The sun had long begun its descent when Kahel finally stood, legs shaky beneath him. The fox lay curled at his side, its breathing slow and steady now. It had drifted into a light, wary sleep, though its ears twitched every so often at the faintest noise.
Kahel gently brushed his fingers over its fur, marveling at how soft it was beneath the dirt and dried blood. The little creature had survived its wounds, and so had he. That thought settled in Kahel's chest like a strange kind of warmth, mingling with the faint pulse of the ember inside him.
"We're not so different, are we?" he murmured, voice quiet in the hush of the clearing. The fox's only reply was a soft huff of breath.
As the last light of the sun faded, Kahel felt the ember stir, not with the heat of fire, but a quiet urging, a pull deeper into the woods. The pulse was subtle but insistent, like a faint heartbeat in the earth.
He glanced down at the fox.
"Let's go," he whispered.
Carefully, he gathered the small creature into his arms. It didn't fight him this time, just watched him with tired, wary eyes as he cradled it against his chest.
Kahel moved through the woods slowly, guided by a pull he couldn't explain. The trees seemed darker here, the air heavy and damp. The light from the sky barely reached the forest floor, and each step was a soft crunch of leaves beneath his boots.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Time felt strange here, stretched and slow. Kahel's body ached, every muscle burning, but he kept walking.
Then, in the distance, a faint glow caught his eye.
It was subtle, barely more than a shimmer, but it drew him forward. The trees parted, revealing a narrow path lined with moss and stones, leading to a small cave hidden behind a curtain of vines.
Kahel hesitated, heart racing.
The ember in his chest pulsed stronger now, as if urging him onward.
He stepped closer, brushing the vines aside. The cave mouth gaped before him, dark and quiet. A faint warmth radiated from within, carrying the scent of earth, herbs, and something else, an old, subtle power that made the hair on his arms stand on end.
Kahel took a cautious step inside.
The cave opened into a wide chamber, lit by the soft glow of lanterns set in small alcoves along the walls. Shelves carved into the stone were stacked with scrolls, jars, and strange talismans. The air felt thick, charged with something unseen.
And at the far end, seated cross-legged on a worn mat, sat a man.
He was old, though age had not bent him. His frame was lean, wiry, wrapped in simple robes that hung loose around his shoulders. His hair, long and silver, fell in a loose braid down his back, and a trimmed beard framed a mouth set in a firm, neutral line. His skin was lined, but his eyes were sharp and piercing, a deep endless black that seemed to see through Kahel entirely.
The man did not look up immediately, as if aware of Kahel's presence long before he arrived. His voice, when it came, was low and even, smooth as still water.
"You are not from here."
Kahel tensed, shifting the fox in his arms. The fox stirred, ears twitching, but remained silent.
"I… I don't know what you mean," Kahel said carefully.
The man finally opened his eyes, gaze settling on Kahel with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.
"You carry something within you. A flame that is not of this place."
Kahel's pulse raced. The ember flickered in his chest, as if the man's words had stirred it awake.
"I don't know what it is," Kahel admitted, his voice small but steady.
The man studied him for a long, quiet moment, then nodded as if confirming something unseen.
"You have survived a trial that should have broken you. And yet, you stand. The flame has chosen you, but it is raw, untamed. It will consume you if you let it."
Kahel swallowed hard.
"Can you… help me?" he asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
The man's gaze did not soften, but there was something in it, a flicker, perhaps, of understanding.
"I can teach you how not to burn yourself alive," he said at last.
Relief flooded Kahel, but it was tempered by caution. He shifted the fox in his arms, and for the first time, the man's gaze flickered down to it.
"A companion?" he asked.
Kahel hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"I think so," he said softly.
The man's lips curled into the faintest hint of a smile, brief and sharp as a blade's edge.
"Then sit. If you are to learn, there is no time to waste."
Kahel settled on the stone floor, the fox curling up at his side, its golden eyes half-closed but watching.
The old man folded his hands in his lap, his presence like the weight of the mountain itself, and the cavern seemed to grow smaller, quieter.
Kahel's breath slowed. The ember pulsed.
The path had found him.