The air smelled of iron. Not from rusted steel, but from the fresh blood that soaked the battlefield.
Ashen Vale—a once-serene valley nestled between twin cliffs—now screamed with the wails of the dying. Smoke curled from broken tents, shattered armor, and burning trees.
"Umbra, on me!" barked Commander Rael as he dashed forward, dual blades reflecting the orange sky.
Kaizen sprinted just behind him, his black cloak flaring in the wind, Ayaka flanking his left. The mission was simple: eliminate a minor Bist hive. But what greeted them here... was hell unleashed.
"Get back!" someone yelled.
A massive creature, at least 15 feet tall, leapt from the smoke. Its body was covered in crimson armor made of fused bone, and its face was eerily human.
It spoke.
"The Flame Heir walks among you... I shall break him."
Kaizen froze for a moment. Flame Heir?
Before he could react, the creature's tail struck down on a squad of soldiers—splattering five instantly. Screams rose.
Blood sprayed. Limbs flew.
Rael jumped, slashing the tail in midair. "Kaizen! With me!"
But Kaizen's eyes had locked with the figure slowly emerging behind the beast.
A woman. Tall. Eyes pitch-black with glowing red pupils. She walked like royalty through corpses.
General Virell of the Crimson Brood.
"You... your blood reeks of Veinborn lineage," she said, smiling. "Delightful."
Ayaka whispered, "She's not like the others…"
Kaizen gritted his teeth. No. She's stronger.
---
Chaos broke loose.
The Bist forces stormed the valley from all directions. 150+ human soldiers scattered like ants. The Umbra squad fought valiantly, but were overwhelmed.
One by one, they fell.
Lorn, the heavy-blade wielder, screamed as a Bist tore his leg off.
Mira, the healer, was pierced through the chest while trying to revive a child.
Galen, the calm sniper, blew the head off two Bists before his spine was shattered.
Death. Pain. Screams.
Ayaka and Kaizen moved together like shadow and flame. She parried with fluid grace; he struck like a wrathful storm.
But it wasn't enough.
Ayaka was pulled away during the assault. Kaizen was cornered by Virell and three elite Bists.
He fell to his knees. Bleeding. Breathing hard. Alone.
"You are still weak," Virell mocked. "The blood you carry... it's not yours to command."
She raised her clawed hand to end him.
But Ayaka came back.
She slashed through two Bists, jumped over the third, and dragged Kaizen out of the kill zone.
"Don't you die on me, idiot!" she shouted, cradling him behind a boulder.
Kaizen's vision blurred. But something stirred inside him.
A pulse.
Then fire.
The veins on his arms lit up like magma. His eyes turned gold. A red aura exploded around him.
Kaizen stood up—burning.
And in that moment, everything stilled.
Even Virell blinked.
Kaizen moved like a phantom. He crushed one elite Bist's head with his bare hands. The second was torn in half midair.
Virell tried to block—but his flames engulfed her claws, burning through her armor.
She growled. "So... you've awakened a glimpse."
Kaizen roared, "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
With a final blow, he smashed her into the canyon wall. A shockwave leveled trees in a 50-meter radius.
The remaining Bists retreated, carrying the unconscious Virell with them.
---
Aftermath.
Out of 100 soldiers, only 82 survived, most badly injured.
The Umbra squad gathered the bodies. Silence loomed.
Kaizen stood alone, shaking, staring at his burning hands.
Ayaka walked up. "You saved them... but at what cost?"
Kaizen whispered, "I felt like someone else. Like... something else."
Suddenly, a distress call came from a nearby scout:
"Sector 9 is falling! Civilians trapped! We need reinforcements—now!"
Rael looked at Kaizen. "You two stay. I need that flame again."
Kaizen and Ayaka exchanged glances.
They nodded. They would stay back.
But they had no idea what darkness awaited next.