In the days that followed Kael's appearance, Elyndor fell into a hush. The queen doubled the guards. The council fell into paranoia. Spies were sent. Threats were hidden behind diplomacy.
But Raen didn't care about politics.
He needed answers.
Deep in the royal library, he found forbidden scrolls—records of the old world, names erased from public history. Zion Thorne. The Flamebearer. Betrayed by his own circle.
Kael had once been his right hand.
He now knew the truth: Kael hadn't just betrayed him. He had taken part in the ritual that sealed his soul.
And yet… something was off.
Why would Kael return now? Why not kill him again?
Unless… he wanted Raen to awaken fully—for a reason more dangerous than revenge.
That night, Raen stood before a mirror, drawing on the fire within him.
He whispered his old name.He let it burn his tongue.He let it bind his soul back together.
"Zion Thorne isn't gone," he whispered. "He just needed to remember who he was."
The mirror cracked.
And from the shadows behind him, something watched.