“That is…” Serakai rolled her eyes slowly, quaking in the corner of her mouth. “…unexpectedly expected.”Sahen blinked, twitching his brows. “That… doesn’t surprise you?” As his voice cracked with disbelief.“Yeah, well—see…” Serakai tilted her head, folding her arms tighter across her chest. “I studied under a lot of flameborn masters, alright? And in all that time—every scroll, every lecture, every pompous speech—they never once mentioned dark flames. Not once.” She dragged her words out deliberately, almost teasing him. “So, yeah, I suspected something was off… but I didn’t actually want to believe you weren’t one of us.”Sahen’s lips pressed into a line. Rattling the chains faintly as his hands shifted against the metal chair.“But your father,” Rokhen cut in, using a steady voice that sliced through the tension like a blade. “The ex-commander who held your position before you… He was a flameborn. Wasn’t he?”Sahen lowered his gaze again, dropping his voice into a hushed but bitt

“Meaning?” Rokhen’s voice was low, steady, but sharp — the kind of voice that could slice through steel if words could cut.“Meaning… I can’t take you there,” Sahen replied, using a flat tone, but his eyes betrayed that slippery flicker of guilt.“You—” Serakai began, but her words were ripped from her tongue when the ground beneath them lurched violently, as though the desert itself had decided to roll over in its sleep.The tremor slammed through the earth, climbing up their bones like jagged lightning. The wooden stakes of the tent groaned under the sudden shift, swaying the heavy canvas walls with a sick rhythm. The fire lantern strung on one of the center poles swung madly from side to side, casting frantic shadows that jittered across their faces. The flame flared once, nearly extinguished, then hissed stubbornly back to life, clinging to its wick like a soul refusing to be snuffed out.It felt like the world itself was trying to shake them loose.Rokhen and Serakai exchanged

“Okay… fine.”Varohn’s voice came out rough and guttural, like gravel grinding underfoot. His brows pinched tight before he forced his eyes open and fixed them on Zhaedor. “Just tell me what I need to do.”Zhaedor’s lips curled—not quite a smile, not quite a sneer, but something sharper that cut between the two. He leaned back a fraction, as the torchlight painted his high cheekbones in a wicked glow.“You mean… what we need to do.” His voice slid like silk over steel.He flicked a finger sideways, and almost instantly a smooth and reverent voice rang from the far entrance of the square corridor.“My lord.”Zhaedor turned, and Varohn craned his neck ever so slightly, scraping his boots against the stone floor as he shifted to catch a better glimpse.From the dim light, a figure emerged draped in a long, weathered brown cloak. The hood shadowed most of his face, but the weight in his posture, the deliberate calm in his step—was enough to justify that power walked in with him.“Every

“I can’t spray fire downwards,” Kaelen muttered through clenched teeth, the wind clawing words right out of his mouth. “And spraying fire onto the sides — might crumble down the whole thing on top of us.” He paused, jaw tight, narrowing his eyes into the thick, endless dark. “So there’s only one thing left…”His hands snapped alight — first a flicker, then a steady, roaring bloom. Flames wrapped his fists and licked at his boots, casting away only a sliver of that devouring black. The darkness pushed right back, swallowing the edges of the fire.Kaelen glanced down, craned left, then right — nothing. Just the hiss of the air screaming past his ears and the weightless crush of gravity dragging at his gut. No Sahrak and no sight of the bottom.“Oh, mahn…” he breathed, darting his eyes side to side.He threw both arms in front of himself, fired off small, controlled bursts from his palms — pop-pop-pop — not strong enough to kill his speed, just enough to tilt his angle, flip his body in

“You are…” Kaelen paused mid-step, leaning forward slightly, narrowing his eyes. The blue glow still swam over the old man’s skin, pulsing faintly like a second heartbeat. “...doing okay… right?” he asked, tugging a crooked grin nervously at the corner of his mouth.Sahrak’s lips curled — not a grimace, not quite a smile — something stranger, unsettling, like a dam about to crack under pressure. “I definitely am,” he said, nodding once, curt and deliberate.Kaelen’s grin flattened into suspicion. His head tilted slightly, shoulders squaring. “So why,” he said slowly, “is there a ‘I’m about to go mad with power’ look on your face?” His voice tightened, as though the words themselves might try to bite him. His eyes flicked to Sahrak’s mouth. “And what’s with that very weird smile? I’ve literally never seen you smile in my life,” he added, edging his tone with the kind of humor that comes from fear trying to act casual.“For once, lad…” Sahrak breathed in deep, sharp, the sound cutting