Kael reached the village square just as the sacred fire erupted again.
People were running in every direction.
“Get away from the temple!” an old priest shouted. “Everyone, run!”
Kael looked toward the flames.
They were no longer orange.
They had turned black.
Dark fire crawled across the stone altar, twisting upward like hundreds of screaming shadows. The temperature around the square dropped despite the flames burning brighter than ever.
Then something moved inside the fire.
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
A figure slowly stepped out.
It was tall, covered in black armor, with two burning red eyes beneath its hood.
The villagers fell silent.
The creature looked directly at Kael.
“You finally returned.”
Kael's heart stopped.
“I don't know you.”
The demon smiled.
“But your blood knows me.”
Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through Kael's chest. A glowing mark appeared beneath his shirt, spreading like burning cracks across his skin.
He fell to his knees.
Images flashed through his mind—a ruined kingdom, thousands of dead warriors, a woman screaming, and a younger version of himself standing inside a sea of dancing fire.
Then he heard the same voice from his dream.
“You were never meant to survive.”
Kael looked up.
The demon was gone.
But the black flames remained.
And deep beneath the temple, something enormous began to breathe.