The runes on the stone arch glowed brighter as the expedition approached. Bael's breath caught as a faint warmth seeped through his gloves, not like fire—but like recognition.
One of the younger soldiers reached for the gate.
"Wait," Bael said.
Too late. His fingers brushed the surface, and the runes blazed to life.
The gate opened.
Beyond it lay a cavern, vast and silent. In its center burned a single flame—white and gold, still and tall. It made no sound. It gave no smoke. It simply was.
And beside it stood Kael.
---
He didn't turn as they approached.
He looked older. Not in body, but in presence—like a man who had seen the end of the world and chosen to stay behind to keep it from falling again.
"Kael?" Bael whispered.
Kael turned.
The firelight caught the faint lines on his face, but his eyes burned brighter than any flame.
"You came," he said softly.
"Everyone thought you were dead."
"I was. For a moment." He looked toward the flame. "Then this woke me."
---
Liora arrived later, descending the tunnels with Arel and Narek.
She froze when she saw him. "You bastard."
Kael smiled. "It's good to see you too."
She punched his shoulder. Then embraced him. Long and silent.
"What is this place?" she asked after a moment.
"The source," Kael said. "The heart of the First Flame. The Emperor tried to control it, but he never understood it. He broke the chamber. Died trying."
"And you survived?"
Kael looked at Arel.
"No. He brought me back."
---
The boy stepped forward, his eyes dimly glowing.
"I heard your voice," he said. "Even when the fire swallowed everything. You held the city together by sheer will. You wouldn't let go."
Kael knelt to his level. "You shouldn't have had to carry this."
Arel shrugged. "I didn't. You did. I just… kept the flame from forgetting you."
---
They brought Kael back to the surface.
The people of Azrana stood in silence as he emerged. Some knelt. Some wept. Some simply watched, unsure if they were witnessing a man or something more.
Kael raised his hand.
"No kings," he said. "No empires. Just fire—and those strong enough to carry it."
---
In the weeks that followed, the First Flame was sealed again—this time by choice, not fear. The chamber became a place of quiet learning, guarded by those who had seen war and wanted no more of it.
Kael stayed, but not as ruler.
He walked the streets like any other man. Listened. Helped rebuild. Held children. Buried the dead.
The empire did not rise again.
But from its ashes came something better.