---
The group awoke to the scent of breakfast.
Again.
"Who—?" Kai blinked.
He hadn't started the fire.
The pot was already boiling. The broth smelled way too perfect. A hint of cinnamon? No one used cinnamon.
Ren, half-asleep, sat up slowly. "Did anyone… cook while asleep?"
"Nope." Haru cracked his neck. "And I don't share my secret spices."
Yuki stepped forward cautiously, eyes narrowing. The fire crackled oddly, glowing with blue embers. Then the wind shifted—lightly at first—then all at once.
The smoke swirled and formed the shape of a man seated cross-legged before them.
Long silver hair, eyes like shifting glass, clothes that shimmered like they were stitched from shadow and light.
"Good morning, children of fate," he said calmly, voice echoing as if from somewhere far away… and yet right next to them.
Everyone stood in an instant.
Himari stepped forward first, brows furrowed. "You're not a normal mythic."
"I've been called many things," the stranger replied, sipping from a floating cup of tea. "Explorer. Wanderer. Exile. Today, I'm simply… a visitor."
Yuki narrowed his gaze. "What do you want?"
"To see what the Void has birthed," he said, smiling faintly. "And whether it is worthy of fear… or awe."
He turned to Yuki. "You've fused the intangible with the unreal. You carry a thread of something ancient. Dangerous."
Then he looked at Nogitsune. "And you… are no stranger to threads, either."
Nogitsune smirked, folding his arms. "And you're no stranger to walking into camps uninvited."
The tension was thick, but the stranger raised his hand peacefully. "Fear not. I am not here to fight."
Ren didn't lower his guard. "Then why now?"
"Because the silence you feel—the missing presence—it is not gone. It is listening." His eyes flared for just a moment. "And soon, it will hunger."
The fire flickered and turned black for a split second.
Then it went back to normal.
"I have said what I came to say." He stood, as the smoke swirled around his legs.
"But if you wish to survive what's coming… seek the Eighth Flame. It is hidden beneath laughter, and born only when your bonds are tested."
With that, the visitor vanished into the wind.
The group stood frozen for a moment.
Then Kai quietly asked, "What's the Eighth Flame?"
Ren groaned. "Sounds like a riddle I'm gonna hate solving."
Yuki's eyes were serious now. "We'll figure it out. Together."
And from the shadows behind a tree, something unseen blinked once… then disappeared.
---
The night was still. Stars shimmered above the quiet camp, casting soft light over the grassy hill where the group lay in peaceful slumber—at least, most of them.
Yuki stirred slightly, mumbling something in his sleep that made Himari and Aiko shift uncomfortably nearby. Ren and Haru, both wide awake and stargazing off to the side, shared a look and snickered softly.
"Did he just say… 'Both of you can't kiss me at the same time, it's embarrassing'?" Haru whispered.
Ren grinned. "Oh, he's in deep."
Before they could keep teasing, the air around them tensed—a pulse. Subtle. Cold. Ancient.
Ren sat up immediately, his eyes glowing faintly red. "Did you feel that?"
Haru stood, fists clenched. "Yeah… something's here."
Aiko's eyes fluttered open. She gasped softly, instinctively reaching toward Yuki. Himari followed a second later, eyes sharp, expression focused. All five of them snapped into alertness.
Then—a figure appeared.
Not like the foe before—this one didn't crash through dimensions or roar with malice. This presence was still, like a candle flame that refused to flicker in the wind. A silhouette stood just beyond the trees, partially obscured, watching them with glowing violet eyes.
No movement. No words. Just a presence.
Nogitsune appeared behind the group in silence, his arms crossed, tone flat. "I know that flame."
Yuki stood slowly, rubbing his eyes before realizing the tension. "What… what is that?"
"The Eighth Flame," Nogitsune said. "A myth even to us. If it's real… then something worse than gods is stirring."
The figure stepped back into the shadows, vanishing completely.
Gone. Just like that.
Ren's voice was low. "I couldn't sense it until it was already gone. That's not natural."
Himari closed her eyes, pressing her hand to the ground. "No trace. Nothing left. Even the spiritual echoes are gone."
Yuki's voice was dry. "You're telling me… something stronger than any of us just walked up here, watched us sleep, and left without saying a word?"
Kai stood behind a tree, holding a ladle like a weapon. "Uh… can it at least wait till after breakfast next time?"
Even in the tension, the group exhaled softly. Yuki tried to laugh but it came out shaky.
Nogitsune looked up at the stars. "Whatever it is… it didn't come here to fight. Not yet. But it will return."
To be continued...
---
"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"