THE HIDDEN FLAME OF LUTHERCHRIS

CHAPTER 6: The Flame’s First Battle

The clearing was eerily still. Even the wind had stopped moving, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.

Collins stood in the center, his right hand still glowing with faint embers from the altar’s flare. Across from him, the silver-haired Hunter raised his blade, its light slicing through the mist. Behind him, two more Hunters spread out, surrounding him in a slow circle.

The leader’s tone was calm, but his eyes burned cold.

> “Surrender the Ember Key, boy. You don’t know what you’re playing with.”

Collins tightened his grip on the shard, feeling its pulse echoing inside his chest. “Then tell me what it is! Tell me what you did to my parents!”

The Hunter’s blade wavered, just slightly. “Your parents were warned,” he said quietly. “They were told to destroy that relic. They refused.”

> “They disappeared because of you, didn’t they?” Collins snapped, his voice shaking between anger and grief.

The Hunter’s silence was answer enough.

Collins’ heart thundered. The fire within him responded to his emotion — his fear, his fury. Flames coiled up his arm like a serpent waking from a long slumber.

> “If you came for the Flame,” he said, his voice trembling but firm, “you’ll have to face it.”

---

The air cracked with energy.

The first Hunter lunged, his blade swinging in a streak of blue light. Collins barely dodged, heat rising in his palms. He struck back instinctively — a burst of fire erupted from his hand, forcing his attacker to leap aside.

The second Hunter appeared behind him, striking low. Collins spun, his movements clumsy but quick. The ground at his feet split as he thrust his palm down — and fire roared upward, creating a wall between them.

The forest lit up like dawn.

Shadows twisted. Sparks rained.

The third Hunter, the woman from before, drew a dagger that shimmered like moonlight. “You think you can wield the Flame without it consuming you?” she hissed. “That power will burn everything you love.”

“Then I’ll burn you first!” Collins shouted.

He thrust both hands forward — and this time, the flames obeyed. They surged in a spiral, slamming into her blade and sending her crashing into a tree.

For the first time, Collins felt the power truly awaken — the rush, the strength, the terrifying hunger of the fire inside him. It wasn’t just heat; it was alive.

---

But before he could take another breath, the silver-haired Hunter raised his hand. The runes on his gauntlet flared, and suddenly, the flames around Collins froze in midair.

It wasn’t that they vanished — they were locked in place, frozen like glowing glass.

Collins gasped, trying to move, but an invisible force pressed against his chest, pushing him to his knees.

> “You’ve inherited his recklessness,” the Hunter said, his voice steady. “Just like your father.”

Collins struggled to speak. “You… knew him?”

The man’s eyes softened for the briefest moment. “I trained with him. Before he turned against the Council. Before he chose the Flame over the world.”

> “You’re lying!”

“Am I?” The Hunter lowered his sword slightly. “Your father believed he could control the ancient power of the Flame. But that kind of power doesn’t serve anyone. It devours. That’s why the Council hunts you now — to stop history from repeating itself.”

The weight pressing against Collins grew heavier. The fire in his chest burned wildly, clashing against the force holding it back.

His voice broke. “If what you’re saying is true, then why kill me? Why not help me?”

The Hunter’s jaw tightened. “Because the moment that flame awakened, the Shadowborn awoke too. And if they reach you before we do—”

He didn’t finish.

A sound cut through the forest — a distant roar, low and ancient. The ground trembled. The mist swirled violently as something vast moved among the trees.

The Hunters turned toward the sound, their eyes widening.

> “No…” whispered the woman. “It’s already found him.”

---

The next moment, the trees exploded outward.

A creature of living darkness burst through the clearing — a monstrous form with eyes like molten gold and a body that rippled like smoke. Its claws tore through the ground, leaving trails of black fire. The air filled with the stench of burning earth.

Collins stared, frozen. The whispers in his head screamed one name — Shadowborn.

The silver-haired Hunter shouted, “Form the seal! Contain it before it touches him!”

But the creature was already moving — straight for Collins.

He barely had time to react before its claws slashed toward him. The Ember Key pulsed violently in his hand, and a wave of energy exploded outward, throwing him back against a tree.

The impact knocked the breath out of him. Through the haze, he saw the creature pause, its head tilting toward the shard — as if recognizing it.

Then, in a voice that didn’t belong to any living thing, it spoke:

> “So… the Heir lives.”

The Hunters launched their attacks, blades flashing with light. But the creature moved like smoke, every strike passing through it. It slammed one of them into the ground, sending shockwaves across the clearing.

Collins forced himself to stand. The mark on his wrist burned hotter than ever, and the flames began to rise again — this time not from his hands, but from the ground itself.

He clenched his teeth. “I won’t let you take me.”

The creature hissed. “You cannot fight what you are.”

“Watch me!”

---

The fire erupted around him, spiraling upward in a storm of golden heat. The forest ignited in a circle of blinding light as the flames bent toward him, wrapping around his body like armor. His hair lifted, his eyes burned gold, and for a fleeting moment, he felt his parents’ presence — faint but real.

He thrust his hand forward — and the fire obeyed.

A single blast of pure flame struck the Shadowborn, tearing through its smoky form. The creature screamed, its voice echoing across the trees before it dissolved into ash and silence.

When the light faded, the forest was scorched and quiet. Collins stood trembling, smoke rising from his hands.

The Hunters stared in disbelief.

The woman lowered her weapon slowly. “By the gods… he did it.”

The silver-haired Hunter stepped closer, eyes full of something between awe and fear.

> “You’re not just his son,” he murmured. “You’re his flame reborn.”

Collins looked down at his hands, still glowing faintly.

“I don’t know what I am,” he whispered. “But if this power was my father’s… then I’ll find out why he left it to me.”

The forest wind rose again, carrying the scent of ash and rain.

Far above, in the dark skies of Veylar, a crimson light flickered — as if watching from afar.

And somewhere deep below the earth, something ancient stirred.