The morning after the Seeker attack was unnaturally quiet. The storm had passed, but something in the air felt heavier—like the world was holding its breath.
Abhi stood shirtless in the courtyard behind the safehouse, sweat dripping from his brow, the cloth no longer tied around his eyes. His vision—if it could be called that—was made of motion, energy, lightwaves, and heat signatures. It was dizzying, chaotic... but also beautiful.
Isha stood a few feet away, her arms crossed. "We've focused on your sight. Now it's time to see what else is buried in your blood."
Abhi turned to her, his voice low. "You think there's more?"
"I know there is." She stepped closer, raising a hand to his chest. "The ring awakened the first layer of your abilities. But the Red Moon? That's ancient blood. You don't just burn… you reshape."
"Reshape?"
"You'll see," she said, stepping back. "Close your eyes."
"I can't—"
"You don't need them," she said firmly.
He obeyed, shutting out the energy waves, the ghost-like glows. At first, there was only darkness. Then... warmth. Deep in his chest, beneath skin and bone, something pulsed. A second heartbeat.
"Focus on the light inside you," Isha instructed. "But don't force it. Breathe with it. Let it rise."
He inhaled slowly. The warmth began to build—tiny at first, like a candle flame flickering in a storm.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept the courtyard. Dry leaves spiraled upward. Abhi's body shivered.
"Isha—"
"Don't stop," she said. "It's rising."
His skin began to glow faintly, golden veins of energy crawling along his arms and neck. Then—BOOM—a sudden burst of heat radiated outward, cracking the stone beneath his feet.
Isha held her ground, shielding her face as dust and light exploded from him in all directions.
When it cleared, Abhi was kneeling, panting. His arms were scorched with glowing patterns. Not burned—but marked.
"What…" what was that?"
She stepped forward, kneeling beside him. "Your true core. That wasn't just light. That was Soulfire."
"Soulfire?"
"It's rare," she said, eyes wide. "Most Light-bearers emit pure light or heat. But Soulfire comes from bloodline magic. It doesn't just burn—it remembers. It can destroy… or rebuild."
Abhi stared at his hands. "This... this was inside me all along?"
"Yes. But you were never taught to listen to it." Her voice softened. "Now you will."
They spent the rest of the day testing the limits. With Isha's guidance, Abhi learned to summon flickers of Soulfire, channeling it into focused heat—melting stone, reshaping metal. At one point, he even formed a glowing blade from pure light, though it shattered seconds later.
"You're learning faster than I expected," she said. "Your instincts are sharp."
"It feels like I'm remembering something I never knew I forgot," Abhi admitted, watching the fading ember-glow in his palm.
"That's your bloodline," Isha replied. "It remembers even when you can't."
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the trees, a soft chime echoed from the ring on Abhi's finger. It pulsed once—twice—then glowed steadily.
"What is it?" he asked.
Isha's smile faded. "It's a call."
"A call?"
She nodded. "The Vault is stirring. It senses your awakening. That means the others will, too."
Abhi stood, brushing dust from his pants. "You mean the Hunters?"
"And the second bearer," she said. "You're not the only one with power drawn to the Vault. There's another. Somewhere."
They returned to the safehouse and found a package left at the doorstep—no name, no markings.
Cautiously, Isha opened it. Inside was a folded map, stained and ancient-looking. A single phrase was scrawled in black ink at the bottom:
"The Vault sees all. Trust no flame that doesn't cast a shadow."
Abhi stared at it. "What does that mean?"
Isha's expression darkened. "It's a warning. Some Light-bearers… lost themselves. Became corrupted by their own power. Their flames cast no shadow. Which means they no longer walk in balance."
He looked at the map, which depicted a section of forest surrounding a jagged mountain—its peak carved into the shape of an eye.
"That's real?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "That's one of the entrances. The Vault of Eyes."
Abhi stepped back, letting it sink in. For so long, he'd lived in darkness—both forced and chosen. Now, every step forward peeled back a new layer. A deeper truth. A heavier weight.
"You still want to find it?" Isha asked him quietly.
He looked up at her, jaw set. "I have to. Not just because of the Vault. Because I need to understand who I am. What I could become."
She touched his arm gently. "Then we leave tomorrow."
That night, Abhi couldn't sleep.
The memories from his father's journal replayed over and over—the screams, the fire, the fear. The man who'd looked into the eyes of his newborn son and saw a monster.
And yet, in Isha's eyes, he saw something different. Not fear. Not awe. But trust.
He got up quietly and stepped outside into the cold air. The stars were sharp and cruel above. In the silence, the ring on his hand pulsed again.
A whisper brushed the edge of his mind.
"He watches still."
Abhi turned sharply. But no one was there.
Just the shadows.
And the waiting mountains beyond.