Chapter 10 Ashes and oaths

Chapter 10: Ashes and Oaths

Rami remembered silence.

Before the relic flared, before the forest erupted in holy fire, there had been a moment-a flicker in time-where everything held its breath. The trees, the wind, the stars. Even his own heart had paused, sensing what was coming.

Then came the name: Sanyu.

And the forest lit like the sky had torn open.

Now, Rami lay beneath the scorched remains of an acacia tree, his body broken, runes cracked and dim, blood pooling beneath him. He had fled deeper into the shadows after the blast, limbs half-functioning, rage barely contained behind clenched teeth.

He did not scream.

He remembered.

Sanyu.

The boy reborn.

The soul he thought he'd extinguished had returned-not just with power, but with truth. And worse-he had chosen love again.

"Fool," Rami muttered, coughing blood. "You'll burn the world again."

His fingers traced the broken rune on his chest. It sparked faintly-alive, but wounded. He'd underestimated Ayo. No, not Ayo. Not anymore.

But this was only a setback.

Rami was ancient. He knew how the world turned. Every relic had its counter-force. Every power its weakness. And if Sanyu had returned, then so too would the others.

He would find them. Before Ayo did.

Before love could take root.

Ayo dreamed of water.

A wide lake, stilled by moonlight, lilies blooming in a perfect circle around a stone platform. He stood barefoot on the stone, holding the pendant, its light dim now, pulsing in sync with his breath.

Across the lake, a figure watched.

Elijah.

Only this time, he didn't speak. He simply opened his arms.

And behind him stood others.

Men, women, children-souls bound by fire and memory. Vampires and humans alike. Not just past lives-guardians. A lineage of those who had carried the relic before it broke. Before the bloodlines scattered.

He woke to birdsong.

Malakai sat beside him, half-dozing, blade resting across his knees. The forest around them was quiet, dawn light stretching long across the earth.

"You were dreaming again," Malakai said without opening his eyes.

"Yeah," Ayo replied. "Not a nightmare this time."

"Good." Malakai sat up, wincing as he touched his ribs. "I think one of those creatures cracked something."

Ayo reached over, placing a hand on Malakai's side. He didn't know why, but it felt right.

The pendant warmed.

Malakai inhaled sharply-but the pain faded.

"You healed me," he said, eyes wide.

"I didn't mean to."

"Don't apologize."

Ayo lowered his hand slowly. "I think the relic's evolving. Or maybe... I am."

Malakai smiled. "Both."

They packed their things and moved quickly. The battle was won, but the forest had become too exposed. If Rami had marked them, others could track the energy surge.

They traveled east, toward the cliffs above Lake Naivasha. There was a shrine hidden in the rocks-one of the last untouched places where guardians once trained. If the relic had returned, it might be the next key.

Along the way, they spoke little. Silence had become their new language. But it wasn't empty. It was full of tension, of possibilities not yet spoken aloud.

That night, they camped beneath the open sky, a small fire crackling between them.

Ayo finally broke the silence.

"Do you think we're destined to repeat what happened?"

Malakai met his gaze. "You mean die again?"

"Yeah. Or fail. Or lose everything."

Malakai was quiet for a long moment. Then:

"I think destiny's a map. But we choose how to walk it."

Ayo toyed with the pendant. "The first time around, we chose each other. And the world burned for it."

"We still chose right."

Ayo's throat tightened. "Even if it cost everything?"

Malakai leaned across the fire. "Especially then."

The flame between them flickered.

This time, it was Ayo who moved.

He crossed the space between them and kissed Malakai, slow and searching. Not like lovers reunited. But like souls remembering.

The world didn't end.

It expanded.

By the third day, they reached the cliffs.

The shrine was hidden behind a waterfall-a narrow path winding up slick rock and ivy-covered stone. They found it just after sundown, carved into the cliffside.

Inside: silence.

The walls were lined with faded murals-scenes of warriors offering blood to fire, of lovers holding hands beneath a burning tree, of vampires standing beside humans in equal grace.

Ayo touched one of the figures. "These were us, weren't they?"

"Not just us," Malakai said. "All the ones who came before. All the ones who dared to love."

In the center of the chamber stood a pedestal. Empty.

Ayo stepped toward it. The pendant pulled gently against his chest, as if drawn forward.

He took it off and placed it on the stone.

At once, the chamber shifted.

Light poured from the ceiling, illuminating the murals. The pedestal glowed. A second relic-a ring, silver and obsidian-rose from a hidden compartment.

Ayo stared. "What is that?"

"The other half," Malakai breathed.

Ayo picked up the ring. The moment it touched his skin, he saw.

Not just memories-futures.

Flashes of battles not yet fought. Cities burning. Oceans rising. And in all of them-himself, standing at the edge, bearing the fire.

He staggered. Malakai caught him.

"What did you see?"

"War," Ayo whispered. "And hope."

Malakai closed his fingers around Ayo's. "Then we prepare."

That night, they made a fire in the shrine courtyard. No tents. No guards. Just starlight.

Ayo stared into the flame. "Do you think they'll follow us here?"

"They already have," Malakai said.

Ayo turned. "What?"

Malakai gestured to the edge of the shrine. "They've been watching us for an hour."

From the shadows stepped two figures.

One was a woman with braids coiled like a crown, eyes glowing faintly gold. The other, a young boy with skin like onyx and tattoos running down his arms.

They bowed.

"We are the Children of Fire," the woman said. "We've waited centuries for the relic's return."

"How did you know?" Ayo asked.

"Because we carry the same blood," the boy said. "Each time it is born anew, we feel it."

Malakai stepped protectively closer. "What do you want?"

"To fight beside you," the woman said. "The others are waking. Not all will choose peace. Some will want to rebuild the old orders."

Ayo met her gaze. "And you?"

"We want to build something better."

He hesitated-then held out his hand.

She took it.

And so the oath was made.

Later that night, as the fire burned low, Ayo looked at Malakai and whispered:

"I'm scared."

Malakai pulled him close. "Me too."

Ayo closed his eyes. "But I'm ready."

Above them, the stars watched.

And somewhere, deep in the earth, more relics stirred.