---
The journey to find the fourth forgotten god was the hardest yet.
Chirag, Siya, and Kael had faced beasts, storms, and illusions, but nothing prepared them for the land they now entered—Ashkar, the forgotten realm.
It was a place the world had erased from its maps. No light reached the ground, no birds flew in its skies, and the trees bled black sap. The air was thick with sorrow. Every breath felt heavy, like it carried memories too painful to keep.
"This place is dead," Kael muttered, sword at the ready. "Or worse… forgotten."
Chirag walked slowly, his flames flickering faintly on his palms. Even fire didn't burn properly here.
"His name is Solas," Chirag said. "The gods called him the Flame That Remembered. He was one of them. But he refused to destroy a city of humans during the First War. So they cast him down."
Siya glanced at him. "And now he hides here, in a land no one remembers."
Chirag nodded. "Because forgetting… is safer than being hunted."
---
They reached the center of Ashkar by nightfall—though in truth, night and day made no difference in this place. The sky was always gray. The wind always cold.
Before them stood a tower. Broken. Half-sunken into the ground. Yet from inside, a dull glow pulsed, like a fading heart.
Chirag stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the stone path, a voice echoed.
Not in the air.
In his mind.
"Why do you seek what should remain forgotten?"
Chirag answered aloud, "Because the gods want to end everything. I need your help to stop them."
The voice returned, colder. "And what will you do when they turn on her?"
Chirag froze. "What?"
"The girl you love. Siya. Do you think they will spare her because of you? Or will they use her… to break you?"
Chirag clenched his fists. "That's why I have to end them. Before they ever get the chance."
The path ahead lit with pale flame.
"Then come," the voice said. "And see if you are ready."
---
Inside the tower, time bent.
Each step they took seemed to stretch. Shadows moved the wrong way. The stairs circled endlessly, yet they reached the top in moments.
There, sitting on a throne of scorched stone, was Solas.
He was not old, but his eyes were ancient. His hair, once golden, now hung black as soot. His body was wrapped in ash-colored robes. His skin glowed faintly, as if fire still lived beneath it—but barely.
Chirag bowed slightly. "Solas. I'm Chirag. I—"
"I know who you are," Solas said. "Flame-born. Fate-breaker. Demon's child. The one who should not exist."
His voice wasn't cruel. Just tired.
"I know why you're here. But the answer is no."
Siya stepped forward. "You haven't even heard his full request."
"I don't need to," Solas said. "I've seen what gods do to those who resist. I fought once. I burned for it. I lost everything."
"You still have your power," Chirag said. "You can fight again."
Solas stood slowly. His eyes locked onto Chirag's. "You think power is what matters? I had more power than you can imagine. And still, I lost. The gods don't just kill—they erase. They unmake. They wipe your name from time, your face from memory."
Siya whispered, "But Chirag remembered you."
Solas turned to her, and something in his gaze softened.
"Yes," he said. "He remembered."
He walked to a window that overlooked the empty land of Ashkar.
"I remember too much," he said. "The screams. The betrayal. The day I begged the gods to stop… and they answered by burning every child in the city I tried to save."
A long silence followed.
Then Chirag spoke.
"Then help me stop them. Help me make sure no child, no city, no love ever burns again."
Solas looked at him for a long time.
And then…
He smiled.
---
Later that night, as they prepared to leave, Solas handed Chirag a small orb of flame.
"This is Memoryfire. It burns not with heat—but with truth. When the gods lie, this will reveal their secrets. But it comes at a cost."
"What cost?" Kael asked.
Solas looked at Chirag. "It burns part of your own truth too. Every time you use it, a memory of yours will fade. A piece of who you are… gone."
Siya stepped forward, grabbing Chirag's hand. "No. We can't—"
Chirag nodded. "We have to. If losing a piece of me means saving her… saving this world… then I'll pay it."
Solas placed the orb in his palm. It shimmered red and gold, like a dying star.
"Then take it. And take this too," Solas said. He removed a ring from his finger and gave it to Siya. "It protects against divine chains. If they try to bind your spirit… this will break their hold."
Siya bowed. "Thank you."
Kael added, "If you ever want to fight again… there's a place for you with us."
Solas gave him a ghost of a smile. "I've fought my war. Now… I pass the flame."
---
As they flew away from Ashkar, Chirag looked back once.
Solas stood at the edge of his tower, watching. And in the wind, his voice whispered:
"Burn not for revenge… but for love."
The fourth had joined them.
And the final war was close.
---