The sky above the ravine seemed wrapped in a milky haze as we began advancing along the narrow trail. The wind carried a cold, almost metallic scent that contrasted with the natural heat of the red fissures in the ground — the kind of mixture that left anyone uneasy. After the attack of the ice construct and the revelation that my flame was reacting more and more strangely, the group moved in silence, alert to every sound.
Rai'kanna walked beside me, observing the path with more seriousness than usual. "The creature's tracks we defeated ended in this direction. If there's another core, it will be close."
"Let's hope it's not bigger than the last one," Vespera muttered, adjusting her coat. "My hands stayed frozen for an hour."
Liriel flipped through the grimoire, analyzing small ice particles that accumulated between the pages. "The temperature keeps dropping as we get closer. Some force is draining heat from the environment, not just creating ice."
"What do you mean, draining?" I asked.
"As if it were stealing energy from the territory. That explains why some crystal roots are fading."
Elara, who was watching ahead with her bow in hand, nodded. "I saw two stones dimmed along the path. I had never seen that here."
Lyannis took a deep breath. "If the stones are dimming, the guardians won't like it. They may think it's your fault."
"And is it?" Vespera asked.
Rai'kanna answered before I could open my mouth: "No. You've helped this kingdom more than any other group. My father acknowledges that."
The three from my group became slightly more tense when Rai'kanna placed a hand on my shoulder for a moment, as if silently calling my attention. Lyannis noticed and frowned, but said nothing.
We continued forward until the trail ended in an open area — a clearing surrounded by natural stone pillars. In the center, a bluish crystal platform reflected the faint morning light. There were dark marks scattered around, as if something had burned the ground irregularly.
"Marks of freezing and heat mixed," Liriel said. "This makes no sense. No normal creature would leave this."
"Was it the spirit's doing?" I asked.
"They're different from its marks," Rai'kanna replied. "This came from something that was here before."
Vespera approached a tilted stone and ran her hand over it. "This is hot. Really hot. But the air around it is cold. What a bizarre thing."
Elara tightened her grip on the bow. "There's someone there."
We all looked in the same direction.
Behind one of the pillars, a hunched figure seemed to be analyzing something on the ground. The face wasn't visible — only a dark, rigid cloak with silver details resembling runes.
Before we could react, the figure slowly lifted its head and turned toward us.
The cloak completely hid the face. But the voice… the voice came muffled, as if speaking through frozen water.
"You arrived too quickly."
Rai'kanna took a step forward, light flames appearing on her wings. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The figure did not answer. It simply raised a hand, and ice particles detached from its fingers, floating in the air like white dust.
Liriel narrowed her eyes. "That's not human. Or, if it is, it's not acting like one."
"You should not interfere," the figure said. The voice was calm, but carried an empty tone. "The flame does not belong to this territory."
I felt my heart tighten.
The flame inside me pulsed intensely, reacting to the stranger's presence. A wave of heat rose through my left arm — not painful, but insistent, as if trying to warn me of something.
"You're after my flame," I said.
The figure tilted its head. "It is calling something that should not awaken. I did not come to fight you. Only to retrieve what is awakening."
"They're trying to take his flame," Vespera whispered to Elara.
"Or destroy it," Elara added.
Lyannis stepped forward and pointed her spear at the figure. "We will not let you touch him."
The stranger merely raised the other hand and, with a simple motion, pulled a layer of icy air around Lyannis. The princess barely had time to react — her spear froze at the tip, trembling in her hands.
Rai'kanna scoffed, the flames on her wings intensifying. "Take that off her."
"I did not come to harm anyone," the figure repeated. "But you must leave this place."
"We're not going anywhere," I replied firmly.
The stranger sighed — not in irritation, but in… disappointment.
"Then see with your own eyes."
He touched the ground with the tips of his fingers.
The crystal platform at the center of the clearing glowed, emitting a pale blue light that expanded like a veil. Little by little, images began to form on the surface — not reflections, but memories.
Creatures as large as mountains walked among rivers of fire. Ancient dragons flew in circles, roaring toward the sky. And a black hole — deep, cold, silent — opened in the center of the territory.
Vespera took a step back. "What… is that?"
"The beginning," said the figure. "The beginning of what is about to happen if the flame continues to awaken what is asleep."
I felt the flame inside me react more strongly, almost burning from within. Rai'kanna noticed and grabbed my wrist.
"Takumi, control your flow."
"I'm trying," I answered through clenched teeth.
The figure lowered its hand, and the images vanished.
"You must retreat. I am only a collector. The true one responsible for this will come soon, and you will not be prepared to face him."
Elara furrowed her brow. "Collector… of what, exactly?"
"Of echoes," the figure replied. "And of flames."
"You will not touch him," said Rai'kanna. "Never."
The stranger remained still for a few seconds, as if assessing the situation. Then he spoke in a lower voice:
"Then I hope you are ready when he comes."
The wind blew strongly. Ice particles swirled around the cloak, covering it completely. When the veil dissipated, the stranger simply wasn't there anymore.
Silence.
Liriel closed the grimoire slowly. "That… was serious."
"Who could 'he' be?" Lyannis asked.
Rai'kanna looked at me with a worried expression. "Whoever it is, he's after you."
I felt it again — a faint, deep vibration coming from the flame. Like a warning.
And for the first time since arriving in the demi-dragons' territory, I felt that we weren't just investigating an invasion.
We were being watched.
And chosen.