Chapter 9: The Gathering Storm
The next morning.
Abandoned District – Southern Edge.
Rain fell in thin sheets, soaking the broken roadways and whispering against cracked rooftops. Kairos stood beneath the overhang of a rusted balcony, his eyes tracking the movement of a beast across the rooftops. Not a monster from the Sinfall, but a prowler—a creature that had once been human. Now twisted, its limbs too long, eyes hollow.
It sniffed the air, paused, then disappeared into the fog.
Kairos didn't move. Not until the air stilled again.
He had learned patience.
---
Later – Within the shelter.
Their mother was preparing for another move. Supplies were dwindling, and the southern district, once safe, had grown tense. Sounds in the night. Shadows without form.
"We can't stay much longer," she said, voice low as she packed dried roots into a satchel.
Kairos nodded. "Give me three days. I'll find somewhere better."
She didn't ask how. She had long stopped questioning his path.
His sister tugged at his coat. "Will we be near the old park again? Where the roses grow?"
He smiled. "Maybe. If they still bloom."
---
Elsewhere – Academy Library.
Selene turned the page of the glowing tome. Each word spoke to her in pulses of intent rather than syllables. It spoke of the Fallen Oaths, a time when magic was currency and power the only law.
She traced her finger along a symbol.
The Rune of Dominion.
It was the same etched along Kairos's spine.
Her heartbeat quickened. Something old was reawakening—and Kairos stood at the center of it.
She closed the book. The lights above dimmed, as though the library itself understood the gravity of her realization.
She stood.
"I have to find him," she whispered.
---
Three hours later.
Market Ruins – Between Districts.
Kairos entered the remnants of a once-bustling market. Colorful tarps still clung to bent metal beams, swaying like ghosts. Beneath them, silence reigned.
He crouched near a collapsed stall. Something had been here recently. Scratches along the stone. Blood—fresh.
His eyes narrowed.
There were survivors here.
Or prey.
---
Same evening – Academy Courtyard.
Selene stood before the outer gates, now sealed with golden chains. The last council had left the Academy days ago, headed for the Cinderspire. None had returned.
A cloaked figure approached from the shadows. A boy, younger than her. Eyes glowing with raw blue fire.
"You seek him," he said simply.
Selene didn't flinch. "You know where he is?"
The boy nodded. "He walks the path of the Bound Flame. But if he strays…"
He didn't finish.
She turned away. Her answer was already clear.
"I won't let him."
She stepped into the night.
---
Back in the Shelter – Deep Night.
Kairos couldn't sleep. Again.
The runes along his arm throbbed faintly. In his dreams, flames roared—but they were not devouring. They were shaping.
He heard a voice. Not his own. Ancient, layered, familiar.
"Return to the root… or be devoured by your own bloom."
He sat upright, heart pounding.
The storm wasn't coming.
It had already begun.