Haruki sat on the ground for a long time. His arm still ached from the burst of energy earlier, and the red glow had faded completely now. He could still feel warmth deep in his chest, like a small ember flickering after a fire.
Ayame sat beside him in silence.
He finally broke it. "Who were they?"
She didn't answer right away. "They're called the Ashen Circle. A group that hides in the dark, working behind the scenes. They've been chasing people like you for years."
"People like me?"
She nodded. "Those with fragments. Especially those who have the Sunfire Vein."
Haruki looked down at his hand. "Why? What do they want?"
"I don't know everything," Ayame said quietly. "But I do know this — they're after power. And they believe the fragments hold something ancient. Something that could change everything."
Haruki didn't say anything. His thoughts were spinning. He had only just started to understand what the Sunfire Vein was. Now this? A secret group hunting him?
"I'm not ready for this," he whispered.
"No one ever is," Ayame said, giving a small smile. "But you're not alone."
That helped, even just a little. Haruki looked around at the quiet street. The battle had left marks — cracks in the pavement, scorched walls, broken glass. It felt like a different world now.
"We should move," Ayame said. "There might be more of them."
Haruki nodded, and they walked together through the night. His steps were heavy, but
he pushed forward.
---
They ended up at an old warehouse near the river, one Ayame said was safe. Inside, it was dusty and cold, but quiet. Haruki sat on a crate while Ayame checked the doors and windows.
"How do you know so much about them?" he asked.
Ayame paused, then sat down across from him. "Because I used to be one of them."
Haruki's eyes widened. "What?"
"I didn't know what they really were at first," she said. "They seemed like a group trying to protect the world from dangerous powers. They talked about balance, about stopping chaos. But then I saw what they did. How far they were willing to go. I couldn't be part of that."
"So you left."
"Yes. And they don't forgive people who walk away."
Haruki tried to take it all in. Everything he thought he knew was changing fast.
"They're not just after the fragments," she said. "They want to awaken something. I think… something buried deep in this world. And you—your bloodline—it's part of the key."
"My bloodline?" Haruki said slowly. "Does this have something to do with my father?"
Ayame nodded. "He was one of the last to carry the pure Sunfire Vein. The Ashen Circle wanted him too. But he vanished before they could catch him."
Haruki's heart sank. "He never told me any of this."
"He was trying to protect you," Ayame said gently. "But now that you've awakened, they'll keep coming."
---
Later that night, Haruki couldn't sleep. He stood near the window, looking out at the quiet river. The moonlight shimmered on the surface. It was peaceful, but his mind was restless.
He thought of his father. The way he'd disappear for days. The strange things he'd say sometimes. Haruki never understood back then. But maybe now…
Ayame walked up beside him.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "Everything's happening so fast. I feel like I'm in someone else's life."
"You're still you," Ayame said. "You're just learning who that is."
They stood in silence for a while.
"I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me," Haruki said. "If they're after me, maybe I should just give them what they want."
"No," Ayame said quickly. "That's exactly what they're hoping for. You don't understand the danger. If they get the fragment you carry… they could unleash something terrible."
Haruki looked at her. "Then what do we do?"
"We fight. We stay ahead of them. And we find the truth before they do."
---
The next morning, Ayame spread out a map on the dusty floor. She pointed to a small symbol near the mountains.
"There's someone there who might be able to help us," she said. "An old scholar who studied the Sunfire bloodline. He might have answers about your father, about the fragment—everything."
"Then we go," Haruki said, his voice firm for the first time in a while.
Ayame looked at him, surprised — then nodded with a smile. "Let's pack up."
Haruki still felt uncertain. Still scared. But something inside him had changed. He didn't want to run anymore.
Whatever the Ashen Circle was planning, whatever secrets his father left behind—he was ready to face them.
Next Chapter Teaser – Chapter 12: Echoes of the Ember
As Ayame's words settled into the quiet night, Haruki couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching them. The embers in his chest pulsed faintly, responding to a presence he couldn't see. The journey to find answers leads them to a forgotten shrine deep in the woods, where Haruki uncovers a hidden part of his father's past. But the Ashen Circle isn't far behind… and they're no longer hiding in the shadows.
The next piece of the truth is close—but will Haruki be ready to face it?