"The flames of war may scorch the earth, but it is the fire of the heart that can burn us the most."

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  Chapter 8: Ashes of the Past

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  The Riverbank Madness

  Aiden was running—feet stumbling, breath ragged—when he found himself at the edge of a riverbank. His eyes immediately locked onto four ancient-looking pillars nearby, their faintly glowing engravings pulsing like distant echoes of something forgotten.

  As he scanned the area, he noticed Ryu standing still across the river, right in front of a fallen tree.

  Aiden considered swimming across, but the rapid current quickly erased that thought. The tide was too strong—it would be reckless. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

  “Ryu! Oi! What are you doing?! Sightseeing?! The teach is going to kill you—get back here!”

  No response.

  He tried again. And again. His voice began to rasp. “Ryu! I said come back here, you moron!”

  Still nothing.

  “Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “I get it! You’re pissed at me, right? I’m sorry! There! Is that enough?!”

  Silence.

  Aiden groaned. “Why do I have to babysit a giant child… I just want to sleep, man.”

  With an annoyed sigh, he began trudging along the riverbank in search of a crossing. After a painstaking detour and what felt like forever, he finally found a spot shallow enough to cross. It wasn’t easy—he slipped a few times and cursed even more—but eventually, drenched and exhausted, he made it to the other side.

  There it was again—that same fallen tree.

  And there was Ryu, still unmoving.

  But something was off.

  Aiden’s annoyance twisted into full-blown rage. His footsteps became heavier, his breathing sharper. Eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, frustration radiating off him like heat, he stomped forward.

  “I’ll kill you...” he muttered to himself with a manic twitch in his eye.

  He slowly crept toward Ryu, a menacing grin curling on his face. The air around him thickened with something eerie and unhinged. Each step he took seemed to echo in the silence.

  When he got close enough, Aiden tilted his head sharply to the left—like a predator studying its prey—then suddenly lunged forward like a bloodthirsty beast.

  “GOT YOU!! RETURN MY SLEEP TO MEEEEE!!”

  His fist crashed square into Ryu’s face, sending his unconscious body flying backward like a ragdoll.

  Whispers of the Forgotten Bloodline

  Inside the stillness of Ryu's consciousness, the world around him shimmered with a serene, dreamlike quality. He stood in a place without time—vast and glowing, where light had no source and sound echoed like memory.

  Before him stood the Sage, a mysterious figure cloaked in ancient presence. His voice was calm, like a river that had seen a thousand years pass by.

  "You carry a lineage deeper than you know, Ryu," the Sage began. "Blood soaked in struggle... and glory."

  Ryu furrowed his brows. "Wait, what? Lineage? Heroic someone in my family? That doesn’t make sense... I’ve never been told anything about that. No stories, no records, no old family talk. Nothing about my roots or ancestors. Nothing at all.”

  He lowered his gaze, voice dropping to a quiet murmur, “Not even a name...”

  The Sage blinked, surprised. “You never got to learn about him...? That’s strange. Not even a mention in local history? No scrolls or oral tales?”

  Ryu shook his head silently.

  “Well then,” the Sage said with a warm smile, “No worries. Let me tell you the tale of Keal Ardenheart.”

  The moment he spoke the name, the space around them shimmered, and a subtle wind swept through the dreamlike void.

  “Long ago, in a time now buried beneath layers of silence and forgotten wars, lived a warrior unlike any other—Keal Ardenheart. He wasn’t born into greatness, but greatness clung to him like a shadow. Intuitive. Practical. Restless.

  “When he was just a boy—ten or so—he spent his days deciphering books most scholars had abandoned. Tomes filled with forgotten languages and broken scripts, left behind by civilizations lost to time. Where brilliant minds failed, he saw patterns. He understood.”

  A flickering image of a boy surrounded by dusty scrolls and glowing glyphs danced in the air.

  “But he wasn’t just a thinker—he loved his sword. He dreamed of standing beside the greatest warriors and mages of his age, fighting enemies that would make legends tremble. He had a simple, fulfilling life. A loving mother. A younger brother who adored him. And a father—a man of strong will, deeply respected among the royal guard. A crusader with no elemental affinity... just like you.”

  The Sage paused, as if weighing the sorrow in the memory.

  “Keal inherited that same fate. No affinity. Just raw skill, relentless willpower, and a spirit that couldn’t be broken.”

  The tone darkened, and the glowing space grew colder.

  “Years passed. And then came the intervention. A monstrous invasion the likes of which no one had seen. I can’t recall the capital's name perfectly—perhaps it was Eryndor—but it was there the horrors struck first. The monsters didn’t arrive with a war cry. They arrived with silence... then shattered it with screams.”

  The space shifted. Shadows of monstrous forms loomed tall in the backdrop.

  “Their first attack was swift. Brutal. The castle was hit hard. Half the capital’s army was wiped out in that single day. And among the dead... was Keal’s father.”

  Ryu’s eyes widened slightly, heart heavy with the weight of a past he never knew he carried.

  Ashes and Awakening

  Ryu's eyes flickered with confusion. He interrupted, leaning forward, “Wait—those magic beasts… you said their first strike? Weren’t they just grotesque beings back then? Mindless things driven only by bloodlust and instinct?”

  The Sage turned toward him, calm but firm, “That’s what many believe. But the truth is buried under years of altered records. The monsters evolved. Their madness was just a phase... what came later was worse. The post-apocalyptic mutation that swept across dimensions triggered something new. Cognition. Hunger with reason. They learned. They organized. They became tactical.”

  He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Strange you weren’t taught this. But then again, I can guess. That part of history must’ve been buried too.”

  He shook his head, disappointed yet unsurprised.

  “Anyway,” the Sage continued, “after that first devastating attack, Keal and his mother were left alone. The kingdom didn’t send aid to commoners—especially not to those without magic. Affinity-less people were seen as unworthy of blessings. Just walking meat walls. Disposable.”

  Ryu clenched his fists, eyes shadowed. “That’s so cruel…”

  The Sage nodded, “And that’s still not the end.”

  He exhaled, voice low and steady. “Keal’s younger brother was later exiled—wrongly accused of treason during a chaotic revolt. The kingdom used him as a scapegoat to pacify the unrest. But then… came the second swarm.”

  The light dimmed around them. The space trembled with memory.

  “They descended like thunder. Monsters, now smarter, more vicious. They didn’t just kill—they hunted. That final assault reduced the entire kingdom to rubble.”

  He paused as if remembering the smell of ash and blood.

  “Keal’s intellect bought them some time. He created traps, reinforced their small home, protected his mother... but it didn’t last. Nothing did. The walls fell. His mother was killed. Everything… destroyed.”

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  Ryu stayed silent, lips parted slightly, breath caught in his throat.

  “He ran,” the Sage said. “Shattered. Starving. Exhausted. Hopeless. Alone. Mourning everything he’d ever known.”

  Then the Sage raised his eyes, a glint of old memory flickering within them. “And that’s when I found him.”

  Ryu looked up quickly. “You found him?”

  “Yes,” the Sage nodded, “Because the world needed strength. Real strength. Not just magic, not rank, not prestige... but resolve.”

  “But why him?” Ryu asked, his voice edged with urgency. “Out of all the people who suffered—why him?”

  The Sage gave a tired smile. “For the same reason I’m speaking to you. Because this lineage… it’s different.”

  Ryu blinked. “Different how?”

  “Most people are born with mana channels—the paths through which affinity and magic are measured. But your bloodline is different. You don’t use mana channels. You harness mana particles through blood itself. An ancient trait. Forgotten. Unrecognized by modern tests. That’s why Keal was seen as affinity-less.

  But in truth, his body generated one of the rarest and most potent forms of magic... hidden inside the very thing people overlooked: his blood.”

  Ryu stood still, completely drawn in. “So… even if he had magic, no one could tell?”

  “Exactly,” the Sage nodded. “It was the strongest of its kind. But it went unrecognized... until I found him. When I approached, he was broken. Emptied. He didn’t want to live. He had no one left. No purpose. I spoke to him. I tried to light a spark in that lifeless heart. It wasn’t easy. Those talks… those were hours of hell. His pain, his grief, his hopelessness… it was suffocating.”

  The Sage bent down slowly, exhaling deeply. “But I understood. I truly did.”

  Ryu’s voice came softly now, laced with awe. “What happened next?”

  The Riftwalker’s Legacy

  The Sage slowly rose to his feet, eyes clouded with both memory and reverence.

  “It was a tough path Keal chose,” he began. “He discarded his identity, vanished from all records. He trained relentlessly—hellish routines that shattered his body again and again, all to control the power within him. And throughout it all… he never responded to me. Just silent. Dead serious. Always moving forward.”

  Ryu listened, stunned.

  “Eventually, with sheer determination, he joined the Academy. He didn’t just get in—he blazed through the entry trials. His display of skill and his mysterious, gifted affinity shook the evaluators. They couldn’t deny him entry.”

  The Sage let out a faint, nostalgic laugh, but it faded quickly.

  “Still, he had no noble background. No political ties. No mentor vouching for him. Just a quiet storm among the students. Naturally, people kept their distance. Some feared him. Most despised him.”

  “But he moved forward,” the Sage said firmly. “Ignoring their hatred. Their whispers. Their judgment. Silent. Resolute.”

  Ryu remained wordless, the image forming vividly in his head.

  “But everything changed when Keal discovered the dimensional wounds.”

  The Sage’s tone shifted. He looked directly at Ryu.

  “It was the first such wound recorded since the legendary war of the Hero’s Guild. The tear... like a gash in reality. What you humans now call a rift.”

  “Rift?” Ryu echoed.

  “Yes,” the Sage nodded, voice growing deeper. “A rift is a multidimensional gate formed when an immense concentration of mana cuts through the fabric of this universe’s reality. Once open, these rifts allow beings from other dimensions to enter freely—creatures, entities, and monsters whose presence corrupts balance.”

  He took a step closer, eyes intense. “This disrupted the Earth’s magia system—the natural order of magic. The world began to destabilize. More monsters came. The boundaries between realms thinned. The planet itself began to crack.”

  Ryu’s throat tightened.

  “And Keal?” he asked quietly.

  “He walked into the rift,” said the Sage, his tone solemn and proud. “Not with an army. Not with grandeur. Alone. Straight into the heart of it. He faced beings that shouldn’t even exist in our reality—creatures beyond comprehension.”

  A pause. A breath.

  “And it was inside that chaos that he founded The Order of Nameless Flame.”

  Ryu's eyes widened in disbelief. “The Order of Nameless Flame… the taboo group, right? Of unregistered mages and forbidden arts. I’ve read scattered theories about them. No solid proof.”

  “Precisely,” the Sage confirmed. “They were real. Formed within the rift’s insanity. At that time, some mages were powerful enough to defy even nature itself—but they’ve long since been hunted, silenced, or shackled by government controls.”

  Ryu leaned in. “So… what happened to Keal?”

  The Sage lowered his gaze. “He vanished.”

  “What?”

  “The final battle within the deepest rift—no one ever saw him again. Whenever he entered one, I’d lose contact with his consciousness. But I know this—he succeeded in closing that particular rift. Permanently.”

  He looked back up, a hint of sorrow flashing in his expression. “But he never returned.”

  Ryu stood frozen, a storm of thoughts in his head.

  “So... Keal’s brother is my ancestor?”

  “Indeed,” the Sage replied. “You carry that same forgotten blood. That same rare gift. Your body doesn’t follow the common path of mana circulation. You harness mana differently—directly through your blood. And that makes you powerful... in a way this world no longer understands.”

  Ryu’s breath hitched. “Where did Keal go?”

  The Sage smiled faintly. “You’ll find out. In time.”

  He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “But tell me, Ryu… don’t you feel it?”

  “Feel… what?”

  “I sense a powerful gaze from outside. Something watching your body—right now.”

  Ryu’s heart skipped. A chill ran down his spine.

  Outside his subconscious, something—or someone—was staring at him. And whatever it was… it wasn’t human.

  Between Dreams and Dumbasses

  Suddenly, Ryu’s surroundings lit up.

  His perspective shifted—he could see Aiden from outside, but he wasn’t outside himself. It was as if he was inside his own body… looking out. Conscious, within an unconscious consciousness.

  What the hell was this?

  Aiden appeared furious. He marched up to Ryu’s body and—without hesitation—punched him. Then slapped him. Then—splash!—dumped a handful of cold river water on his face.

  Ryu blinked from the inside, dumbfounded. He watched Aiden’s mouth move rapidly, but there was no sound. Just angry lip-flapping like a fish yelling in a vacuum. Ryu gave a knowing, embarrassed sigh and muttered to himself in his own mind:

  “…Yeah. This tracks.”

  Behind him, the Sage chuckled.

  “Well, I believe it’s time for me to go,” he said, stretching slightly with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I’ll still guide you from within your consciousness. And perhaps… you’ll learn to guide yourself too.”

  Ryu, still shaken from everything he’d been told, looked back at him uneasily.

  “Guide?! I’d much prefer you saving me from whatever monster’s waiting outside!”

  The Sage laughed heartily. “Oh, that thing? I don’t sense any hostility from the creature outside. This is your task to handle.”

  And with a playful smirk, he raised his hand—

  Snap.

  One by one, the torches illuminating the underground space extinguished, row by row, in perfect symmetry. The world faded into pitch darkness.

  And then, out of that silence, Ryu heard a voice.

  “Ay, why’d you run off by yourself, idiot?”

  It was Aiden.

  “Go with someone! Tell the teach! The whole camp’s in chaos, and I can’t sleep ‘cause of you! I wake up, and you’re just standing there, eyes glazed, staring at the damn sky like a dead statue—you made me walk all the way along the river just to find your dumb ass!”

  His words kept coming, grumbled and exaggerated, full of irritation—but laced with concern.

  From across the river, a louder voice rang out.

  “Aiden! You found him!” came the urgent shout of Mrs. Rosie Quinn. “Hurry and take him to the camp—I’ll inform the others that Ryu’s been found!”

  Aiden’s face twitched.

  “Tch,” he clicked his tongue, clearly suppressing his frustration. Rosie was one of the few teachers he respected, so he kept his mouth shut.

  With a grunt, he grabbed Ryu by the collar, hoisting him like a sack of wheat, and slung him over his shoulder. Then, without ceremony, he stomped his way back toward camp, still visibly annoyed.

  At the camp, phones were out. Some students were calling, others pacing, some looking panicked. As Aiden approached, Rosie caught sight of him—and froze.

  “What are you doing, you brat?!” she yelled, eyes wide in horror. “That is not how you carry an injured friend!”

  Aiden paused mid-step. He stared at her for a second.

  Then, with the most deadpan expression imaginable, he just dropped Ryu.

  Right on the ground.

  “AAAHH!” Rosie shrieked, running toward them with her mouth agape. She immediately knelt beside Ryu, checking him over and muttering worriedly before calling for medics to bring him to the tent.

  Meanwhile, Aiden nonchalantly shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off toward another tent like nothing happened.

  Inside, he found Ren already lying on a bed.

  Ren glanced at him. “Shouldn’t you be with him right now?”

  Aiden flopped down, exhausted. “Ryu’s thick-skinned. He’ll survive.”

  Ren sighed, shaking his head. “That’s not what I was saying…”

  The Road Back & A Ripple of Aura

  The next day, the trip officially came to an end.

  Everyone boarded the school bus to return—some yawning, some chatting, others too sleep-deprived to care. The air was filled with that weird mix of end-of-trip melancholy and the relief of heading back to routine.

  A one-week break before assessments was right around the corner.

  Aiden casually slid into his favorite seat—middle row, corner spot. According to him, “that’s the sweet spot where the bus bounces least on bad roads.” A science he'd perfected over many field trips.

  After a while, Ryu quietly climbed in and plopped down beside him, his body still a little stiff but functional. Aiden gave him a brief glance, then looked away, arms crossed.

  “So. Alive, huh?”

  Ryu chuckled. “Barely.”

  The two chatted about random stuff for a while—camp jokes, which teacher snored loudest, that weird night Ren saw a deer and screamed like it was a ghost. Then conversation drifted toward the upcoming assessment, and eventually… dreams.

  But through it all, Ryu wasn’t really there.

  His mind kept circling back—What was that place? Who was the Sage really? Was that even real? He couldn’t make sense of how he got out, or what it all meant. The story about Keal, the lineage, the rift, the Order... it all echoed like a vivid dream stitched onto reality.

  He must’ve looked lost in thought because Aiden suddenly turned to him and narrowed his eyes.

  “You good?”

  “Huh? Yeah—yeah, just tired.”

  Aiden squinted at him longer, then leaned back, drumming his fingers on the seat’s edge.

  “…I’ve been meaning to ask,” he said. “I’ve been feeling something weird from you. Like... an aura or something.”

  Ryu blinked. “Aura?”

  “Yeah,” Aiden continued, staring forward. “Something familiar. Like something I’ve read about. Old archives, theory books. Long shot, but—do you know anything about the Sanctum?”

  Ryu’s heart skipped.

  “The... Sanctum?” he repeated, startled.

  Aiden nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s something they say is tied to dense magical bloodlines. Powerful ones. Not the kind they teach about in school. And lately, I’ve been feeling it from you.” He glanced sideways. “Feels like a magic user’s aura. But denser. Woven differently.”

  Ryu stiffened. His mind raced back to what the Sage said.

  “Your lineage doesn’t have mana channels... they harness mana through their blood.”

  He opened his mouth—then closed it.

  “W-What?!” he stammered, the confusion bubbling to the surface again.

  Aiden raised an eyebrow. “You look like I just told you you're a unicorn. You do know something.”

  “I—I don’t know what I know, man!” Ryu admitted, throwing up his hands. “Things have been... weird.”

  Aiden leaned back and shrugged. “Well, just saying... it’s not normal. Keep an eye on it.”

  The bus hit a small bump. Ryu jolted slightly in his seat. Aiden barely moved.

  “Told you,” he said smugly. “Middle seat's the king spot.”

  Despite the lingering storm in Ryu’s mind, that pulled a small, reluctant laugh from him.

  But the weight of what Aiden said—Sanctum, aura, dense magic—that didn’t fade.

  If anything, it made the storm louder.

  Chapter End

  Arc I: Awakening of the Storm has now come to an end!

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  Dear Readers,

  Thank you so much for sticking through the first arc of our journey — Ryu’s awakening and the spark that set everything into motion. Whether you were here for the world-building, the action, or just curious about where this path leads… I appreciate every moment you spent reading.

  How did you find Arc 1?

  Did anything stand out, surprise you, or leave you wanting more? Feel free to drop your thoughts, theories, and favorite moments—I’d love to hear them.

  But this is only the beginning.

  Arc 2 is on its way. Ryu’s path is about to get a lot harder.New challenges, new characters, and decisions that might just break him—or forge him into something greater.

  Stay tuned.The fire has only just been lit.

  —Aizu Kin

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