The morning air was cold, even though the sun had risen. Ashen walked beside Ravel in silence, his body still recovering from the trial.
His mind, though, was sharper than ever.
The fire inside him felt different now—not like a wild beast clawing to get out, but like a living part of him. It moved with his breath, pulsed with his thoughts.
But peace didn't last long.
They had barely made it out of the forest when Ravel stopped, hand raised.
"Get down," he whispered.
Ashen dropped into the brush. Ahead, across a ridge, a patrol of the Flamebound Knights moved like shadows between trees. Five of them—each clad in obsidian armor, glowing faintly with the heat of their power.
But this time, they weren't just searching.
They were tracking.
"They have a Seeker with them," Ravel murmured. "He can smell divine power from miles away. We can't outrun them now."
Ashen tensed. "Then what do we do?"
"We don't run," Ravel said, standing up slowly. "We hunt the hunters."
---
They circled around the ridge, moving low and quiet. Ravel handed Ashen a blade—a short dagger with a dull black edge.
"It's made of nullstone," he explained. "Cuts through magic like it's nothing. Use it well."
Ashen took it. It felt cold in his hand.
They moved like ghosts through the underbrush. The Flamebound Knights had stopped at a clearing, forming a loose circle. One of them, the Seeker, knelt at the center, his face hidden behind a steel mask with glowing runes etched across it.
Ravel whispered, "We hit fast. You take the Seeker. I'll handle the rest."
Ashen nodded, heart pounding.
Then they moved.
---
Ashen darted into the clearing, his footsteps silent.
The Seeker turned too late.
Ashen tackled him to the ground, driving the nullstone blade forward. The Seeker blocked with his forearm, but the dagger sank through armor like paper, drawing a hiss of blood and steam.
The Seeker screamed.
The other knights turned—but Ravel was already on them. He moved like lightning, blades in both hands, dancing between their swings, cutting through armor with precise, deadly strikes.
Ashen fought with instinct.
The Seeker lashed out with fire magic, waves of heat crashing against the trees, but Ashen's flame met it head-on, cancelling it out. His fire didn't burn wild—it cut like a blade, tight and controlled.
He ducked under a flaming punch and drove the nullstone dagger into the Seeker's chest.
The runes on the Seeker's mask shattered. The knight went limp.
The battle ended in seconds.
The other Flamebound Knights lay still, smoke rising from their bodies.
Ashen wiped sweat from his brow. "I thought they were supposed to be stronger."
"They are," Ravel said, crouching beside the Seeker's body. "These were scouts. The real threat is the one who leads them."
He pulled a black insignia from the Seeker's armor—a symbol shaped like a crown made of fire.
"The Ashen Crown is watching now."
---
They moved quickly after that, heading toward a safer town near the highlands. On the way, Ravel finally opened up more.
"You're not the only one with divine flame," he explained. "But you are the only one with that flame. The Forgotten Flame. It vanished from the world a hundred years ago… along with the one who first carried it."
Ashen turned to him. "What happened to that person?"
"No one knows. Some say he burned away his own soul trying to stop the Decay. Others say he became something else… something that wasn't human anymore."
Ashen's fire pulsed.
"I don't care what happened before," he said. "I'm not him. I'll make my own path."
Ravel smiled faintly. "Good. Because your path is going to get a lot more dangerous."
---
They reached the town of Greyhill by nightfall.
It was small, surrounded by high stone walls and guarded by mercenaries. But there was a strange tension in the air—people whispering, doors locking early, and more guards than a town this small should need.
As they entered the local tavern, a young girl bumped into Ashen. She looked up, eyes wide with fear.
"They're here," she whispered.
"Who?" Ashen asked.
She glanced around, then leaned in close.
"The Ashen Prince. He came two days ago. He's hunting someone with fire in their blood."
Ashen felt his heart skip a beat.
Ravel tensed behind him. "We need to move. Now."