The storm reached them before night fully fell.
Wind howled across the hills, bending the tall grass as dark clouds swallowed the sky. Kael and Ryn moved quickly toward the broken watchtower they had passed earlier, rain already beginning to fall in cold, sharp drops.
"This is a bad omen," Ryn muttered as thunder cracked overhead.
Kael didn't answer. His thoughts were still on what he had said.
A place. A name. A beginning.
They reached the tower just as the rain became heavy. Inside, the stone walls were cracked but sturdy, offering shelter from the storm. Water dripped from the ceiling, pooling on the floor, but it was better than standing in the open.
Kael leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment.
This ruined tower was nothing special—but for the first time, it felt like something important.
"This could work," Ryn said, glancing around. "Not forever. But for now."
Kael nodded. "A starting point."
Before they could say more, a faint sound cut through the rain.
Footsteps.
Ryn immediately reached for his weapon. "We're not alone."
Kael moved toward the entrance. Through the falling rain, three figures appeared—two men and a young woman, all soaked and exhausted. They froze when they saw Kael and Ryn.
"Please," the woman said, her voice shaking. "We're not bandits. We just… we heard there were fighters in this area."
Kael studied them. They wore simple clothes, but their eyes were sharp. Survivors.
"Why are you looking for fighters?" Kael asked.
"One of the villages east of here was attacked," one of the men said. "Soldiers wearing the kingdom's armor. They took people. Burned houses."
Kael's fists tightened.
"More of my father's 'order,'" Ryn muttered.
The woman looked at Kael carefully. "Are you the one who protected the other village? People are already talking about you."
Kael was silent.
He didn't want fame.
But maybe this was how it started.
"We don't have much," the man continued. "But if you're really helping people… we want to stand with you."
Kael looked at the three of them, then at the broken tower around him.
A base. A group. A future.
It was happening faster than he expected.
"We don't promise safety," Kael said slowly. "Only that we won't abandon you."
The woman nodded without hesitation. "That's enough."
Outside, the storm raged.
But inside the ruined tower, something new had begun.
Not an army.
Not a kingdom.
But the first loyal flame of something that would one day challenge a throne.
(To be continued)