The Phoenix’s Heir

Chapter Two: The Aftermath

Kael woke to the sound of crackling flames. His body felt heavy, as though he had been buried beneath a mountain. The smell of scorched earth filled his nostrils, and when he opened his eyes, the world was bathed in an orange glow.

He was lying in the middle of a charred circle. The once-familiar mountain trail was now a blackened wasteland, the ground split and smoldering in places. Trees that lined the cliffs were reduced to ashes, their skeletal remains still burning.

"What… happened?" Kael muttered, his voice hoarse.

He tried to sit up, but his muscles protested. A dull ache radiated from his arms, and when he looked down, his hands were covered in soot. The memory of the fire, the drakos, and the voice in his head came rushing back.

"Kael!"

Ryn’s voice broke through the haze. He turned his head and saw her kneeling a few feet away, her face pale and streaked with dirt. Her bow was broken, discarded on the ground, and her eyes were wide with fear.

"You’re alive," she whispered, as though saying it out loud would make it untrue.

"Ryn," Kael croaked, his throat dry. "Are you okay?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stared at him, her gaze flickering between his face and the ground around him. It wasn’t until Kael followed her gaze that he understood.

The fire hadn’t touched her. The flames that had consumed the trail, the trees, even the rocks—it had all stopped just short of her. The ground beneath her feet was untouched, as though protected by an invisible barrier.

But Kael wasn’t so fortunate. The ground around him was scorched, the center of the destruction.

"Kael… what are you?" Ryn’s voice was barely audible, but the weight of her question pressed down on him.

"I don’t know," he admitted, his voice shaking.

Ryn moved closer cautiously, as though he might burst into flames again. "I saw what you did. The fire—it came from you. You stopped the drakos."

Kael shook his head, trying to process her words. "I didn’t stop it. I… I don’t even know how I did that."

Before either of them could say more, a low growl echoed from the cliffs above. Both Kael and Ryn froze.

The drakos.

It wasn’t gone.

Kael struggled to his feet, his legs unsteady. "Ryn, we have to go."

"Go?!" she snapped, her fear giving way to anger. "Where? That thing is still out there!"

"I don’t know!" Kael snapped back, his voice harsher than he intended. "But staying here isn’t an option."

Ryn hesitated, but another growl from the cliffs spurred her into action. Together, they stumbled down the trail, away from the smoldering wreckage.

As they ran, Kael’s mind raced. The fire inside him was gone, replaced by an emptiness that left him cold. He didn’t understand what had happened, but one thing was clear—he wasn’t normal.

And if the drakos wasn’t enough, the voice in his dreams haunted him now more than ever.

"Phoenix’s heir," it had said.

What did it mean? Why had the fire answered him? And why was the drakos hunting him?

The answers would have to wait. For now, survival was all that mattered.

Kael woke to the sound of crackling flames. His body felt heavy, as though he had been buried beneath a mountain. The smell of scorched earth filled his nostrils, and when he opened his eyes, the world was bathed in an orange glow.

He was lying in the middle of a charred circle. The once-familiar mountain trail was now a blackened wasteland, the ground split and smoldering in places. Trees that lined the cliffs were reduced to ashes, their skeletal remains still burning.

"What… happened?" Kael muttered, his voice hoarse.

He tried to sit up, but his muscles protested. A dull ache radiated from his arms, and when he looked down, his hands were covered in soot. The memory of the fire, the drakos, and the voice in his head came rushing back.

"Kael!"

Ryn’s voice broke through the haze. He turned his head and saw her kneeling a few feet away, her face pale and streaked with dirt. Her bow was broken, discarded on the ground, and her eyes were wide with fear.

"You’re alive," she whispered, as though saying it out loud would make it untrue.

"Ryn," Kael croaked, his throat dry. "Are you okay?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stared at him, her gaze flickering between his face and the ground around him. It wasn’t until Kael followed her gaze that he understood.

The fire hadn’t touched her. The flames that had consumed the trail, the trees, even the rocks—it had all stopped just short of her. The ground beneath her feet was untouched, as though protected by an invisible barrier.

But Kael wasn’t so fortunate. The ground around him was scorched, the center of the destruction.

"Kael… what are you?" Ryn’s voice was barely audible, but the weight of her question pressed down on him.

"I don’t know," he admitted, his voice shaking.

Ryn moved closer cautiously, as though he might burst into flames again. "I saw what you did. The fire—it came from you. You stopped the drakos."

Kael shook his head, trying to process her words. "I didn’t stop it. I… I don’t even know how I did that."

Before either of them could say more, a low growl echoed from the cliffs above. Both Kael and Ryn froze.

The drakos.

It wasn’t gone.

Kael struggled to his feet, his legs unsteady. "Ryn, we have to go."

"Go?!" she snapped, her fear giving way to anger. "Where? That thing is still out there!"

"I don’t know!" Kael snapped back, his voice harsher than he intended. "But staying here isn’t an option."

Ryn hesitated, but another growl from the cliffs spurred her into action. Together, they stumbled down the trail, away from the smoldering wreckage.

As they ran, Kael’s mind raced. The fire inside him was gone, replaced by an emptiness that left him cold. He didn’t understand what had happened, but one thing was clear—he wasn’t normal.

The trail descended sharply, and they half-ran, half-slid down the rocky path. The roar of the drakos grew distant, but neither of them dared slow down.

"Over there!" Ryn pointed to a cluster of boulders near the edge of the trail. "We can hide behind those."

Kael nodded, his breath ragged. They scrambled behind the rocks, pressing themselves against the cold stone.

For several moments, there was nothing but the sound of their labored breathing. The silence was almost unbearable, broken only by the faint crackle of the lingering flames.

"Do you think it’s gone?" Ryn whispered, her voice trembling.

Kael shook his head. "I don’t know. But we can’t stay here long."

Ryn glared at him. "And go where, exactly? Back to the village? You think you can explain this to them? They’ll see what you did and call you a monster, Kael. They won’t care why it happened."

Her words hit him harder than he expected. He wanted to argue, but deep down, he knew she was right. Myrefall wasn’t a place for strange things, for people who didn’t fit the mold. He’d always been different, but now… now he was something else entirely.

Before he could respond, the air around them grew heavy. A chill ran down Kael’s spine, and Ryn’s eyes widened.

"It’s here," she whispered.

Kael peeked over the edge of the boulder. The drakos was prowling the trail, its molten eyes scanning the scorched earth. Its movements were slow and deliberate, as though it was savoring the hunt.

Kael clenched his fists. His body felt weak, drained, but he knew they couldn’t outrun it. Not this time.

"Stay here," he said, his voice low.

Ryn grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? You can’t face that thing alone!"

"I don’t have a choice," he said, pulling free. "If I don’t stop it, it’ll keep coming after us. After the village."

Ryn’s grip tightened. "Then we do this together."

Kael opened his mouth to argue, but the drakos let out a deafening roar, cutting him off. It had found them.

The beast charged, its claws leaving trails of fire in its wake. Kael stepped out from behind the boulder, his heart pounding.

"Come on," he muttered, raising his hands.

Nothing happened.

Panic set in as the drakos closed the distance. The fire, the power—it was gone. He was just Kael again, a scared boy with no weapon, no plan, and no hope.

"Kael!" Ryn shouted.

Before the drakos could reach him, an arrow flew past Kael’s head, striking the beast in the eye. It recoiled, snarling in pain. Ryn stepped out from behind the boulder, notching another arrow.

"Keep moving!" she yelled.

Kael didn’t need to be told twice. He ran, his legs screaming in protest. The drakos recovered quickly, its molten eye glowing with rage as it pursued them.

As they sprinted down the trail, Kael felt the emptiness inside him begin to shift. It wasn’t fire this time—it was something deeper, something older.

The voice returned, clearer than before.

"You cannot run from your destiny, Phoenix’s heir. Rise, or fall."

Kael stumbled, clutching his chest as heat blossomed inside him. The world blurred, and for a moment, he wasn’t on the trail anymore. He was standing in a vast, endless void, surrounded by flames.

A figure emerged from the fire—a massive phoenix, its wings spanning the horizon. Its eyes burned with ancient wisdom as it stared at him.

"You are more than you believe," the phoenix said, its voice echoing in his mind. "But you must awaken."

Kael gasped as the vision faded. He was back on the trail, the drakos closing in. This time, though, he felt the fire stirring within him.

"Kael, now would be a good time to do something!" Ryn shouted.

Kael turned to face the drakos, his hands glowing with faint embers.

"I don’t know how to control this," he muttered.

"Then figure it out fast!"

As the drakos lunged, Kael raised his hands. The fire erupted, brighter and stronger than before, engulfing the beast in a blazing inferno. The drakos let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing, its body dissolving into ash.

Kael fell to his knees, the fire fading. Ryn rushed to his side, her expression a mix of relief and fear.

"Kael… what just happened?"

He looked at her, his breathing heavy. "I don’t know. But I think this is just the beginning."