The gate hissed open—slowly, like the breath of a sleeping titan—and Yukio stepped inside the Sanctum of Embers.
Golden fire floated in the air like drifting souls.
Daigo and Shigure stood beside him in silence, but even their breathing was shallow. Something ancient stirred within these walls—not evil, but eternally watching.
At the center of the sanctum, a stone platform hovered, suspended by runes made of light. And on it...
...was a book bound in obsidian.
---
The Book That Breathed
Yukio approached.
The book pulsed with energy—warm, not burning. It responded to his presence.
As his hand hovered above the surface, the runes whispered in his mind:
> "Flamekeeper… chosen not by birth, but by burden… speak the oath, or be consumed."
His breath caught.
> "What is this?" Daigo asked.
Yukio didn't answer. He opened the book.
---
The Prophecy of the Lost Flame
The pages turned on their own—each one glowing before burning into golden ash, revealing ancient words carved directly into Yukio's mind.
---
> "In the era when stars fall like tears and time bends, the Flame shall awaken within a child born of silence and sorrow."
> "He shall walk the shattered lands, hunted by both shadow and light."
> "When the three embers unite—Body, Soul, and Memory—the Gate of Aethra shall open, and the Flamekeeper must choose…"
> "…to destroy the world, or save it by burning himself."
---
Yukio staggered back, heart racing.
> "This is… about me."
Shigure placed a hand on his shoulder.
> "No. It's about what you're becoming."
---
The Flamekeeper's Trial
Suddenly, the room shook. Fire leapt from the walls.
The book vanished, replaced by a glowing circle beneath Yukio's feet.
From the ceiling, light formed three shapes:
1. A flaming sword — Body
2. A mirror of shadows — Memory
3. A feather burning blue — Soul
> "You must choose," said the Warden, now standing at the edge of the platform.
Yukio gritted his teeth. "Choose what?"
> "Only one can be accepted. The rest shall be lost forever."
---
The Choice
Yukio stared at the three relics.
Each one pulled him differently.
The sword offered strength.
The mirror whispered secrets of his past.
The feather shimmered like a heartbeat, warm and pure.
> "Body means I can fight back," Yukio muttered. "Memory means I'll understand the truth. But Soul…"
He reached for the feather.
> "Soul is what I've nearly lost too many times."
As his fingers touched it, the other two relics dissolved into smoke.
---
The Soulbond Ignites
A shockwave exploded from the feather. Yukio's body lifted into the air.
Symbols etched across his skin—the language of the Ancients, long forgotten.
His heart burned, but not with pain—with clarity.
Visions surged through him:
His mother crying beside a burning village
A younger Shigure locked in chains beneath the Spire
Daigo facing a mirror showing a monster version of himself
And finally… a vision of a girl, hair like silver fire, standing atop a cliff overlooking the world.
> "You… you know me," Yukio whispered.
The girl turned in the vision and smiled directly at him.
> "I've always known you, Flamekeeper."
Then—darkness.
---
Aftershock
Yukio collapsed to the floor. Shigure and Daigo rushed forward.
> "Yukio! What did you see?" Daigo asked.
But Yukio just stared at his hands—now faintly glowing with blue flame.
> "I saw her."
Shigure narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
Yukio didn't answer.
Instead, he stood and walked toward the far wall—where a hidden door opened with a hiss.
---
The Frozen Chamber
Beyond the sanctum was a room unlike the rest—cold, silent, dark.
At the center was a coffin.
Yukio's breath caught.
The figure inside was motionless… perfectly preserved.
The girl from his vision.
Alive. Asleep. Frozen in time.
---
The Flame's Guardian
A voice echoed through the chamber.
> "She is the key to your balance."
The masked figure stepped out from the shadows again, but this time… he removed his mask.
It was Yukio.
An older Yukio.
Hair longer. Eyes dim. Scars crawling across his face like fire veins.
> "I am you from a possible future. The path you walk… ends in pain. She is the last anchor to your soul."
Yukio's breath hitched.
> "Who is she?"
The older version smiled bitterly.
> "Her name was Arashi. She's the true Flame's Will… and she loved you once."
---
Choices and Futures
The older Yukio stepped forward.
> "You have two paths now, younger me. Wake her… and risk breaking the world's seal… or leave her, and burn slowly inside until you forget why you ever fought."
Yukio stared at the frozen Arashi.
Everything inside him screamed to reach for her. But the prophecy echoed in his mind.
> "...to save the world by burning yourself."
> "Why show me all this?" Yukio asked.
His older self sighed.
> "Because… I forgot to choose her."