The weight of his words sank in, leaving Aanha's mind spinning. The world she thought she knew suddenly felt paper-thin, ready to tear open at any moment.
Aanha:Know I exist? You keep saying things that make no sense! Who are they? And why—why me?!
Her voice cracked halfway through, trembling between anger and fear. The golden light of evening flickered through the trees, painting her face with streaks of shadow.
Sai didn't answer right away. His gaze was distant, fixed somewhere past the horizon, like he was searching for the right words—or weighing whether to tell her at all.
Sai (quietly): There are people who've been looking for someone like you for a long time. People who shouldn't even know your name.
Aanha:Someone like me? I don't even know what that means!
Sai: It means you're not— just Aanha.
She flinched at his words.
Aanha (angry): Stop saying that! I don't want to hear any of this! Yesterday was… it was just some weird accident!
Sai (sharply): You think accidents burn through stone and air like that? You think that thing came here by coincidence?
His tone hit like a slap, but it wasn't cruel—it was desperate. His usual calm was gone, replaced by a storm barely held back.
Aanha: Then tell me what's going on! Tell me why that thing looked at me like it knew me!
Sai (after a pause): Because it did.
The words froze her.
He turned toward her fully now, the fading sunlight catching in his eyes—eyes that looked too old for someone his age.
Sai (lowering his voice): You have a mark on you, Aanha. Something that draws them. You've had it since birth.
She blinked, stunned.
Aanha: Then why didn't they found me earlier? That's impossible.
Sai : They didn't find you earlier because that power of your, for which they are searching had been supressed by someone... but that broke on you became 18.
Aanha: You're making this up—
Sai: Am I? Then how do you explain the fire? The way your wounds vanish overnight? You've never wondered why you didn't get sick even after being fully drenched in cold night, why your mom's thermometer never reads right?
Her breath stuttered. Those were things she'd always brushed off. Things that never seemed important—until now.
Aanha (quietly): …You've been watching me.
Sai: Protecting you. There's a difference.
He turned away slightly, running a hand through his hair, the tension in his shoulders visible even in the dim light.
Aanha: Then what about the birth mark huh?
Sai: you still haven't noticed it... its in the centre just below your collar bone, it glowed whenever you used your powers and its still glowing faintly.
Aanha saw a mark just where Sai had mentioned. It was a circular mark with some kind of patterns inside it, something written in unknown script on the corners making a circular shape and there stood some patterns at the edged giving it a star like shape. it glowed faintly in dim sunlight.
Aanha:They? You keep saying "they"—who are they, Sai?!
He looked back at her then, eyes sharp but filled with something she couldn't name—regret, maybe.
Sai: The ones who destroyed everything to acquire y[ou]...
Silence fell between them—heavy, suffocating. Somewhere in the distance, a crow called once before taking flight, the echo fading into the twilight.
Aanha stepped back, her voice barely a whisper.
Aanha: …Who am I, Sai?
He opened his mouth to answer—then stopped. Whatever truth hovered there was swallowed by hesitation.
Sai (softly): Not yet. You're not ready to hear it.
He turned toward the trees.
Aanha (furious): Don't you dare walk away again!
But Sai didn't turn back.
Sai (quietly): Go home, Aanha. Stay close to your mom. And whatever happens… if you feel that fire again—don't fight it.
And before she could demand more, the wind stirred sharply—and he was gone, like the air itself had carried him away.
Aanha stood frozen in the empty yard, her hand still warm from that unexplainable heat… and a single thought echoing in her mind—
"The ones who destroyed..."
Aanha stood frozen long after the wind settled. The leaves stopped rustling, and even the air felt… still. Too still.
Her pulse drummed in her ears. She half expected Sai to reappear with another cryptic warning — but the yard remained empty, as if he'd never been there.
Aanha (whispering):The ones who destroyed… who am I ?what I am?
Her voice barely carried in the silence.
She hugged her arms around herself and turned toward the bench to grab her bag — but stopped.
The grass near where Sai had stood was still damp, the faintest shimmer of condensation clinging to the air like mist. But just beyond that, where the dark energy had struck earlier…
something glinted.
Aanha hesitated, then crouched slowly. The earth there was scorched black, yet at the center of the burn lay a small fragment — smooth, round, and faintly glowing with a pulsing red light, like a heartbeat trapped in crystal.
She reached out, fingers trembling, as if its calling her; she brushed it lightly.
Instantly, a rush of heat surged up her arm.
Her breath hitched — images flickered in her mind, too fast to make sense of — flames, symbols, the shadowed figure's glinting eyes — and a voice, faint but echoing right inside her skull:
"Found you."
Aanha stumbled back with a gasp, clutching her hand. The glow from the fragment dimmed instantly, as if it had gone dormant again.
For a moment, everything was quiet.
Then — the faint sound of bells drifted from the valley below. Not the kind from temples or houses, but a low, metallic chime, rhythmic and distant… getting closer.
Aanha's breath quickened.She glanced toward the forest — but there was nothing. Just shadows shifting in the dying light.
Her bandaged hand pulsed once, the faint ember under her skin flaring briefly in answer to the sound — as though something unseen had recognized her again.
Aanha (backing away, whispering): …Sai…
No reply. Only the wind picking up again — colder this time.
And then, from the treeline, a single black feather drifted down… and landed at her feet.
Aanha stared at the black feather for a long time before forcing herself to move. Her legs felt heavy, like her body knew something her mind still refused to. She bent down carefully, wrapping the glowing fragment in the corner of her scarf before shoving it into her pocket.
She reached the porch of her house, running and sighing heavily, the sun had dipped behind the trees, and the wind carried the faint chill of night. Inside, the house felt emptier than usual —
She set the wrapped fragment on the old wooden table. For a moment, she just stared at it.
The faint red light pulsed even through the fabric, steady and alive.
Aanha (muttering): What are you…?
She hesitated, then unfolded the scarf. The glow brightened faintly, painting the walls in a soft crimson hue.
The moment her fingers brushed the surface again, a faint warmth spread through her palm — not burning, but comforting, like the heat of a memory.And with it came whispers — faint, fragmented voices that weren't quite human.
"Seal… broken…"
"The vessel… reawakens…"
"Flame of the First…"
Aanha flinched and pulled her hand back. The whispers vanished.
Heart racing, she stumbled a few steps away. "Flame of the… what?"
Before she could think further, a soft hum filled the air — and the fragment floated an inch above the table, spinning slowly. Small glowing symbols appeared around it, forming a circular sigil that shimmered like liquid fire.
Aanha gasped and backed up, but before she could move further, the front door creaked open.