Ash fell like red starlight, bleeding through a smoke-choked sky.
It clung to shattered stone and broken branches, drifted through collapsed archways, and settled softly onto a boy's unmoving frame.
He lay among the ruins, carved into stillness like the stones around him.
Black hair dusted in ash.
A dry, shallow breath.
A twitch of soot-covered fingers.
The scent of burnt marrow and scorched steel lingered in the air, laced with something older—ancient, and buried too deep to name.
The wind whispered low and dry, tugging at the loose fabric wrapped around his frame—some kind of cloak, torn at the edges, as if scavenged from a battlefield.
The silence pressed in from every direction. Not empty, but listening—as if the land itself still remembered what had been taken from it.
His first inhale tasted of blood, and the searing air scraped down his throat… like a fire that refused to die.
Deep within him, a light flickered to life—
A soul new to this burning world.
A life born from ashes.
A low groan escaped the youth's lips as his eyes strained to open.
They opened at last—heavy with time, as if they hadn't moved in centuries.
For a moment, a flicker of flame danced in his pupils. Then, it vanished.
Pain bloomed in his chest. Not sharp, but dull and vast. The kind of ache that suggested something had been torn away long ago.
His breath trembled.
"What is this place?"
"What happened to me?"
"Why do I feel like I've lost something?"
Then—
A whisper.
[System Whisper]
You have Awakened.
Designation: Kael.
Status: Fragmented.
Begin Directive: Choose what remains.
His brow furrowed.
His mouth moved before he understood the words.
"System? Kael? Choose what remains? What the hell is this?"
The voice returned. This time, clearer. Steadier.
[System Prompt]
I am an artificial intelligence created to help you. A guide.
You are Kael.
Three echoes remain.
One must be chosen.
—Grief
—Fury
—Mercy
Choose.
"Kael? My name is Kael? A system? A guide? I can't understand anything right now..."
Kael sat up slowly, his body stiff and trembling.
He took a deep breath, then tried to sort out his thoughts.
Deep frowns surfaced and faded. He mumbled. Shook his head.
Clenched his fists—
Then released them.
An hour passed like that.
Mumbles. Silence. Clenched fists. Release.
Finally, he opened his eyes—resolute.
An exhale.
Not of peace, but of acceptance.
Acceptance of his name… and the journey—however unclear—that it might signify.
"…Grief," he whispered.
[System Response]
Echo accepted.
Memory Shard recovered: The Dying Flame.
Initiating resonance.
A sudden wind tore through the ruins, scattering ash like dying stars.
Flames began to flicker across his skin—soft at first, then wild.
The next moment, Kael was engulfed.
Not by fire that destroyed…
But by fire that revealed.
It did not burn his flesh.
It seared his mind.
His soul.
Kael gritted his teeth, allowing the heat to consume him—
Not with fear,
But with something close to surrender.
And somewhere deep within him—
Something cracked.
Then, slowly…
Healed.
The heat lingered.
Nurturing.
Alive.
Then—
Kael collapsed into darkness.