The road back to Eldreth felt longer than the journey away. Dust clung to their cloaks, and the silence between Rayyan and Nael was thicker than ash. Even Lunir, normally the light between them, had retreated into thought — her eyes no longer reflecting the skies, but something deeper and unreadable. Only Zafir seemed unshaken, though he carried his own silence like a sword.
As they neared the village gates, they saw them draped with red and gold banners, sigils of long-forgotten flamehouses fluttering in the wind. Trumpets blared from wooden towers, and children chased each other, painted in colors of battle.
"The Tournament," Zafir muttered. "We return in time for blood and glory."
Rayyan's brows drew together. "This wasn't in any of the visions."
Nael's gaze swept the crowd. "Some destinies aren't given. Some are… claimed."
The Village Reborn
Eldreth was no longer a quiet refuge — it had become a coliseum in disguise. Warriors from across the realm had gathered: flame-bearers with crimson tattoos, earth-binders wearing stone-carved masks, and whisper-knights whose voices could cut through silence. The town buzzed with tension wrapped in celebration.
Rayyan and Nael moved like ghosts through familiar streets, now transformed by tents and combat rings. Whispers followed them. Names like "sons of the ember," "the white flame's heirs," and even "cursed ones of Barjak" reached their ears.
They reunited with Sabrin, the sharp-eyed scout who once guided them through the Vale of Shattered Roots. She stood beside a new companion — a tall, dark-skinned woman with gold-threaded robes and an air of command.
"Meet Yunar's sister," Sabrin said. "Her name's Shaia of the Western March. Flame oracle. Sees more than she speaks."
Shaia nodded to each of them, her eyes lingering on Nael.
"Two suns circle you, but one burns alone."
Nael blinked. "What does that mean?"
Shaia smiled faintly. "You'll know when one of them sets."
A Message Left in Shadows
That evening, Rayyan was handed a scroll by a hooded monk outside the inn. The parchment, old and slightly singed, bore a familiar symbol: a twin-flame crest — their father's mark. Inside was a fragment of a map, and a line in ancient tongue:
"He who bears the Blazing Crown shall face the Watcher of the Yellow Flame… or fall to the Liar's Ember."
Rayyan stared at the writing long into the night.
Nael didn't ask.
Because he already knew something worse.
Tensions Behind Eyes
Nael sat on the roof of the inn, fingers wrapped around the pendant left by his mother. The vision still echoed in his head — his mother's silhouette, Eblis' words, the battlefield of fire.
"You are the key, not him."
What if it was true? What if Rayyan's path was a lie wrapped in light?
What if Nael's destiny was rebellion — not redemption?
When Rayyan joined him, Nael hid the pendant under his shirt.
"We're entering the tournament under the House of Nūr," Rayyan said, trying to sound hopeful.
Nael gave a faint nod. "Light fades. Even stars die."
Rayyan's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
House of Nūr
The next morning, they entered their names. House of Nūr hadn't been spoken in generations — a name buried in flameborne records.
"Forgotten names carry power," Zafir said. "As long as someone remembers."
Their team was completed by:
Shaia, the Oracle,
Sabrin, the scout-warrior,
and Lunir, now more composed but distant — her aura flickering with an inner storm.
Their first match was in two days.
But danger didn't wait.
The Liar's Name
That evening, a new roster was posted for the first phase of the tournament. Rayyan scanned the names, eyes narrowing at one that burned brighter than all:
"Abaddon, The Walking Cataclysm (Bringer of Hollow Destruction)
Type: Ancient Force
Rank: Keeper of the Final Ashes
Ability: Devourer's Path – He does not destroy, but makes destruction feel inevitable, leading people to justify war.
Role: The hand of annihilation.
Rayyan whispered the name. The word pulsed in his mind — the Forbidden Flame of the Liar.
Because somewhere deep inside, something in that name pulled at him too.
End of Chapter 11