The knock at the door never came.
Instead, silence stretched like a wire pulled too tight.
Rin motioned for them to stay low as he crept across the wooden floor and peered through a crack in the window. Outside, the shadows between the trees shifted. Something—or someone—was moving.
"They're circling the house," he whispered.
Ayame's grip on her blade tightened. Haruki could see her jaw clench. "How many?"
"Too many," Rin replied.
Haruki's heart pounded harder. The warmth in his chest stirred again, but it wasn't enough—not yet. "What do we do?"
"We stay calm," Rin said. "Panic is what they want."
Suddenly, something hit the wall with a loud thud. Dust fell from the ceiling. Then came a second hit, harder this time. A small crack split the wooden panel near the door.
"They're testing us," Ayame said. "Trying to scare us before they break in."
Haruki looked around the room. The scroll from his father still lay on the floor beside him. He picked it up and tucked it into his jacket. "We can't let them take this."
"They won't," Rin said firmly.
Another thud. Then a window shattered in the back room.
"They're inside!" Ayame shouted.
Rin moved fast for someone his age. He grabbed a staff from the corner and spun toward the hallway. "You two, stay behind me."
Haruki followed closely. The house creaked with every step as if it, too, was bracing for a fight.
A figure stepped through the broken window—tall, dressed in black, with a mask hiding his face. Another one climbed in after him.
"Move," Rin growled, and swung his staff. It cracked against the first intruder's shoulder, sending him stumbling back. The second attacker rushed forward, but Ayame was faster. She dodged low and slashed across his leg. He howled and fell.
Haruki stood frozen.
"Haruki!" Ayame shouted. "Use the Ember!"
"I—I don't know how!"
"Feel it," Rin said. "Don't force it. Let it rise."
Another masked figure leapt through the window. Haruki stepped back. His heart was racing, his hands shaking.
But then he remembered the vision—the man in the fire, the symbol, the warmth in his chest.
He closed his eyes.
The heat inside him flared like a match catching flame.
When he opened his eyes, his arm glowed faint red.
The intruder lunged at him with a blade. Haruki raised his arm and blocked it—not with strength, but with flame. The blade sparked against a burst of heat and the attacker was thrown back, screaming.
Ayame looked at him, wide-eyed. "You did it…"
Haruki felt light-headed but steady. The ember in his chest pulsed like a heartbeat. "I think I can do more."
"Then we hold them off," Rin said. "Buy time. They won't stop unless we push them back."
The three of them stood together in the narrow hallway as more attackers forced their way in. It felt like a storm—noise, movement, danger from all sides. But Haruki wasn't afraid now.
He could feel the flame responding to him. Not wild like before, but alive, like it trusted him.
He moved his hand, and sparks flew forward, lighting the air and driving two attackers to the ground. Rin's staff cracked with precision, knocking another one aside. Ayame was like a shadow, silent and sharp.
Still, they kept coming.
From the front of the house, a heavy boot kicked the door wide open.
A tall figure stepped inside, different from the others. His mask was silver instead of black, and he held a curved blade etched with strange symbols.
"That's their leader," Rin muttered. "We need to be careful."
The silver-masked man looked at Haruki. "You're stronger than expected. But it doesn't matter. You're still just a child playing with fire."
Haruki stepped forward, his fists glowing. "I'm not playing."
The man lunged.
Everything moved fast.
The sound of steel, the rush of heat, the crack of wood splintering under their feet. Haruki ducked the first strike, countered with a burst of flame. It caught the man's cloak, but he didn't flinch. His blade came down again, and Haruki barely dodged in time.
Ayame jumped in, drawing the man's attention with a series of quick slashes. Rin moved behind, striking low. But the silver-masked man was fast, too fast.
He knocked Ayame aside with a backhanded blow and turned on Rin. Haruki yelled and sent a wave of fire toward him. The man raised his blade, which absorbed the flames like water soaking into cloth.
"What…?" Haruki breathed.
"The blade eats energy," Rin said. "It's forged from stolen Ember. Be careful!"
The man laughed coldly. "Your father tried the same thing. And he failed too."
Haruki froze. "You knew him?"
"I ended him."
Something snapped inside Haruki.
The ember inside him roared.
His hands lit with fire—not red this time, but gold.
A shockwave burst from his chest, throwing everyone in the room back—including the silver-masked man.
Silence followed.
Rin looked stunned. "That… was not your normal flame."
Haruki stood trembling, golden sparks dancing around his fingers. "I don't know what that was."
But the masked man was already pulling himself up. His cloak was burned, his mask cracked. He looked straight at Haruki.
"This isn't over," he hissed. "The Ashen Circle doesn't give up."
And in a flash of red light—just like the one Haruki saw before—the man vanished.
The others followed, slipping back into the shadows, leaving behind silence and smoke.
Ayame coughed. "Are you okay?"
Haruki nodded slowly, though his legs felt like they'd give out any second. "I think so."
Rin helped him sit. "You're changing. The Ember is growing faster than I expected."
Haruki looked down at his hands, still warm. "He said he knew my father. That he ended him."
Rin frowned. "They've lied before. Don't trust what they say, not without proof."
"But what if it's true?" Haruki asked. "What if he's gone?"
"Then we carry on," Rin said. "Because this fight is bigger than one man. And because your flame just told them—they can't control you."
Outside, the forest was still again. The danger h
ad passed—for now.
Haruki looked toward the door, his jaw set. "They'll be back."
Rin nodded. "Yes. And next time, you'll be ready."
Next Chapter Teaser - Chapter 14: Flames and Footsteps
As the dust settles from the night's battle, Haruki, Ayame, and Rin must leave the ruined cabin behind. But the road ahead is no safer. Haruki's powers are growing-and so are the questions surrounding them. With whispers of an Ember relic hidden deep in the eastern mountains, they set out on a journey that could change everything. But the Ashen Circle is already one step ahead... and watching.