The tunnels trembled again that night, a deep metallic rumble traveling through the walls like a heartbeat too large for the earth to hold. Kael sat beside a flickering lamp, rolling the small Pyronite chip Lira had given him between his fingers. The heat from his body made it glow faintly.

Lira was hunched over a table, surrounded by tools and wires. “They’re adapting faster than I expected,” she said. “Their scanners can now trace molecular heat residue. If we don’t move by dawn, we’ll be cornered again.”

Kael’s gaze wandered to the tunnel mouth. “Then we move,” he said simply.

She didn’t look up. “And go where? The upper sectors are under full lockdown. Every exit’s guarded. The only route left is through the Core District.”

“The old reactor zone?” Kael frowned. “That place is toxic.”

“Not to you,” Lira replied, finally glancing at him. “If what I think about your body is true, the residual heat won’t harm you. It might even recharge your energy.”

Kael wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or cursed. He rubbed the Pyronite chip again, watching the soft red light pulse in rhythm with his own veins. “And what about you?”

“I’ll manage,” she said. “I always do.”

They broke camp an hour later, following an old drainage route that led toward the Core District. The air grew warmer as they walked, thick with the metallic scent of rust and ozone. The walls glowed faintly orange, reflecting the ghost of power that once ran through these arteries of the city.

But before they reached the central chamber, a voice echoed through the tunnels—steady, deep, and too calm to be friendly.

“You’ve come far for someone who should be ash.”

Kael spun around. A tall figure stepped from the shadows, armored in black Pyronite plating etched with crimson lines. The glow from his chestplate pulsed in sync with Kael’s own rhythm. His eyes, too, burned faint amber.

“Who are you?” Kael demanded.

The stranger smiled beneath his visor. “Name’s Dareth. Commander Raith’s right hand. And like you, I carry fire in my blood.”

Lira’s eyes widened. “Another Resonant?”

Dareth nodded slightly. “A refined one. The Federation learned to stabilize the condition years ago—turn chaos into weaponry. But they lost control when you awakened. You’re too unstable, too raw. My orders are to bring you back alive, though I’d prefer otherwise.”

Kael stepped forward, anger rising. “You mean experiment on me. I’ve seen what the Federation does to people like us.”

Dareth’s tone remained almost kind. “You misunderstand. You are the experiment.”

He moved before Kael could reply—faster than sound, his gauntlet slicing through the air, leaving a trail of burning light. Kael blocked with his arm, flames exploding from instinct. The impact shook the tunnel, scattering debris.

The clash ignited the world around them. Dareth’s fire burned blue, colder yet sharper than Kael’s. Each strike left rings of searing frostfire along the walls. Kael pushed back, his orange flames surging outward in wild arcs.

“Your power’s raw,” Dareth said between blows. “Untamed. Every breath you take is a fuse waiting to burn.”

“Then watch me burn!” Kael roared.

He released a burst that filled the chamber, molten energy splashing against the steel like liquid sunlight. For a heartbeat, Dareth staggered, his armor cracking. But he recovered instantly, launching a counterattack that sent Kael flying through a collapsed pipe.

Lira shouted his name, diving for cover. Sparks rained down as the ceiling groaned.

Kael rose slowly, coughing smoke, his body glowing with exhaustion. “Why me?” he rasped. “Why are they so afraid of me?”

Dareth’s eyes narrowed. “Because your fire isn’t man-made. It’s ancient. The original Flame Core—what they’ve been trying to recreate for decades. You’re the first true resonance since the First Flame disappeared.”

The revelation struck harder than the blow. The fire inside Kael pulsed wildly, reacting to the truth.

“Enough,” Dareth said, raising his arm. “Surrender, and your death will have purpose.”

Kael clenched his fists. “My life already does.”

Their flames collided once more—orange and blue spirals twisting through the chamber. The explosion tore through the tunnels, shaking the old reactor foundations.

When the dust settled, Dareth stood over Kael, smoke rising from a crack across his chestplate. He aimed his gauntlet, but then hesitated.

“You have no idea what you’re carrying,” he said softly. “The fire inside you isn’t just power—it’s memory.”

Before Kael could ask, Dareth vanished into the darkness, his armor’s thrusters fading into silence.

Lira ran to Kael’s side. “Can you move?”

“Barely,” he said, forcing himself upright. “But I’m not stopping. Not until I find out what this ‘memory’ means.”

She nodded, though worry flickered in her eyes. “Then we go to the Core. That’s where the truth burned last.”

They walked on into the heat, the tunnel walls glowing brighter with every step—like the world itself was preparing to awaken.