The flames were still visible from the ridge.
Kael stood at the cliff's edge, panting, smoke-stung eyes wide as he watched the orange glow rise from what used to be his home.
"Ember Hollow..." he whispered.
Gone. Just like that.
Cinder let out a soft whimper, nuzzling Kael's neck. The little dragon trembled—not from fear, but from rage. Their bond hummed in Kael's bones like a second heartbeat.
They were looking for me. For us.
They burned everything.
Kael gritted his teeth. He hadn't just stolen a dragon egg. He'd stolen a war trigger.
And someone very powerful wanted it back.
Behind him, the mouth of Wyrm Hollow yawned like a monster waiting to feed.
Ancient, jagged rock formed a narrow crevice that dropped steeply into darkness. Old legends said this cave was where the last of the Dragon Riders vanished… or were buried. No one knew which.
But right now, Kael had no choice. The soldiers would be searching the woods by dawn. And the only place no sane man would follow?
Was straight down into the Wyrm Hollow.
He looked at Cinder. "If I die, you're not allowed to eat my body. Deal?"
Cinder blinked slowly, as if considering.
"…I'm taking that as a yes."
Kael stepped into the darkness.
The descent was worse than he imagined.
The walls closed in. The air grew colder. Strange symbols pulsed faintly on the stone around him—red, gold, and violet, like the echoes of a long-dead magic still whispering warnings.
Cinder glowed slightly, casting flickering light on the tunnel as they moved deeper.
Then the ground dropped away.
Kael fell—hard—landing in a stone chamber deep underground. He groaned, staggered to his feet—
—and froze.
Carved into the floor was a massive, circular symbol.
The Mark of the Riders.
It matched the one on his palm, down to the last curling line of flame.
Then the chamber lit up.
Flames erupted along the walls, each one shaped like a dragon's head. A voice boomed—not in words, but in raw power that shook the marrow in Kael's bones.
"Prove you are worthy."
"Or be consumed."
Cinder hissed, wings flaring. Kael's mark blazed red-hot.
The air warped—and suddenly, the flames on the walls moved.
They leapt from the stone, twisted together, and formed a figure.
A dragon. Massive. Made entirely of fire.
"This is the Trial of Flame," the voice intoned. "Survive… or burn."
The fire-dragon lunged.
Kael barely dove aside as it slammed into the floor where he'd stood, sending molten sparks flying. He rolled, came up gasping, and looked to Cinder—
But Cinder didn't fight.
Cinder just watched.
Because this wasn't his trial.
It was Kael's.
"Of course," Kael muttered, eyes narrowing. "Magic hates me."
He dodged the next strike, then the next, heart pounding. The fire-beast seemed to move faster with every miss, like it was learning.
Kael's body screamed in pain—but his hand burned brighter than ever.
He looked down.
The Mark.
It was glowing like a furnace—and suddenly, he understood.
The mark wasn't just a bond. It was a weapon.
He raised his palm and shouted, "ENOUGH!"
A blast of searing red light exploded from his hand, slamming into the fire-dragon's chest.
It roared—louder than thunder—then shattered into a hundred flame fragments, which danced once in the air before fading.
Silence.
Then the chamber pulsed.
A voice, softer now, echoed around him.
"You have been chosen. Flame accepts you. Ash remembers you. You are Rider-born."
The Mark faded to a dull glow.
Kael fell to his knees, exhausted.
Cinder curled against him.
For the first time, Kael felt it—not just the fear, not just the fire—but something ancient stirring in his blood.
He wasn't just running anymore.
He was rising.
⚠️ Chapter End:
One trial passed.But the world outside burned hotter than the flame within.Enemies were coming.And not all of them were human.
Next Chapter: "The Ashborn Hunters"