The mountains of Nareth did not welcome travelers.
The wind bit. The stone whispered. The fire refused to light.
Aaron climbed the last ridge alone, leaving the others at the foothills. The higher he went, the quieter the world became—until even his own breath felt like a trespass.
At the summit, he found it:
A circle of standing stones, charred and broken, surrounding a single campfire of cold gray flame.
A figure sat cross-legged beside it, wrapped in ash-colored robes, hands folded neatly.
He looked up as if he'd been expecting him all along.
> "Aaron Hotveil," he said calmly. "Born of sky, raised in shadow, hunted by fire. You look… smaller than I imagined."
Aaron didn't draw his blade, but his hand hovered near it.
> "Who are you?"
The man stood slowly, brushing ash from his robe. His voice was deep, but warm—unsettlingly so.
> "I am Lucien Virell. Once a Skyborn. Now... the only one who remembers what that truly means."
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🧠 The Dialogue
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "You're with the Thorn."
Lucien smiled faintly. "Was. Until I saw the lie inside their truth. I no longer serve them—I watch them rot."
He walked slowly around the fire.
> "You seek answers. I offer them freely."
Aaron didn't move.
> "Your mother," Lucien said, "was my teacher. She chose you over the fire. She broke the Pact. And she died for it."
Aaron froze.
> "She taught me how to control the ash. But you—she taught you how to feel. That was her mistake."
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💥 The Strike
Aaron's flame flickered into his palm. "You don't know her."
Lucien's eyes glowed faintly, not with fire—but memory.
> "I knew her better than you ever will."
He reached into the fire, pulled out a strand of smoke—and blew it into the air.
The smoke twisted… forming Ashen's face.
> "Would you like to know what he remembers? What he fears? What he doubts about you?"
Aaron clenched his fists. "What did you do to him?"
Lucien smiled. "Only reminded him. That when his brothers burned, you didn't come. You never even knew."
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💔 The Betrayal
Back at the camp below, Ashen stood slowly, face blank, eyes distant.
He turned from the fire… and began walking into the forest—away from Aaron.
---
🩸 Return to the Summit
Aaron felt it like a blade through the ribs.
> "He'll come back," he said. But his voice trembled.
Lucien stepped closer. "You can't lead if you don't know who you are. Burn the lies. Let the ash speak."
Aaron raised his hand, but his flame would not form.
Lucien's voice turned sharp. "That's the problem with inherited power. You think it's yours."
He turned away. "When you're ready to stop being their son… and start being fire—come find me."
The fire went out.
Lucien vanished.
And Aaron was alone on the mountain, surrounded by silent stone, with a heart that no longer knew if it was burning… or breaking.