---
The next morning, Chirag woke early. The sky was just beginning to turn orange, and soft light stretched over the horizon like a gentle touch. Birds chirped in the distance, and the cool breeze carried the scent of damp earth and fresh leaves.
Siya was still asleep beside the little girl, wrapped in a blanket. Chirag stood quietly, not wanting to disturb them, and walked a little distance away from the campfire.
His mind felt uneasy.
The girl's words from the day before echoed in his head.
"They came from the sky. Fire gods."
But Chirag knew something was off. The gods they had fought—those who ruled the heavens—had already been weakened. They were retreating, watching, regrouping.
So who were these attackers?
He looked down at his palm. The fire mark—once a symbol of his connection to Siya's power—was flickering strangely. The flame didn't burn steady like it used to. It pulsed.
Almost like it was warning him.
"Something is wrong," he whispered.
Just then, Siya walked up behind him, rubbing her eyes. "You feel it too, don't you?"
Chirag nodded.
"The air feels… old," she said. "Like ancient energy has awakened."
They exchanged a long look. Then, as if both had the same thought, they said at the same time, "We need to go home."
---
Back at the Demon Castle, Kael was waiting in the war chamber, pacing. Scrolls were spread across the stone table, along with crystal maps of the Realms.
When Chirag and Siya entered, Kael looked up sharply.
"You came fast," he said.
"We felt it," Chirag replied.
Kael unrolled one of the scrolls. On it was a strange symbol—like a twisted eye with a flame in the center.
"This appeared in the northern mountains," Kael said. "Carved into stone that hadn't been touched in thousands of years. And not just one. Dozens. Like someone—or something—is leaving a message."
Raegor entered the room next. "It's a sign," he said gravely. "The seal has cracked."
Chirag frowned. "What seal?"
Raegor looked at him with a weight in his eyes that Chirag had never seen before.
"There's a reason why the gods were always so focused on keeping balance. Why they feared prophecy. It wasn't just power they feared—it was what lay beneath the world."
"Beneath the world?" Siya echoed.
Raegor nodded. "Long before gods ruled, before demons even existed, the world was shaped by something else. Creatures older than time. Beings made of pure chaos and silence. They were sealed away. Forgotten. But now…"
Kael tapped the map. "Something's waking them up."
---
Later that night, Chirag stood on the balcony, watching the moon.
He remembered his childhood. Powerless. Abandoned. Alone.
Then he thought of now—filled with power, surrounded by those who trusted him, yet still unsure of the future.
Siya came up beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"We're always chasing peace," he said softly.
"And always finding more war," she replied.
"But this time… it feels different."
"It is," she whispered. "Because this time, we're not just fighting to survive. We're fighting to protect the peace we built. To protect the people who believe in us."
Chirag nodded slowly. "Then we need answers. Real ones. No more guessing. No more reacting. We need to find the truth."
Siya looked up at him. "Where do we start?"
He turned to her. "The only place that holds the oldest truths."
"The Temple of Echoes," they both said together.
---
The Temple of Echoes was hidden deep within the Forgotten Valley, a place no demon or human had dared enter in centuries. It was said that the walls of the temple whispered secrets—echoes of history, prophecy, and time itself.
Three days later, Chirag, Siya, and Kael reached its gates.
The temple was made of dark stone, covered in glowing roots and strange markings. It hummed with energy, like a living thing.
As they stepped inside, the air grew thick. The silence wasn't empty—it was full of voices. Whispers. Murmurs. The walls seemed to breathe.
They walked through long corridors, past ancient murals. Each painting showed parts of history they'd never seen before—battles from before time, creatures with no name, and a figure standing alone in the center of it all.
Chirag stopped in front of one particular mural.
It showed a boy.
A boy with flames in his hands.
A boy standing against gods, demons, and monsters.
"Is that…" Kael began.
Chirag nodded slowly. "Me."
Suddenly, a voice echoed from the shadows. "The prophecy lives."
They turned.
An old figure stepped into the light—an elder guardian of the temple. His skin was marked with symbols that glowed faintly. His eyes were blind, but he saw everything.
"You are the Flame-Born," the elder said. "And the world has begun its final test."
"What test?" Chirag asked.
"The world will burn, or be reborn," the elder answered. "And the choice will fall to you."
Chirag swallowed. "Why me?"
"Because your soul was never part of the gods' design. You were born outside of fate. You are the key."
The elder handed him a small, glowing crystal. Inside it swirled a map—no lands, no mountains, just stars.
"The ones who stir beneath the world have no names. No shape. They are the Originless. If they rise, all will fall."
Chirag's voice was steady. "Then I'll stop them."
The elder nodded. "But to stop them, you must first remember who you truly are."
"What does that mean?" Siya asked.
The elder began to fade.
"Everything begins… where you were abandoned."
And then he was gone.
---
As they stood in the silent temple, Chirag held the crystal tightly.
His heart pounded.
He remembered the orphanage. The cold floor. The night he was left alone.
Everything begins… where you were abandoned.
Siya reached for his hand. "Are you okay?"
"No," he said honestly. "But I know what we have to do next."
"Where?" Kael asked.
Chirag's eyes darkened with resolve.
"Back to the human realm. To where it all began."
---