The world tilted.
Not in the literal sense—but the moment her voice reached my ears, everything I knew cracked. Like a dam holding back something ancient… something monstrous.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
Rina kept walking to her seat, as if she hadn't just shattered my entire reality with six words.
My hands trembled under the desk. Not out of fear—but instinct. My soul recognized her. My power recognized her.
> Ten years ago, they sealed it away. The Fire of Solas. My curse… my weapon.
But the seal wasn't perfect. It pulsed now like a second heartbeat, aching to rise. I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breath.
---
Lunch break came.
I found myself walking to the rooftop, alone—except I wasn't.
She was already there, leaning on the rusted railing. Wind tugged at her dark hair, and for a moment, she looked like a ghost from a forgotten war.
"Kael."
Her voice was firmer this time.
"Who are you?" I asked. My voice came out colder than I meant.
She didn't answer. Instead, she turned—and I saw the mark glowing faintly on her collarbone:
A burned sigil, shaped like a phoenix with torn wings.
I knew that mark. It matched the one on my chest.
And only Heartbearers have them.
But there were none left... right?
---
Before I could say anything else, the sky darkened.
A cold wind howled. Shadows gathered behind the school buildings, twisting like smoke. Students screamed. Windows shattered. Birds fled.
And then—I felt it.
A Rift. A breach between our world and the Void.
From it stepped a creature. Ten feet tall. Armor fused into flesh. Its mouth opened sideways, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.
"It's too soon," Rina said, summoning a blade from her palm, forged of glowing crimson light.
My instincts screamed. My power flared. The seal on my chest cracked—
I had no choice.
I stood between her and the monster, my arm catching fire.
"Don't touch her."
The flames obeyed me like they'd been waiting.
And in that moment—Kael, the boy who had forgotten his past, became the weapon the world once feared.
---
To Be Continued…