The forest beyond the ridge was thick with twisted bark and whispering leaves, a veil of shadow broken only by brief shafts of amber light. Kaelen and Surya moved through it in silence, guided by instinct and the leyline's faint rhythm. The encounter with Aeyra had shifted something.
Marked.
It wasn't just a word. It was a signal. And others were listening.
"We need to move faster," Kaelen said without looking back. "If she found us, others will too. And not all will ask questions before drawing blades."
Surya adjusted the strap across his chest, fingers brushing the shard hidden beneath his robe. "What are Revenants?"
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "They're not assassins. They're cleansers. When the Veiled Hand sends Revenants, it means they want to erase, not silence."
Surya felt his flame pulse tighter. "Erase me?"
"You. Anyone who's seen you. Any place you've touched. They burn legacy, not just life."
By dusk, they reached a shallow gorge flanked by slate-colored cliffs. Kaelen scanned the terrain, then motioned toward a cluster of outcroppings. "We'll rest here. Eat. But stay sharp."
Surya nodded and knelt by the fire pit Kaelen had quickly carved from the stone. He sparked it with a flick of his fingers, watching as the flame ignited—not wild, not roaring, but firm. Controlled. It obeyed now. Not because it had to. Because it chose to.
He felt that difference down to his bones.
As they ate, Kaelen remained alert, his gaze flicking between the shadows.
"I trained with a Revenant once," he said suddenly. "Before I left the Academy. She wasn't human anymore by the time I met her. Not really."
"What do you mean?"
"They lose something when they're broken and rebuilt. Their core gets reshaped. No emotion. No loyalty. Just mission. Their flame is corrupted—flawless and hollow."
Surya swallowed hard. "Can we fight them?"
"If it's just one," Kaelen said. "Two? Maybe. More than that…"
A breeze cut through the gorge. Cold. Metallic.
Kaelen stood in an instant. "Too late."
The sky darkened unnaturally fast. One by one, small black sigils lit up across the cliffs. Faint crimson eyes glowed within the mist.
Three figures stepped forward—tall, robed in shades darker than shadow, their faces veiled in flame-shaped masks.
The Revenants.
Kaelen stepped in front of Surya, emberlight coiling around his arm.
One of the figures raised a hand. The air screamed.
Surya's flame surged to meet it, shielding him as a wave of pressure slammed into the gorge. Rocks split. Trees bent.
Kaelen met the attack with a sweeping arc of his sword, a crescent of fire splitting the air.
"You are in violation of Concord Protocol," one Revenant intoned. Its voice wasn't human—it was too smooth, too precise.
Kaelen scoffed. "Then come enforce it."
The Revenants moved as one.
Kaelen engaged them in a blur—fire clashing with darkness, motion too fast for the eye to follow. Sparks flew like dying stars.
Surya stood at the center of the storm, heart pounding. The Flame inside him didn't panic. It watched.
He reached into the heat.
Pulled.
A sphere of fire bloomed to life in his palm. He hurled it with all the force he could manage.
It struck the ground between the Revenants and exploded—not to kill, but to blind.
Kaelen seized the opening. He drove his blade into the chest of one Revenant. No blood. Just light and ash.
Another came at Surya. He barely dodged—flame sparking from his fingers just in time to sear the Revenant's mask.
It hissed.
Not in pain.
In recognition.
"You are the one," it whispered. "The conduit."
The third Revenant lunged—only to be intercepted by Kaelen's shield of flame.
They retreated as suddenly as they came, vanishing into cracks in the air.
Silence returned. But not peace.
Surya sat down, shaking. "They knew me."
Kaelen nodded grimly. "And next time, they won't retreat."
He looked up at the stars slowly emerging through the smoke. "We're out of time."
Surya stared into the fire.
He didn't feel fear.
He felt purpose.