The village didn't sleep that night.
Flames rose in the distance—far past the temple walls. Black smoke curled into the sky like a warning. People gathered in the square, whispering prayers and holding their children close. No one said it out loud, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
The cursed one has returned.
Aelric didn't speak. He stood at the edge of the temple steps, armor glowing in the moonlight, his sword resting against his shoulder.
He hadn't seen Kaien in five years.
Not since the day Kaien vanished without a word.
Not since the night they argued so badly, Aelric punched a hole through the door—and Kaien just laughed.
"You were never meant to protect this world," Kaien had said.
"And you were never meant to burn it," Aelric snapped back.
After that, he was gone.
No goodbyes. No trace.
Just silence.
Now that silence was broken.
The fire in the east wasn't just any fire—it was the Sanctum, a sacred place that only the highest priests were allowed to enter. And someone had destroyed it.
Aelric knew who it was.
He could feel it in his blood.
"He's back," he whispered.
Behind him, Commander Orin stepped forward. "Your brother?"
Aelric nodded. "It has to be him."
"Then we'll hunt him down," the commander said. "Whatever he is now… we end it before it spreads."
Aelric didn't answer right away. He tightened his grip on his sword and stared at the red sky.
"Don't kill him," he said quietly.
"Not unless I say so."
Meanwhile, miles away—through the ash and the smoke—Kaien stood at the center of the scorched Sanctum. The ground was cracked beneath his feet. The old statues of the gods lay in pieces.
He didn't look proud. He didn't even look angry.
He just looked tired.
He stepped over a shattered altar and knelt near what used to be the high priest.
His voice was calm.
"You all thought you were gods," he said. "But you were just men with golden robes and loud voices."
His fingers brushed the broken floor.
From the shadows behind him, a voice whispered, "He'll come for you."
Kaien didn't look back. "I know."
"You're not afraid?"
"No," he said. "I want him to come."
He stood up slowly, and for a moment, the flames around him bent like they were listening.
"I want him to see what this world really is," Kaien said. "And I want him to understand why it has to burn."