Morning crept over the shattered valley, pale and cold. The sunrise looked fragile — a thin light struggling against the haze that hung over the world. Kael hadn't slept. The echo of Vael's voice haunted him like a curse.
Lira stirred beside the ashes of their fire. "You're still thinking about him, aren't you?"
Kael didn't answer. His golden eyes were fixed on the horizon, where the first hints of silver dawn shimmered. Light and darkness aren't enemies—they're siblings that learned to hate each other. The words wouldn't leave his mind.
Before Lira could speak again, a faint sound broke the silence — like wind chimes, soft but out of place. Then a whisper followed.
"One who walks between flame and shadow… still seeks to understand which one he burns for."
Kael froze. "That voice…"
From the mist between two broken pillars stepped The Man of Riddles — cloak tattered, eyes glinting beneath the hood like twin fragments of starlight. He looked exactly as Kael remembered him — ageless, amused, and unreadable.
"You again," Kael muttered. "You always show up when things start breaking apart."
The man chuckled quietly. "Perhaps I simply follow the cracks, boy. They tend to lead to interesting places."
Lira stood, wary. "You knew he'd find us, didn't you?"
"Knew?" The Man of Riddles tilted his head. "No. But fate has a habit of calling its favorite pieces back to the board."
He stepped closer to Kael, studying him. "You've changed. The flame flickers darker now."
Kael met his gaze. "Tell me what Vael meant. He said the curse isn't just blood — that I'm both light and darkness. What does that mean?"
The man's grin faded, and for once, he seemed… solemn.
"It means," he said slowly, "that your blood remembers two masters. One forged of stars… and one born of sorrow."
Kael frowned. "The Silver Dragon and—?"
"The Abyssal Flame," the man finished softly. "Long before your ancestors wore silver, another spirit bound itself to their kind — a shadow that fed on loss, not hatred. A mirror to the dragon's light."
Lira's breath caught. "You mean… he has both inside him?"
"Precisely. Two fires in one vessel. Most would crumble under such a burden." His eyes gleamed faintly. "That you haven't yet, Kael, means either destiny favors you… or it's waiting for a better tragedy."
Kael clenched his fists. "So what am I supposed to do?"
The man turned away, gazing at the pale dawn. "Learn balance. Or burn both worlds trying."
The wind picked up, swirling dust around them. Kael stepped forward, desperate. "Wait! If this curse was made — then it can be unmade, can't it?"
"Every bond can be broken," the man replied. "But some bonds scream when severed."
He started walking into the mist. Lira called after him, "At least tell us how!"
He paused once, his voice echoing like a memory.
"When the sun bleeds silver and the moon burns red, find the place where dragons sleep. There, you will meet your truth."
Then he was gone — swallowed by the fog as if he'd never been there.
Kael stared after him, his heartbeat pounding. Lira placed a hand on his arm.
"What do we do now?" she whispered.
Kael's eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.
"We find the place where dragons sleep."
The wind answered with a distant roar — not thunder, but something ancient stirring beneath the earth.