The training gym was quiet, only the soft hum of the air conditioning breaking the silence. Kael stared at Iron Blaze, lying on the table, a faint red light still pulsing on its surface.
"Why is it doing this?" he asked quietly, more to himself than to Orion.
Orion sat in a chair across from him, his expression serious.
"Because it's growing stronger."
"You already said that. But why now? Why so suddenly?"
Orion leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
"The Starcore's energy isn't static, Kael. The closer the Heirs get to each other, the more often the power within them activates… the faster it fully awakens."
Kael clenched his fist.
"So the more I fight, the less I'll be able to control it?"
"Exactly the opposite."
Kael looked up, confused.
"What?"
"The more you fight, the better you get to know its power. But if you try to suppress it, if you fear it… Iron Blaze will make the decision for you. Like it did today."
Kael nodded slowly, though uncertainty still lingered in his eyes.
"And if I can't?"
Orion didn't answer right away. The silence grew heavier than any words could.
"Then the power will consume you," he finally said quietly. "The way it consumed others before, long ago."
Kael's stomach clenched, but before he could say anything, the door burst open.
Akira rushed in, gasping for breath.
"Someone's outside!"
Kael and Orion both stood up at once.
"Who?" Orion asked.
"I don't know! They're just… standing out there, not moving. They've been there for ten minutes."
They stepped out in front of the gym. The afternoon sun was already setting, casting long shadows across the empty street. A figure stood on the other side of the sidewalk — tall, slender, with silver-white hair gently stirred by the wind. In their hand they held a top, its dark surface glowing with tiny, metallic star-patterns, as if pieced together from fragments of shattered celestial bodies.
"Zerath," Orion whispered.
Kael looked at him.
"You know them?"
"I've heard of them. But I've never met them before."
Zerath began walking slowly toward them, their steps strangely silent, as if not even touching the ground.
"So you're Kael," they said, their voice cold as the silence of deep space. "Iron Blaze's owner."
"Yes. And who are you?"
"My name has already been spoken by your friend."
Kael clenched his jaw.
"What do you want?"
Zerath glanced around, as if sizing up the place, then looked back at Kael.
"I wanted to see you. The one causing all this commotion lately."
"I'm not a show."
"I don't see you as one."
Orion stepped forward, placing himself between them.
"Why did you come here, Zerath?"
Zerath looked at Orion for a moment, their gaze unreadable.
"Because I feel that something has begun. And I don't like being left out of it."
"This isn't a game," Orion said sharply.
"I know." Zerath's voice grew more serious now. "That's exactly why I'm here."
Kael stepped between them.
"If you want to fight, let's do it."
Zerath smiled faintly, not mockingly — more approvingly.
"Not today. Not yet."
"Then why did you come?"
"To see whether you're worthy of what you carry."
With that, they turned and left as quietly as they had arrived. Kael watched them until the figure disappeared around the corner.
"What was that?" Akira asked, stunned.
Orion didn't speak for a long time.
"A warning," he finally said. "Not everyone will stand with us when the time comes."
Far from there, deep within the ancient ruin, where the black energy still slowly swirled among the walls, Reizen stood alone in the darkness. Shadow Tempest rested in his hand, no longer spinning — as if exhausted from its earlier awakening.
The deep voice spoke again, quieter now, almost a whisper.
"You feel it already, don't you?"
Reizen nodded.
"Yes. It's getting stronger."
"This is only the beginning."
"I know."
The voice fell silent for a moment, then spoke again, this time with a different edge.
"Aurelion won't let you interfere."
Reizen smiled faintly in the dark.
"I'm not asking for permission."
"Bold words from a body that doesn't yet understand what it has awakened."
Reizen's hand tightened around Shadow Tempest.
"Then teach me."
Silence was the answer — but on the walls, the eight-pointed sigil flared brighter for a moment, as if in agreement.
That evening, an unusual crowd gathered in the city's main square. Massive screens switched on all at once, everywhere showing the same image: the figure bathed in golden light, whom many already recognized.
Aurelion Drakhar stood on a platform, the Eclipse Nexus slowly spinning behind him, its golden glow lighting up the entire square.
His voice filled the space, yet remained calm.
"People. Heirs. All of you who hear my voice."
The crowd fell silent.
"The time has come to decide who is worthy of the Starcore's ultimate power."
Aurelion raised his hand, and the Eclipse Nexus's light suddenly spread across the entire city.
"Therefore, I declare a trial. Eight Heirs. One tournament. And at the end… a single victor, who will hold the fate of the world in their hands."
The light slowly began to fade, but Aurelion's words kept echoing in everyone's minds.
"The trial begins in three days. Prepare yourselves."
Kael, who had just arrived home, stared frozen at the screen on the street corner. Beside him, Orion's face darkened.
"Three days," Orion muttered. "That's all the time we have left."
Kael clenched his fist, his gaze fixed on Iron Blaze, which glowed faintly but steadily.
"Then I need to be ready."
In the distance, among the mountains, Zerath watched the light as well. Ren stopped on his rain-soaked city street and looked up at the sky. Shiro, clutching Frost Phantom, nodded to himself. Virex, standing by the temple ruins, turned toward the horizon. And deep underground, in the ancient ruin, Reizen laughed quietly.
"A tournament…" he whispered. "An interesting way to gather all of us in one place, Aurelion."
Shadow Tempest began spinning in his hand once more.
"But I won't be playing by your rules."
To be continued in Chapter 15