Kai woke up with his lungs burning as if he had swallowed glowing embers. His hands were covered in small, angry blisters, and the cloying scent of burnt fur still hung heavy in the damp forest air.
"Drink," Hector commanded, leaning over him with a waterskin.
Kai drank greedily, the cool water soothing his scorched throat. He looked toward the center of the camp. The massive carcass of the bear lay there, now nothing more than a heap of blackened meat and charred bone. Of Brann and Edric, only two shallow mounds of earth remained near the roots of a titan tree.
"What happened?" Kai whispered, his voice trembling.
"The Primal Flame happened," Hector replied, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of awe and fanaticism. "It reached out to protect its vessel. You destroyed a creature touched by the Corrupt Pillars."
"Corrupt Pillars?"
"Ancient entities of rot," Hector explained, helping Kai to his feet. "They are the cancer of this world, bleeding darkness into the land and turning noble beasts into monsters. They are the reason the world is dying, Kai. And they are the reason the Temple needs you. A Pillar should not have been able to manifest this close to the capital. The darkness is spreading faster than we feared."
They resumed their journey, though the atmosphere had changed. The young priest, Silas, wouldn't even look Kai in the eye, as if the boy were a holy relic that might shatter—or a bomb ready to detonate.
As they left the forest and entered the heart of the kingdom, the reality of Kai's new life began to sink in. They passed through several villages on their way to the capital. In every one of them, the scene was the same: word of the "Chosen One" had traveled ahead. People lined the dusty roads, falling to their knees as the group passed. Mothers held up their sick children, and old men reached out just to touch the hem of Kai's dirty tunic.
"Look at them," Hector whispered. "To them, you aren't a farm boy anymore. You are a Living Hope. A sign that the Flaming God hasn't abandoned Eldoria to the rot."
Kai looked away, his heart heavy. He felt like a fraud. He didn't feel like a god or a hero; he just felt cold, despite the sun.
On the fifth day, the horizon changed.
The Great Walls of Eldoria rose from the plain like a mountain range of white stone and gold leaf. The city was a marvel of architecture, with soaring spires that seemed to pierce the clouds and massive braziers that burned atop every tower, sending plumes of white smoke into the sky.
As they approached the main gate, the Royal Guard stood at attention, their silver breastplates reflecting the afternoon sun. But it was the crowd gathered at the gates that truly terrified Kai. Thousands of citizens were chanting his name, their voices a rhythmic roar that shook the very air.
"Welcome home, Kai," Hector said, a thin smile on his lips. "Welcome to the center of the world."
Kai gripped the reins of his horse until his knuckles turned white. He was entering a cage of gold and fire, and for the first time, he realized that he might never see the peaceful blue waters of Clearwaters again.