The silence after Flamen’s awakening was as heavy as his fall. The air around them seemed to have changed — no longer did it carry that warm sensation that had always accompanied his presence. The fire returned to him, but it no longer held life.
Flamen slowly rose, looking at his hands. His fingers trembled, and silver flames spiraled around them. They were cold.
— What happened to me? — His voice was muffled, almost distant.
Emiren and the Hollow exchanged glances. Both of them felt it: something had changed.
— You’ve returned, — the Hollow said softly. — But now… you’re different.
Flamen shook his head.
— But I don’t feel like myself.
And then it happened.
The New Flame
Suddenly, the silver flames around Flamen began to change. Their tongues grew longer, their movements smoother, as if they were following entirely different laws. They didn’t just burn — they flowed, like liquid, light-bearing wind swirling around him.
The Hollow stepped back a pace.
— This is not just a change. This is something new.
Flamen extended his hand, and the fire coalesced into a lump, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. But it beat differently. Not fast, not slow… but uncertain, as though it didn’t belong to any one flow of time.
Emiren watched as the silver flames moved around Flamen’s hand but didn’t scorch it. One could feel it, but not fully comprehend it.
— This is not ordinary fire, — he whispered.
— Because I am no longer ordinary, — Flamen replied.
There was no fear or sorrow in his voice. Only acceptance.
The Shadow That Watches
Their attention was drawn to movement at the edge of the space.
The darkness rippled, as if something or someone was approaching.
The Hollow raised his hand, preparing for an attack.
— Who’s there?
At first, there was no response.
But then, emerging from the darkness, as if it was born from time itself, a figure appeared.
It was tall, almost shapeless. Instead of a face, there was emptiness, and instead of hands, long shadows that moved as if they had a life of their own.
And it spoke.
— A flame that does not warm. A light that does not give life.
Flamen took a step forward.
— You know what happened to me.
The figure tilted its head.
— You’ve crossed a boundary. And now you belong neither to the light nor the darkness.
Emiren tensed.
— What does that mean?
— It means your friend is now part of what exists between the world and nothingness. He lost his warmth, but gained something else.
Flamen clenched his fists.
— What exactly?
The figure hesitated before answering.
It raised its shadowy hand and touched its “face.” For a moment, its features became visible.
Emiren and the Hollow felt a chill run down their skin.
Before them stood not just a shadowed being.
It was… a former Creator.
Flamen felt something stir deep within his soul.
— I have changed. But I am still here.
— For now.
The shadow took a step back, dissolving into the space, and its voice faded into the air.
— We’ll see how long you can remain yourself.
And once again, they were left alone.
But from now on, everything would be different.