Kaen staggered to his feet, the echo of the Hollow Crown's words still ringing in his ears.
"You."
The very ground beneath him rejected his presence now, trembling as if protesting his existence. The once-sacred peak was now a throne room of flame and ruin.
"You won't take me," Kaen growled, summoning the last of his strength. Golden fire danced along his blade, unstable and wild. It wasn't the clean flame of a trained master. It was raw—born from fear, defiance… and something deeper.
The Hollow Crown tilted his head, amused. "You think this is a fight?"
Chains of molten fire shot from his hands like serpents, aiming to bind Kaen where he stood.
Kaen leapt.
The world blurred around him as his body moved on instinct, fueled by the rhythm of ancient runes now burned into his veins. He dodged left, ducked under the crackling chains, and with a roar, unleashed a slash of burning light.
It struck the Hollow Crown square in the chest.
Nothing.
No damage. No reaction.
But the mountain groaned in agony behind the strike, the sheer force cleaving stone like paper.
Kaen landed hard, panting.
The Hollow Crown raised a hand. "Your flame is fractured. Incomplete. You do not deserve it."
Kaen spat blood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Then I'll earn it. I don't care who you are."
The ancient being stepped closer, each footfall crushing the stone beneath. "You are mine by blood, Kaen. You were forged from a lineage that once scorched the heavens. You are the last key."
Kaen's eyes widened. "Key? To what?"
The Hollow Crown didn't answer. Instead, he extended a hand—not to strike, but to offer.
"Come willingly. Surrender, and I will show you truth. Power. The forgotten name of your mother. The fire you were meant to carry."
Kaen's heart raced.
His mother.
The one thing he'd always longed to understand—the mystery buried in silence, in ashes and forgotten glances. The pendant on his chest pulsed faintly, as if caught between agreement and defiance.
His fingers twitched.
And then… he remembered her voice. Soft. Distant.
"Never let the fire decide who you are. You are more than your blood."
Kaen looked up, fire now steady in his gaze.
"No."
The Hollow Crown narrowed his eyes.
"I don't kneel to ashes."
With a scream, Kaen drove his sword into the ground. Flames erupted from the core of the mountain, not in destruction—but as a barrier. A great ring of golden fire encircled the peak, pushing the Hollow Crown back a step.
The ancient king snarled.
"So be it. You have chosen exile over eternity."
Kaen stood tall, barely able to breathe, his body shaking from the strain.
"But it was my choice."
And then, like a dream shattering at dawn, the Hollow Crown faded—his form breaking into embers and vanishing into the mist.
Not destroyed.
Not defeated.
But watching.
Waiting.
Kaen collapsed to one knee. The fire around him dimmed. The pendant cracked.
And deep within the mountain, something else began to stir.
The
war had not begun.
But the world had just learned Kaen's name.
To be continued…