Two strangers sat beside a cold stream, deep in the valley of Kinara's Fold.
They did not know each other's names.
They had met on the trail, nodded politely, and both stopped at the same clearing.
Neither spoke.
Each had lit countless fires in their own ways,
yet now—neither tried to summon one.
The sun had dipped.
The chill had set in.
And still, they said nothing.
And then—
A flame appeared between them.
No spark had been struck.
No glyph drawn.
No chant murmured.
It simply hovered—soft and round—
just inches above the mossy ground.
Quiet.
Gentle.
Real.
One of them blinked.
"Did you…?"
The other shook their head.
"No."
They looked down at the fire.
"Then why now?"
They both sat in silence.
Not questioning the flame anymore.
And slowly—
Each reached out.
Not to touch it.
Not to shape it.
Just to share its presence.
And it grew warmer.
Not brighter.
Not taller.
Just closer.
Back in the Soulstream, the spark anomaly flagged itself with a unique trait:
🔹 Flameform: Dual-presence ignition
🔹 Condition: Appears only when two unaligned individuals sit in nonverbal stillness
🔹 Effect: Flame stabilizes ambient field without ownership
🔹 Designation: The Flame That Only Appears When You're Not Alone
A researcher added one simple note:
"We searched for it in solitude.
That was the mistake."
And The Fire That Waits whispered softly across the shared air:
"Some flames do not come when you are seeking…"
"Only when you are with."