The jungle breathed around them — thick, green, and alive with whispers. Birds screeched overhead, and the sun shimmered through the canopy like it was trying to break through a forgotten spell. Rayyan and Nael ran barefoot through the brush, laughing breathlessly, vines whipping past them.
The sound of running water grew louder.
"Big brother! We're almost there!" Nael yelled, his joy breaking through the stillness.
They burst from the trees and reached the riverside, where a group of cloaked witches were gathered — old and young, their eyes glowing faintly. They sat near the water, casting spells into the current to call forth fish. But one witch looked up and whispered, "The Eternal Eye walks among us."
Nael ran to the water's edge and tossed in a net. Moments later, he stumbled back, grinning and shouting:
"Rayyan! Look what I caught!"
But the fish wasn't ordinary — its scales glowed, its eyes were red, and it screeched like a beast. It burst from the net with monstrous jaws wide.
Rayyan's eyes suddenly ignited — the Eternal Eye awake.
He moved fast — faster than the beast could blink — and punched the creature square in its head. The impact cracked the riverbed. The creature twitched and lay still.
The witches clapped with eerie smiles.
"He is his father's flame…" one of them whispered.
---
Back at the Witch's Village
That night, they returned to their hidden home deep within the trees — a crumbled ruin now guarded by magic. An elder witch, Mara, waited by the firelight.
"Rayyan," she said softly. "You can't stay here much longer. The moment the eye awakened, it lit a fire across the realms. They'll come for him…"
Nael: "Who are they?"
Rayyan: (quietly) "No one. Don't worry."
But in his mind, the fear burned.
---
Nightmare
Rayyan found himself in a barren land. Everything was burning. He fought a cloaked figure wielding blades made of flame and ash. The fight was brutal. Every strike Rayyan delivered was blocked. Finally, the figure stabbed him through the chest.
He dropped to the ground.
The figure leaned in, his face coming into view — a horned being with one bright red eye and a cruel, calm smile. Eblis.
Rayyan didn't recognize him. But the pain in his chest… felt personal.
He woke up in sweat.
Mara stood over him.
"You can't hide forever."
Rayyan: "I'm not hiding. I'm preparing — for him, for myself, for the truth."
---
The Witch-Friend
Rayyan stepped outside into the misty dawn. His closest friend and magical brother — a young male witch named Zafir (meaning "victorious") — stood beside him, staff in hand.
"Bad dream again?" Zafir asked.
Rayyan didn't answer. He raised his hand, channeling his energy. Wood bent and curled in front of him, shaping itself slowly into a sword form. It cracked, fell apart.
Nael peeked from behind a tree.
"Big brother, I wanna be like you!"
Rayyan turned sharply, but his eyes softened.
"No… never try to become like me."
---
Departure
Two days passed quickly. The jungle grew restless. Shadows moved in the trees.
Rayyan, Nael, and Zafir packed their gear and stood at the edge of the forest.
The witches stood behind them, watching silently. Mara walked forward, touching Rayyan's shoulder.
"Every path leads to pain. But pain teaches the truth."
Rayyan looked at Nael, then forward.
"Then let the truth hurt."
They stepped beyond the trees — into a world that had long forgotten the sons of fire… but would remember them soon enough.
---
End of Chapter 1