The door screeched open. Iron scraping stone. The sound cut Kaelen awake like a blade.
Two guards came first, heavy boots, shields on their backs. Behind them walked a man in long black coat, not soldier, not priest. His eyes sharp, his mouth thin like he'd never smiled in his life.
They didn't speak at first. One guard shoved Kaelen upright, the chains pulling tight till his shoulders screamed. They strapped him to a chair fixed into the floor, iron biting wrists and ankles.
The man in the coat stepped closer, hands folded behind. "Name."
Kaelen's mouth was dry. He said nothing.
The man's voice didn't rise. "Name."
"…Kaelen."
The man nodded like he'd already known. He paced slow, circling. "Son of who?"
Kaelen's jaw clenched. "No one."
The man stopped, leaned close. His breath smelled of ink and bitter herbs. "Wrong answer." He gestured.
One guard slammed a rod across Kaelen's ribs. Pain cracked through him. He gasped, fire flickering faint inside but smothered by the chains.
The man's tone stayed calm, too calm. "Your blood isn't yours. It is flame. Tell me, boy, how much of it do you control?"
Kaelen spit blood to the floor. "Enough to burn you."
The man's mouth twitched—maybe a smile, maybe not. He nodded again to the guard. Another blow. Kaelen bit back the sound, only a grunt slipped.
The man crouched now, level with his face. "We saw the woman. She tried to shield you."
Kaelen's heart thudded. He jerked forward, chains clanging. "Where is she? Tell me!"
The man's eyes stayed flat. "She breathes. For now."
Relief and fear twisted together in Kaelen's gut. He tried to calm his breath, but it came sharp, rough.
The man straightened. "She matters less. You—" he tapped Kaelen's chest with one finger, right over the bone— "you are prophecy wrapped in skin. The Emperor will not waste you."
Kaelen snapped, voice breaking, "I'm not your weapon!"
The chains burned blue, glowing tighter as the fire under his skin tried to flare. He screamed, the sound raw, and the flame died back down. His body shook.
The man watched it all like studying a beast in cage. "You will be."
He turned away, slow, talking to the guards instead of Kaelen now. "Keep him hungry. Keep him thirsty. Fire grows wild when the body weakens. When he breaks, bring me word."
The guards saluted and dragged out, leaving Kaelen chained to stone and silence.
His head hung heavy. His wrists bled where the iron rubbed. He whispered the only words he had, "Not a weapon. Not… theirs."
Hours bled into dark. Kaelen didn't know how long. Only the drip of water, only the gnaw of hunger twisting his belly.
But then, footsteps again. Not heavy this time. Lighter. He lifted his head slow.
Through the bars, a shadow slipped close. A cloak. Not black like guards, not white like priests. Dark green, hood pulled low.
"Kaelen," a voice whispered.
His heart jumped. "You—" he almost said her name, but the words caught. It wasn't the same voice. Softer. Younger. A girl's.
The figure pressed a finger to the bars. "Quiet. They listen."
Kaelen's breath rasped. "Who are you?"
"No one," she said fast. "Only—someone who doesn't want you broken yet."
His chains clinked as he leaned forward. "The woman. Cloak, dark eyes—she was with me. Is she alive?"
The hood shifted like the girl looked away. "Alive," she said after a pause, "but not free. They took her above. You'll see her, maybe, if you live long enough."
Kaelen's chest tightened. He wanted to shout, but the chains burned, warning. His voice cracked instead. "Why tell me this?"
The girl pressed something small through the bars—a scrap of cloth, scorched on the edge. "She dropped this before they dragged her out."
Kaelen's fingers shook as he caught it. The smell of smoke clung still, faint but real. His throat closed.
The girl whispered quick now. "Hold on, Kaelen. Don't break fast. The Emperor wants you in chains, but not everyone serves him willing. Some wait."
Before he could ask more, she slipped back, vanishing into dark like she'd never been there.
Kaelen stared down at the cloth in his hand till his vision blurred. He wanted to scream, to burn, to rip free. But the chains glowed, mocking, unbreakable.
Somewhere above, doors slammed. Boots thundered. A horn echoed once, long and low.
Kaelen's head jerked up. Even in the dungeon, he felt the tremor through the stone, faint but real.
Something was happening. Something big.
A guard rushed in, panting, face pale. He barked orders Kaelen barely caught. "Stay chained! Don't—don't let him loose!"
Kaelen dragged himself upright, chest heaving, cloth still clutched in his fist. "What's happening?"
The guard spat on the floor, fear in his eyes. "The city burns."
Then the horn sounded again, louder, closer.
Kaelen's fire stirred under his skin, restless, hungry. For the first time, the chains didn't feel tight enough.