THE HEIR OF SHADOWFIRE

CHAPTER 4 — THE FATHER IN THE STATIC

Frank staggered back from the speaker, heart pounding so loudly he could hear the blood in his ears. “No,” he whispered. “You’re lying.”

The voice didn’t hesitate. “I wish I were.”

Frank shook his head violently. “My father died before I was born.”

“That is the story Morgan chose to give you.”

“It’s the truth!”

“No,” the voice murmured. “It’s the safest version of the truth.”

Frank slammed his fist against the console. “Stop talking in riddles!”

Static crackled through the speakers like heavy breathing.

Then: “Frank… Darrius hunted your bloodline long before you were born. Telling the world your father died was the only way to keep you hidden.”

“That doesn’t mean you are him,” Frank shot back.

“I know. So let me prove it.”

Frank paused, tension coiling in him like a drawn bow. “…And how are you going to do that?”

“Say your full name.”

Frank’s throat tightened. “You already know my name.”

“Say it anyway.”

Frank swallowed. “Frank Tarrow.”

“Your real name, Frank.”

Frank’s fingertips went numb. “…What are you talking about?”

“Your mother didn’t name you Tarrow. Morgan did. To keep you safe. To break every trace Darrius had on you.”

Frank’s chest rose and fell in sharp bursts. “I don’t believe you.”

“You will,” the voice said softly.

“Say your real name. The one you’ve never spoken. The one you feel burning behind your ribs every time your powers flare.”

Frank took an unsteady breath. The walls of the chamber hummed gently, almost expectantly. “Stop,” Frank whispered. “Don’t do this to me.”

“I must.”

Frank stepped back toward the door. “No. I’m leaving.”

“You leave,” the voice warned, “and Darrius will be the one to tell you what your name means.”

Frank froze. The chamber lights dimmed. A soft blue glow rippled across the floor, not threatening, more like the room reacting to his fear.

Frank whispered, “Why are you doing this?”

“Because your power is awakening. Because you must understand who you are before it consumes you.”

Frank clenched his shaking fists. “You still haven’t convinced me you’re my father.”

“Then listen closely,” the voice said.

“Your real name is Franklin Arion Vaelix.”

Frank froze. His breath caught. Something inside his chest, something quiet and ancient, pulsed in response to the name like a key turning in a hidden lock.

“How… how would you know that?” Frank whispered.

“Because I chose it.”

Frank staggered forward, gripping the edge of the console. “You’re manipulating me.”

“No,” the voice said, now low and pained. “I’m telling you what I should’ve told you years ago.”

Frank’s voice broke. “Why didn’t you come for me?”

“Because Darrius destroyed everything I had. Because he hunted me across cities and continents. Because keeping you hidden meant I had to stay gone.”

Frank swallowed hard. “If you’re really alive… why didn’t Morgan tell me?”

“Would you have believed him at age six? Ten? Even now?”

Frank let out a trembling breath. He didn’t know the answer. The chamber lights flickered, a warning pulse.

“Frank,” the voice said urgently, “listen to me. You don’t have much time. Darrius felt your Shadowfire flare in the tunnel. He’s searching.”

Frank stiffened. “Morgan said he’d hold them off.”

“He’s surrounded.”

Frank’s stomach dropped. “No. No, Morgan can fight. He always fights.”

“He can,” the voice said gently. “But this time, he’s outnumbered.”

Frank grabbed the nearest piece of machinery. “Then help me get to him!”

“You can’t.”

“I can!” Frank shouted.

“You cannot defeat what’s coming. Not yet. Not without awakening what sleeps inside you.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed. “What sleeps inside me?”

“Your legacy,” the voice answered. “Your inheritance. The half of you that Morgan was too afraid to train.”

Frank took a step toward the console. “Tell me how to use it.”

The voice paused, not from hesitation, but from something like grief. “Frank… listen carefully. I can teach you. I can give you everything Darrius tried to bury. But before we begin”

The chamber trembled. Dust drifted from the ceiling. A distant roar echoed through the ventilation shafts. Frank spun toward the sound. “What was that?”

“Shadowbreeds,” the voice said. “Darrius sent them into the tunnels.”

Frank’s heartbeat hammered. “They’re coming here?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“All of them.”

Frank’s breath caught in his throat. “Then open another exit! Guide me! Something!”

“There is only one way out,” the voice said steadily. “And you’re not ready to face them alone.”

Frank clenched his jaw. “Then train me. Now.”

“It will hurt.”

“I don’t care.”

“It will change you.”

“I don’t care.”

“You will,” the voice murmured. “But you’ll survive.”

The chamber lights brightened, pulsing in rapid rhythm as ancient machinery whirred awake. A hidden platform rose from the floor, glowing with shifting runes.

Frank stepped onto it without hesitation. “What do I do?”

“Repeat your true name,” the voice instructed.

Frank took a deep breath. The tunnel outside shook. Snarls echoed through the vents. He whispered: “Franklin… Arion… Vaelix.”

The platform ignited with blue-and-black fire. Frank gasped as power tore through him, too much, too fast, burning, freezing, reshaping.

He screamed as the Shadowfire erupted from his palms in spiraling arcs. The chamber’s alarms wailed. The last thing he heard before collapsing to his knees was the voice whispering: “Awaken, my son.”

And somewhere beyond the chamber door, Something growled back.