The world did not fall apart quietly.
It came crashing down with screams, flying embers, and the deafening clash of metal and magic.
At first, Kael couldn't move. He stood in the middle of the square as raiders broke through the smoke—shadows with burning blades, their armor jagged and ash-stained. Behind them, flames devoured the eastern rooftops, painting the sky orange.
Villagers scattered in every direction. Mothers pulled children into their homes. Farmers grabbed tools they hoped could pass as weapons. Someone shouted Kael's name—but the sound drowned beneath a violent roar as another explosion rocked the earth.
Lira tugged his sleeve again, more desperate this time. "Kael! Snap out of it—come on!"
But Kael barely heard her.
Something deep inside him was pulsing. Calling.
The Water element pulled at his chest like a riptide.
The Fire inside him growled like a chained beast.
Both wanted out.
His breath came sharp and uneven.
Not now. Not here.
He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the elements down, but panic surged so violently that the world tilted. The heat from the burning rooftops pressed against his skin, pleading for release.
"Kael!" Lira shouted again.
Her voice finally broke through the noise, and Kael turned toward her.
She looked terrified—not of the raiders but of losing him in the chaos.
"Please," she said. "We need to go."
A scream tore through the crowd.
A raider leapt from a rooftop, blade dripping with molten fire, aiming straight for a young girl frozen in fear. Serrin thrust out his hand, releasing a wave of flame that knocked the raider back, but three more swarmed around him immediately.
Lira grabbed Kael's hand. "This way!"
Before Kael could respond, she pulled him toward the alley behind the square. His feet stumbled at first, then finally found rhythm beside hers.
They sprinted past burning carts, past villagers trying to douse flames with buckets of water, past the old stone well where the examiner's horses screamed and reared in terror.
"Why are they here?" Lira yelled breathlessly.
Kael shook his head. He didn't know. Raiders weren't supposed to cross into Emberfall. The Ashen Wastes were far from here—half a world away.
None of this made sense.
They reached the back of the square—the narrow alley that led toward the river—and Kael finally felt his lungs loosen.
"Are you hurt?" Lira asked, gripping his shoulders.
"No," Kael said, though his voice trembled. "Are you?"
She shook her head. "We need to get your mother. And mine. And—"
A loud crash cut her off. A raider fell from the rooftop above them, landing hard in the dirt. He groaned, trying to push himself up.
Lira took a step back.
Kael didn't think—his body reacted on instinct, grabbing Lira's arm to pull her behind him.
The raider's helmet rolled off, revealing a scarred face, eyes wild and unfocused. He snarled and raised his blade, flames crawling along its edge.
Kael stumbled backward.
The Fire inside him crackled.
The Water surged, cold and furious.
He could feel his heartbeat in his palms. His skin crawled with energy—raw, unstable, rising too quickly for him to control.
The raider lunged.
Kael threw his hands in front of him.
He expected nothing to happen.
Instead—
A burst of blue water erupted from his palms, slamming into the raider's chest and hurling him backward into the wall.
Lira gasped.
Kael stared at his hands.
His wrists glowed faintly—first blue, then red.
No.
No.
Not in front of her.
Lira stared at him, wide-eyed. "Kael… what was—that? How did you—?"
"I—I don't—"
Another explosion tore through the street behind them, forcing both of them back into movement.
"Kael," Lira whispered, her voice shaking. "You're—You're an elemental."
"I can explain," Kael blurted.
"When? There's no time!"
She was right. Flames swept through the alley, forcing them to run again. They dodged falling debris, sprinting toward the river as the sounds of battle echoed through the village.
Kael's heart hammered with fear—for Lira, for his mother, for what she had just witnessed.
For what it meant now that someone knew.
The Riverbank
When they reached the riverbank, the world narrowed into a frantic blur.
Villagers crowded the shoreline, some trying to flee by boat, others huddling together as raiders advanced along the upper ridge.
Kael pushed through the crowd, searching for his mother.
"Ma!" he shouted. "Mom!"
Lira scanned the area too, calling out for her parents.
"Lira!" a voice yelled.
Her mother appeared, running toward them, her dress torn and streaked with soot. Relief washed over her face as she pulled Lira into a tight embrace.
"I was looking everywhere for you—are you hurt? Did you—"
"I'm fine," Lira said quickly. "Where's Dad?"
"He's helping the others fight the fires," her mother said breathlessly. "But we need to go—now. Boats are filling fast."
Lira started to follow her, but then she turned back to Kael. "Find your mother," she said urgently. "Meet us at the bridge—I won't leave without you."
Kael nodded, throat tight.
He pushed deeper into the crowd.
"Mom!" he yelled again.
The river roared louder as more villagers pushed boats into the water. Smoke thickened in the air. The sky glowed with spreading fire.
Then Kael heard it—a faint, broken voice calling his name.
He spun around.
At the far edge of the riverbank, collapsed near the reeds, was his mother.
Kael sprinted toward her, nearly tripping over loose stones.
"Mom!"
She looked up weakly, clutching her side. Her face was pale, streaked with dirt and blood.
"Kael… thank the spirits…" Her voice trembled. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Kael said quickly. He knelt beside her and took her hand. "We need to get you out of here."
She shook her head. "I—I can't walk. A building collapsed when the raiders struck the eastern road. I tried to get away but—"
Kael's chest tightened. He slid an arm behind her back, trying to lift her.
She winced in pain. "Kael… stop… you'll hurt yourself."
"I don't care," he said. "I'm not leaving you."
He pulled her up, forcing her weight onto his shoulder. She cried out, but Kael didn't stop. He guided her toward the boats, ignoring the burning in his muscles.
But before they reached the shoreline—
A shadow dropped from the ridge above them.
Kael barely had time to react before a raider landed in front of them, blade drawn.
Kael froze.
His mother stiffened beside him.
The raider stepped closer, eyes locked on Kael—specifically on Kael's wrists, which were still faintly glowing beneath the soot on his skin.
"Split Soul," the raider growled.
Kael's blood ran cold.
He didn't know how the raider recognized it—but he did.
The raider lifted his blade.
Kael felt everything inside him break loose.
The Fire in him roared, rising in a violent surge.
The Water answered with equal force, fierce and unyielding.
They collided inside his chest, twisting, spiraling, fighting for control.
His mother clutched his arm. "Kael—don't—"
But it was too late.
The raider swung.
Kael thrust out his hand.
A torrent of water exploded forward—but the edges burned red with fire. The blast struck the raider with such force that he flew backward into a tree, slamming against it before collapsing to the ground.
Kael breathed hard, hands shaking violently.
His mother stared at him, eyes wide—not with fear, but with a terrible, heartbreaking sadness.
"Oh, Kael," she whispered. "You promised me you would keep it hidden."
"I—I tried," he said, voice cracking. "I really tried."
She cupped his cheek with trembling fingers. "This is why we keep secrets. This is why your father—"
Her voice broke off.
A violent crash echoed from the village. Flames surged higher.
"We need to go," Kael said. "Please, Mom. Lean on me."
She nodded weakly.
They moved slowly toward the boats, but the crowd was too thick now—panicked villagers pushing, shoving, crying as raiders advanced closer. The remaining boats rocked dangerously from the weight of people scrambling aboard.
"We're out of time," Kael whispered.
He scanned the river. His heart sank. There were no empty boats left.
None.
Lira's voice carried through the smoke. "KAEL! KAEL, WHERE ARE YOU?"
Kael looked up. She stood on the far side of the bridge, waving frantically at him.
"RUN!" she yelled. "Kael, come on!"
He took one step—
And then a massive explosion erupted from behind them.
The shockwave hit like a hammer.
Kael was thrown forward.
His mother slipped from his grasp.
He rolled across the dirt, coughing violently. His ears rang. His vision blurred.
When he finally lifted his head—
He saw his mother lying motionless beside the river.
"Mom!" he shouted, scrambling toward her.
She was conscious—but barely. Blood soaked through her tunic. Her breathing came in shallow, uneven gasps.
Kael knelt beside her, panic clawing at his chest.
"Mom, stay with me. Please. Stay with me."
She reached up and grabbed his wrist—right where the glow still pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
Her voice was a faint whisper. "Kael… listen to me… You must run."
"No," he said, shaking his head violently. "I'm not leaving you—"
"You have to," she insisted. "They know what you are now. If they catch you—if the Council hears of this—they will kill you. Do you understand?"
Tears blurred his vision. "I'm not leaving—"
"Kael." Her voice grew stronger for a moment. "The world is changing. You can't see it yet, but you will. There are truths you need to learn… about your father… about the elements inside you. But you can only learn them if you live."
A shadow loomed behind them.
Kael turned slowly.
Another raider.
Sword raised.
Eyes locked on him.
His mother shoved him with the last of her strength. "RUN!"
The raider charged.
Kael's instincts exploded.
A swirl of fire and water erupted from his hands—uncontrolled, wild, tearing through the air in a violent spiral. The blast struck the raider and sent him crashing into the dirt.
But Kael felt something crumble inside him.
His mother lay still, her hand falling limply to the ground.
Kael choked. "Mom? Mom!"
No response.
The world trembled as another explosion rocked the village.
Smoke thickened.
Flames spread.
Screams faded into echoes.
Lira's voice again—faint this time: "KAEL! PLEASE!"
Kael wiped his tears with the back of his shaking hand.
His legs felt numb.
His heart felt torn open.
The two elements inside him twisted painfully—Fire burning in grief, Water drowning him in sorrow.
He stood.
He took one last look at his mother.
Then, with a broken breath, Kael ran.
He sprinted through the smoke, across the bridge, toward Lira—toward whatever future waited for him now. A future he never asked for.
A future he could no longer avoid.
And as Emberfall burned behind him, Kael felt something shift inside his soul.
His life had ended in that village.
And something entirely new had just begun.
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