The air was still.
Tense.
Heavy with energy.
Kazan stood beside Riki, his breathing steady but his body still recovering. The faint glow of his flame flickered around him—not wild like before, but controlled… watching… waiting.
Across from them, the dark man observed silently, his red eyes glowing with interest.
"So," he said slowly, "you've begun to understand."
Kazan narrowed his eyes. "Understand what?"
The man smiled faintly.
"The truth… about your power."
Riki stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Kazan. "Enough talking. If you're here to fight, then fight."
The man chuckled softly. "You still don't see it. This is far beyond a simple battle."
Kazan's flame flickered.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
The man raised his hand slightly. Darkness gathered around it, swirling like a living force.
"That power inside you…" he said, pointing at Kazan, "…is not just fire."
Kazan froze.
Not just… fire?
Riki frowned. "Then what is it?"
For a moment, the man said nothing.
Then—
"Ancient power."
The wind howled suddenly, as if reacting to his words.
"Long before your village… before your master… before even the legends you've heard…" the man continued, his voice low and heavy, "there existed warriors who could wield flames that were alive."
Kazan felt something stir inside him.
A memory?
No…
Something deeper.
"Their fire was not just destruction," the man said. "It was power… will… and darkness."
Riki's grip tightened. "Darkness?"
Kazan's chest tightened.
That voice from before…
That cold feeling…
"That's impossible," Riki said. "Kazan's power protects people."
The man's smile widened slightly.
"For now."
Silence.
Kazan's heart pounded.
"What are you saying…?" he asked quietly.
The man stepped forward.
"You are not just a wielder of fire," he said. "You are a vessel."
Kazan's eyes widened.
"A vessel… for what?"
The man's red eyes glowed brighter.
"For something that has been sleeping… for a very long time."
The ground trembled slightly.
Riki stepped closer to Kazan. "Don't listen to him. He's trying to confuse you."
But Kazan couldn't look away.
Because deep inside—
He felt it.
That presence.
That voice.
"…It's true, isn't it?" Kazan whispered.
The man nodded slowly.
"You felt it when you lost control."
Kazan's fists clenched.
Images flashed in his mind—
The darkness.
The voice.
The moment he attacked Riki.
"I…" his voice trembled, "…I almost hurt my own brother…"
Riki shook his head. "But you didn't. You came back."
The man laughed softly.
"Came back?" he repeated. "No… he was allowed to come back."
Kazan's eyes widened.
"What…?"
The man's voice dropped to a whisper.
"That power inside you… it has its own will."
A cold silence followed.
Riki looked between them. "You're lying."
"Am I?" the man replied calmly.
He pointed at Kazan.
"Then why did he hear a voice?"
Riki froze.
Kazan said nothing.
Because he knew.
It was true.
The wind grew stronger, whipping around them violently.
"Your flame is not normal," the man continued. "It is something far more dangerous than you can imagine."
Kazan's flame flickered again.
This time—
Slightly darker.
"…Then tell me," Kazan said, his voice low but steady. "What is it?"
The man smiled.
"I think it's time you saw for yourself."
Suddenly—
He raised his hand.
Dark energy surged outward, spreading across the ground like a wave.
Riki stepped forward. "Kazan, watch out!"
But the darkness didn't attack.
Instead—
It surrounded Kazan.
His body froze.
"What—?!" he gasped.
The world around him changed.
The mountains disappeared.
The sky turned black.
Everything went silent.
Kazan stood alone.
"…Where am I?" he whispered.
A low voice echoed through the darkness.
"You are within."
Kazan's eyes widened.
That voice.
It wasn't the same as before.
This one was deeper.
Older.
Stronger.
"Show yourself!" Kazan shouted.
Slowly—
A figure began to form in the darkness.
Tall.
Made of fire and shadow.
Its eyes burned like endless flames.
Kazan took a step back.
"…What are you?"
The figure looked down at him.
"I am you."
Kazan froze.
"No… that's not possible…"
The figure's flames flickered.
"I am your power… your true self… the part you fear."
Kazan clenched his fists. "I'm not afraid!"
The figure stepped closer.
"Then why did you lose control?"
Kazan hesitated.
Images flashed again—
Riki getting hurt.
The darkness taking over.
"I…" he couldn't answer.
The figure raised its hand.
Dark fire formed in its palm.
"You are not ready."
Kazan's eyes hardened.
"No…" he said firmly.
The flame inside him began to glow brighter.
"I am ready."
The figure paused.
Kazan stepped forward.
"I won't run from this power," he said. "And I won't let it control me."
The light around him grew stronger.
"I'll control it."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
The figure slowly faded.
"Then prove it… in the real world."
Everything shattered.
Kazan's eyes snapped open.
He was back.
The mountains.
Riki.
The enemy.
Riki grabbed him. "Kazan! What happened?!"
Kazan breathed heavily.
"I… I saw it…"
The dark man smiled.
"Now you understand."
Kazan looked up.
His eyes were different now.
Stronger.
Focused.
"I'm not your vessel," he said firmly. "And I'm not afraid of this power anymore."
The man's smile faded slightly.
"…We'll see."
The wind howled again.
The tension rose.
Because now—
The real battle was about to begin.