Lanterns swayed in the night wind, their flames guttering as if in fear.
At the center of the Ashborne Clan courtyard, a boy knelt in chains. His body was thin, his breath shallow, yet his dark eyes held an unyielding light.
The patriarch stood above him, voice sharp as iron."Kael Ashborne. Since the moment of your birth, fire recoiled from you. Hearths died when you cried. Torches dimmed when you approached. Do you know why?"
Kael raised his head. "Because I was born crippled…"
The patriarch's lips twisted into something colder than contempt."Not crippled. Cursed. You carry a spark older than this realm—the Eternal Ember. A fire so dangerous Heaven itself sealed it. Your mother died birthing you. Your father vanished chasing answers. From this day, you are no son of Ashborne. Your name is erased."
The crowd jeered."Trash.""Cursed child.""Even fire spits him out."
Kael's chest heaved. "Uncle… I am still blood—"
"Blood means nothing when Heaven rejects you!" the patriarch thundered. "Guards! Cast him into the Cinder Abyss. Let his curse rot in darkness."
Chains scraped stone as Kael was dragged away, his knees leaving streaks of blood.
From a balcony above, a girl watched through bars of black iron. Pale as moonlight, her eyes were veiled with chains of silk. The clan's seer.
For an instant, her lips moved soundlessly:
"The fire in you… will one day burn the sky."
Kael's breath caught. Before he could answer, he was hurled into the abyss—into silence.
When the courtyard emptied, the patriarch lingered. His mask of steel cracked. In a whisper only the night heard:"Forgive me, brother… I could not protect your son. If the ember awakens, Heaven will destroy us all."
Above the pit, every lantern guttered out.