The silence after the storm was almost as unbearable as the fire itself.
Kael stood in the smoldering remnants of Ashenrest's square, clutching the phoenix egg to his chest. The heat it radiated was intense, seeping through his tunic and into his skin, but he couldn't bring himself to let it go. Around him, villagers stumbled through the ashes, coughing and crying as they searched for loved ones or salvaged what little they could from the wreckage.
"Kael!" Lyra's voice broke through the haze. She sprinted toward him, her soot-streaked face twisted with fear and confusion. She stopped short when she saw the egg. "What... What are you doing with that?" Her gaze flicked to his palm, where the faint outline of a phoenix glowed like a freshly branded mark. "What *is* that?"
Kael opened his mouth to answer, but the words wouldn't come. He barely understood it himself. All he could manage was, "It... chose me."
"Chose you?" Lyra's voice rose. "Do you have any idea what you've done? That thing is why our village is—" She gestured at the devastation around them, her voice breaking. "Why everything's gone."
Before Kael could respond, the heavy tread of boots interrupted them. Mayor Alric approached, his staff clinking against the ground with each step. His face was grim, his broad shoulders weighed down by the burden of leadership. Behind him trailed the village's remaining hunters, their faces pale and wary.
"What happened here, Kael?" Alric's voice was low, steady, but there was no mistaking the tension beneath it. His eyes locked onto the egg in Kael's arms. "Why do you have that?"
Kael took a step back instinctively, tightening his grip on the egg. "The phoenix left it. I... I think it bonded with me."
Alric's expression darkened. "Bonded? Do you even understand what that means? That creature nearly destroyed us, and now you've brought its offspring into our village?"
"It didn't attack us for no reason!" Kael blurted. The words came out faster than he intended, fueled by a strange certainty he couldn't explain. "It was protecting the egg. And now it's gone. It... trusted me to keep it safe."
Alric's jaw tightened. The hunters exchanged uneasy glances, their hands shifting toward their weapons. "Kael," Alric said carefully, "you're asking us to believe that an Ætherborn—a beast of fire and destruction—trusted you? Do you know what these creatures are capable of? What happens if that thing hatches?"
Kael looked down at the egg, its golden glow pulsing faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat. He didn't have an answer. He only knew that letting it fall into someone else's hands—someone who might destroy it out of fear—felt wrong.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I can't abandon it."
Alric exhaled sharply, his grip tightening on his staff. "This isn't your choice alone, boy. That egg could bring the Wilds crashing down on us. Do you think the other beasts won't sense it? That they won't come for it?"
"Then I'll leave," Kael said, the words surprising even himself. "I'll take it away from the village. You won't have to worry about it—or me."
Lyra's gasp was sharp. "Kael, no. You can't—"
"Enough!" Alric barked, silencing them both. He turned to the hunters. "Take him into custody. We'll decide what to do with him and that... thing."
Kael backed away, his heart pounding. "You're making a mistake," he said, his voice shaking. "I'm not the enemy here."
But the hunters advanced, their bows drawn and faces grim. Kael's instincts screamed at him to run, but where would he go? He had no plan, no allies, and no idea what he was even dealing with.
The egg pulsed in his arms, the heat growing more intense. A sudden wave of energy surged through him, and the mark on his palm flared to life. The hunters froze, their eyes widening as a ring of golden fire erupted around Kael, forcing them back.
"What in the Veil—" one of them muttered, stumbling away from the flames.
Kael didn't wait to find out what would happen next. He turned and ran, clutching the egg tightly as he darted through the ruins of the village. Lyra's voice called after him, but he didn't look back.
---
On the Edge of the Wilds
Kael didn't stop running until the village was far behind him. The smoldering ruins gave way to the familiar woods surrounding Ashenrest, though tonight they felt alien and foreboding. Every rustling leaf, every shadow, seemed to watch him with silent malice.
He stumbled to a stop near a small creek, collapsing onto his knees. His lungs burned, his arms ached from carrying the egg, and his mind was a swirling storm of fear and doubt.
"What am I doing?" he muttered to himself, staring at the egg. Its glow had dimmed, the pulses slower now, as if it were exhausted too.
For the first time, the weight of what had happened began to sink in. His home was in ruins, his sister was probably furious with him, and the village—the only home he'd ever known—was lost to him now. And for what? A bond he didn't ask for and didn't understand?
The egg stirred in his arms, its warmth radiating against his skin. Kael stared at it, his thoughts slowing as a strange calm washed over him. He didn't know why the phoenix had chosen him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was the beginning of something far greater than himself.
Somewhere deep in the Wilds, a distant roar echoed through the night. Kael's heart clenched as he realized the mayor had been right about one thing: the other beasts would come. And he wasn't ready.
But he would be. He had to be.
With trembling hands, he reached into his satchel, pulling out his father's old hunting knife. The blade caught the moonlight as he raised it to the egg, not to harm it, but to carve a single line into its surface—a symbol of his promise to protect it, no matter what.
For better or worse, his journey had begun.