The tunnel sloped downward in a long, metallic curve, barely wide enough for two people.
Cool air brushed Lian's burning skin, easing the lingering heat.
Raine kept her pace fast but controlled, blades sheathed now, one hand hovering near Lian in case he faltered.
"You stabilizing?" she asked without looking back.
"A little," Lian murmured.
"But the ember… it's still moving."
"It always moves. It's alive."
Lian froze mid-step.
"Alive?"
Raine sighed.
"Not like a creature. More like… an instinct. A memory held in energy form."
"That's not comforting."
"Good. It's not supposed to be."
Their footsteps echoed down the narrow shaft.
The Warning
A faint tremor shook the tunnel floor.
Raine stopped instantly—hand up.
"Quiet."
The rumbling grew, mechanical and sharp.
Then a blaring alarm echoed from far behind them.
"They breached the safehouse faster than I expected," Raine muttered.
"They're deploying Ash Hunters."
"Ash what—?"
WREEEEE—KRRRRR—CHHH—
A chilling metallic screech rolled through the tunnel.
Lian's heart dropped.
"That… doesn't sound human."
"It's not."
The Hunters
From the darkness behind them, red lights flickered.
Six small shapes crawled along the walls and ceiling—spider-like drones with razor limbs and whispering engines.
Their eyes glowed red, scanning the tunnel.
"Targets confirmed:
Ember Heir: Lian Hart.
Custodian-class threat: Raine Solis."
Raine groaned.
"I hate the old designation they gave me."
The drones accelerated—fast.
"Run!" Raine shouted.
They sprinted down the tunnel.
Metallic legs clattered behind them like a rainstorm of knives.
One of the drones leapt forward, aiming directly at Lian's neck—
SHKK—!
Raine's blade flashed, slicing it mid-air without breaking stride.
But three more crawled along the ceiling overhead.
"Raine, they're—!"
"I see them!"
She pulled him into a side alcove just as the drones fired needle-thin projectiles that embedded in the wall, sizzling.
"Those needles…" Lian panted. "They're burning the metal."
"Neuro-scram injectors," Raine said. "Designed to knock out Ember-bearers."
"Why do they have weapons just for—"
"Lian."
She pressed a blade back into his hand—his own blade, though he didn't remember picking it up earlier.
"Talk later. Survive now."
The Ember Reacts
A drone lunged again—too fast.
Lian raised his arm out of instinct.
Before Raine could intercept—
FWOOOM—
A burst of crimson energy erupted from Lian's palm, forming a curved shield of heat.
The drone slammed into it, melted instantly.
Raine skidded to a halt, staring at him.
"…You formed a barrier," she breathed.
"You weren't supposed to be able to do that yet."
"I didn't mean to. I just—reacted."
"No," she whispered.
"The ember reacted. On its own."
More drones shrieked from behind.
"Questions later!" Raine snapped.
They sprinted even faster now, the tunnel widening as they approached a large chamber washed in dim orange emergency lights.
The Ash Corridor
They reached a massive steel door with a glowing biometric panel beside it.
Raine slammed her hand against the scanner.
"Access code: Solis Guardian 03."
The door groaned, slowly lifting.
Drones clattered closer—
closer—
closer—
"Get in!" Raine pushed him through.
The door lowered behind them—too slowly.
Three drones forced their limbs beneath the gap—
Lian didn't think.
He thrust his hands toward the opening.
A pulse of ember energy blasted downward—
BOOOOM—
The drones were obliterated.
The door slammed shut.
Silence.
Heavy, ringing silence.
Raine exhaled long and hard.
"…You're advancing too fast," she said quietly.
Lian leaned against the wall, panting.
"I can't control it."
"You're not meant to. Not yet."
She stepped closer, eyes steady.
"But you need to understand what you are."
She tapped the door behind her.
"This place is called the Ash Corridor.
Your father helped build it."
"My father—?"
"Yes."
Her voice softened.
"And he never meant for the Order to find you."
The Discovery
The corridor lights flickered on slowly, revealing a long hallway lined with reinforced glass windows.
Behind each window—
Empty chambers.
Burn marks.
Scorch-patterns resembling explosions.
Deep gouges made by something powerful… and uncontrolled.
Lian's breath hitched.
"Raine… what is this place?"
"Training rooms," she said.
"For Ember Heirs."
Lian swallowed.
"There were others?"
Raine didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes dropped.
Her voice turned quiet.
"Yes."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then she added,
"And every one of them died."