"He didn't win because he was strong.
He won because he remembered how it felt to be held when the world didn't care."
— Valenya Vordrakar
Scene 1: The Strike They Didn't See Coming
Kaien collapsed mid-sentence.
No wound. No flame.
Just silence.
He was breathing.
But his eyes… dim.
Aeyra gasped.
"He's being erased from the inside—"
Aren: "They're not targeting his body.
They're targeting his past."
Scene 2: Inside the Collapse
Kaien opens his eyes.
He's… young.
Maybe ten years old. Alone. Sitting in snow.
No name.
No fire.
No family.
The world is dull.
He stands, walks through a dead version of the Eternal Dominion.
No one knows him.
He sees Rahul's statue.
The plaque reads: "Unknown Savior."
Kaien stares.
"Who am I?"
Scene 3: The Voice That Fights Back
Outside, Olivia tries singing. Aeyra tries anchoring.
But it's not working.
Olivia: "We can't reach him…"
Valenya steps forward.
Her hands shake.
She kneels beside Kaien's unconscious body.
Valenya (softly): "You were six years old the first time you called me 'sister.'"
"You burned yourself trying to protect Aeyra from a fever spider."
"You cried when you thought Aren died in a cave-in—then punched him when he came back."
"You asked me if I thought you were a monster."
"You're not."
She leans in.
"You're my brother. And I'm not letting you disappear."
Scene 4: Inside the Flame
Kaien hears her voice.
Faint.
Flickering.
But it cuts through the fog.
He looks up. A flicker of flame appears in his palm.
Then…
"Kaien."
He turns.
A younger version of Valenya is standing in the snow.
She holds out a hand.
He takes it.
The snow turns to firelight.
"You remember me?" he asks.
"I never forgot you," she smiles.
The world reforms.
And Kaien wakes up.
Scene 5: The New Flame
He gasps, grabbing Valenya's hand.
She doesn't let go.
Kaien (hoarse): "I was almost gone…"
Valenya: "You never were."
Behind them, the Citadel's core burns brighter than ever.
And the Forgotten whispers in fury:
"He was supposed to forget."