightly, her storm-grey eyes meeting his.
"They're free now," she whispered.
Aeris nodded, pressing a hand to his chest, feeling the ember pulse softly beneath his skin.
"Yes," he said. "They are."
But in the quiet that followed, he felt it.
The ember was changing.
It was no longer just a warmth, no longer just a light.
It was alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
⸻
They made camp near the ruins, the stones shielding them from the wind, the mist rolling around them as night fell.
Evin took first watch, sitting with his back to the stones, his sword across his knees, eyes half-closed but never truly asleep.
Mira prepared a small fire, the flames casting flickering shadows across the ruins, her staff resting beside her, her eyes distant, thoughtful.
Liora curled up beside Aeris, her head in his lap, the bell at her waist quiet, her breathing soft, steady.
Aeris opened his journal, the leather cover worn, the pages filled with words that felt like pieces of himself, pieces he could not say aloud.
He dipped his quill into the ink, the ember pulsing softly beneath his skin, guiding his hand as he wrote.
The ember is restless. It is changing, growing, reaching for something I cannot see. I can feel it now, even when I sleep, whispering to me in the dark. I do not know what it wants, but I know it will not stop until it has it.
Today, I burned them. I saw their faces as the light consumed them, saw the Blight scream as it retreated. It felt right. It felt like I was doing what I was meant to do.
But what if I am only feeding the ember?
What if I am only a vessel?
What if I lose myself?
He paused, the ember flaring, the glow beneath his skin brightening for a moment before fading.
Liora stirred, her eyes opening, storm-grey and clear.
"Don't leave us," she whispered.
Aeris closed the journal, setting it aside, and ran a hand through her silver hair.
"I won't," he promised.
But in the hush of the forest, the ember pulsed.
And Aeris knew that it would not be that simple.
⸻
That night, as the fire burned low and the mist crept closer, Aeris could not sleep.
The ember was restless, pulsing harder, sending waves of heat through him until his breath came in ragged gasps, sweat dripping down his neck.
He stood, careful not to wake Liora, and stepped away from the camp, moving into the darkness of the forest.
The hush was complete, the only sound the soft crunch of leaves beneath his boots, the whisper of the mist as it rolled around him.
He found a clearing, the moonlight breaking through the clouds, silver on the wet grass, the trees standing tall, silent sentinels.
He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes, and let the ember rise.
Heat flooded through him, light bursting beneath his skin, cracks of blue-white flame leaking from his fingertips, from the corners of his eyes.
He fell to his knees, pressing his hands into the earth, the light burning into the moss, the heat spreading outward in soft waves.
What do you want from me? he thought, teeth clenched against the pain.
The ember pulsed, and for a moment, he saw it.
The burning tree.
The black sky.
The cracked earth, veins of light pulsing beneath it.
And at the center, a single, flickering flame.
Waiting.
Calling.
Little flame…
The voice was soft, ancient, carrying in the hush like a promise and a warning.
Aeris's breath caught, tears streaming down his face as the ember roared, filling him with light until he felt as though he would break.
And then, as quickly as it had come, it sank back, leaving him shaking, cold, alone in the hush of the forest.
He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the ember still pulsing there, softer now, but present, always present.
"Not yet," he whispered.
The forest answered with silence.
⸻
When he returned to camp, the fire had burned down to embers, Mira sitting awake, her staff resting across her knees, eyes on him as he stepped from the trees.
She said nothing, but her eyes held questions he could not answer.
Liora was still asleep, curled in her blankets, the bell at her waist quiet at last.
Evin stirred, eyes opening, sharp even in the dark.
"We leave at dawn," Evin said.
Aeris nodded.
They all knew.
The Blight was moving.
The forest was waiting.
And the ember would not be silent much longer.