"Some fires are lit not to warm, but to warn."
—Archivist Merek, Records of the First Blaze
A Whisper in the Wind
The night sky over Skyhold shivered with magic. Thin trails of red energy weaved through the air like veins beneath the clouds. Something had entered the academy grounds—silent, unseen.
Kairo jolted upright from a shallow sleep. His breath fogged the cold air in his dorm. For a moment, he thought it was just another nightmare.
But then he saw the scorch mark on the wall across from his bed.
Fresh.
He threw on his cloak and slipped out the door.
The Crimson Serpent
In the deepest shadows of the Grand Archives, a flickering, snake-like entity slithered through the ancient marble halls. The summoned Crimson Sigil Serpent left behind trails of ember ash, but no heat. It moved with purpose, guided by the spell Mira and her circle had invoked.
But it did not hunt alone.
From the eastern wing, Lyra sprinted barefoot through the library stacks, her boots tucked beneath her arms. Her blood pulsed with alarm. She felt the same disturbance Kairo had felt.
Magic. But wrong. Twisted.
Then she saw it.
A shape of black fire.
And in its wake, books melted.
Ambush in the Stacks
Lyra dove behind a pillar just as the serpent lashed toward her. She rolled, chanting quickly.
"Solae Invictus!"
A barrier of mirrored light flashed around her. The serpent slammed into it and rebounded with a hiss. The barrier cracked.
Lyra drew her shortblade. "If you're part of Mira's plan, then I'm really done playing nice."
The serpent lunged again.
She ducked under it, flipping across the aisle, and slashed upward. Her blade met shadow.
And passed through it.
She staggered back. "You're not solid...?"
A voice echoed behind her: "It's a construct. Magical consciosness. You can't kill it like that."
Kairo.
He stepped from the darkness, flame swirling in his right hand.
"Good thing I don't need a blade."
Kairo's First Kill
The serpent twisted in the air, its eyes glowing brighter. It recognized its targget now.
Kairo raised his palm.
Breaker Flame: Phase II.
His fire erupted—not orange, not red, but white and gold, edged with void-black. The serpent screamed.
He hurled a concentrated bolt of raw flame into its core. The serpent exploded into particles of ember.
Lyra blinked.
"That's not… that's not any ranked fire I know."
Kairo was breathing hard. "It's not. I think it's older than the rankings."
They stood in silence.
Lyra stepped closer. "You saved me."
He looked away. "You would've done the same."
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I almost forgot what this felt like… trusting someone."
He looked into her eyes.
"Then let's not forget again."
Their hands lingered.
The Council's Warnings
Meanwhile, in the high tower chambers, the Skyhold Council gathered in urgency.
"The Crimson Sigil is active again," said Grand Magister Solon.
"We haven't seen its mark in three generations," whispered Councilor Yune. "It was sealed."
Solon turned to the others. "And now the seal is broken. By whom, we do not know. But the academy has become a battlefield of ideologies."
Councilor Raeth slammed his hand on the table. "What of the boy? The unranked?"
Solon's voice was grave. "He is the key, or he is the curse. Possibly both."
Aftermath
Word of the serpent's destruction spread quickly. By morning, students were whispering in corners. Some looked at Kairo with awe. Others with fear.
Mira watched from a balcony above.
"He's stronger than I thought," she admitted to her shadowed companion.
The figure at her side said nothing.
"He's not ready for what's coming," she added.
The figure finally spoke. "Neither are we."
A Wound Left Open
Kairo returned to his dorm to find a note tucked into his pillow.
"Your fire does not belong to this world. The last time it burned, an empire fell. — M"
He crushed the note in his hand.
That night, Lyra didn't come to the skybridge.
He waited two hours.
But she never arrived.
Storm Over Skyhold
Two days later, a storm rolled in from the east. Lightning cracked. Winds howled.
The academy sealed its gates.
But even within the wards, something stirred.
Inside the Vault of Forgotten Names, a sigil stone cracked. Red light spilled from its fracture.
A voice whispered from the dark:
"The hunt has begun."
And far below Skyhold, in a prison lost to maps, something ancient opened its eyes.
Kairo's Choice
Kairo sat before a sealed door in the academy's third crypt.
The echo of his flame guided him here. He didn't know why. But he knew it mattered.
He placed his hand on the door.
The sigil on its surface glowed.
Then… opened.
Behind it, a chamber filled with glyphs. A shrine of some sort. A sword floated mid-air, encased in crystal flame.
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Will you bear the burden?"
"Will you break Heaven's chain?"
He reached out.
The flame surged.
And the sword fell into his hand.
Flame-Eater.
The ancient weapon pulsed with recognition.
Kairo fell to one knee.
But he did not let go.
Reunion and Regret
Later that night, Lyra found him at the edge of the cliffs.
"You vanished," she said.
"I had to find answers."
"You still should've told me."
He looked at her. "I didn't want to pull you deeper into this."
She stepped closer. "Too late."
Their eyes met again. This time, no hesitation.
She took his hand.
"If we fall, we fall together."
Kairo nodded.
And far above them, the storm broke—lightning casting the Academy in white.