The forest grew quieter the deeper Haruki walked. Even the wind seemed to vanish, as if nature itself was holding its breath. The only sounds left were his footsteps crunching against dead leaves and the faint rustle of the trees above.
He stood at the base of the mountain trail, staring up at the narrow steps rising into shadow and mist. They looked ancient, like they hadn't been walked in decades. The pendant around his neck-his father's pendant-began to glow faintly. It pulsed with warmth, like a heartbeat.
Something was calling him forward.
Haruki took a deep breath and climbed.
Step by step, the world behind him began to fade. The air grew warmer, thicker, like the very mountain was alive. Every breath felt heavier. The sky above was clear, but the light through the trees seemed dimmer somehow-like something sacred was sleeping here, hidden from time.
Finally, after what felt like an hour, he reached the top.
A crumbling red torii gate stood before a forgotten shrine. Its wood was chipped, the paper seals torn by wind and rain. But something in the air told him this place still held power. An energy he couldn't explain buzzed in his chest.
Haruki stepped through the gate.
The shrine was silent. Dust floated through sunbeams that pierced broken roof tiles.
At the center, above a cracked stone pedestal, hovered a small glowing ember. It pulsed with golden light, like a tiny sun trapped in air.
His pendant rose on its own. The chain snapped. Sparks danced as it floated toward the ember.
"W-What is this place?" Haruki whispered.
Before he could move, the pendant shattered into glowing dust-and the ember flashed.
A sudden force hit his chest like a blast of heat. Haruki cried out and fell to his knees. Fire wasn't outside him-it was inside. His blood boiled. His bones felt like they were breaking and healing all at once.
Light exploded behind his eyes. He saw visions too fast, too bright.
A warrior made of flame. A battlefield lit like day. A voice that sounded both old and familiar echoed in his mind:
"You carry the vein of the ember. Let the sun rise within you."
The ember darted straight into his chest.
His scream echoed through the shrine.
A shockwave of light burst from his body, throwing debris across the room. Ancient symbols lit up on the floor. The old stone walls cracked, sunlight pouring through them. For a brief moment, it felt like the mountain was shaking with him.
Then it all went still.
Haruki lay on the ground, chest rising and falling. Smoke drifted from his fingertips. He blinked, vision blurry. His hands were unburnt.
But he felt it something had changed inside him.
High above, crouched in the rafters where light couldn't reach, Ayame watched in silence.
Her breath caught as the ember entered him. She had seen the flame before. She had once stood where he did, ready to receive it. But it had turned from her.
She lowered her gaze and pressed two fingers lightly to the center of her chest. Nothing. No warmth. No spark.
Only silence.
She stared at Haruki as he breathed in the light.
"So... the flame chose again," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.
For a second, something flickered in her eyes-pain, maybe envy-but it vanished as quickly as it came.
She turned and slipped into the shadows before he stirred.
Haruki opened his eyes slowly. The light had dimmed, but the shrine still glowed faintly. Dust hung in the air, shimmering gold. The place looked untouched by time, and yet something about it felt reborn.
He sat up, pressing a hand to his chest.
The ember was gone-but he felt it inside him. Not just warmth, but a slow, steady presence. Like a sun had nested in his soul.
He stood shakily and looked around.
"Was... someone here?" he muttered. He had felt a presence. Watching. But the shrine was empty.
Haruki turned and stepped outside. The mountain was quiet again, but the air no longer felt normal. Birds sang in the distance, but the wind felt like it was whispering secrets he couldn't yet understand.
He looked down at his hands.
He wasn't sure what this power was... but it was real.
And something deep inside told him-this was only the beginning.
Time: Evening Just after sunset.
Next Chapter Teaser:
Back in the city, Haruki tries to act normal... but the light inside him won't stay quiet. Strange dreams and flickers of fire follow him into his school life. But someone else has noticed the change-and not all eyes are friendly.