The First Step Forward

---

The fire was silent.

But Nero knew better than to believe it was gone.

It was there—coiled inside him, waiting.

Waiting for the right moment.

Waiting for him to let his guard down.

He had won.

Hadn't he?

Then why did it feel like something was watching him from the inside?

---

(The Distance Between Them)

Angel and Nagel still walked separately from him.

Not far.

But not close enough to be normal.

The battle was over. The fire was under control.

And yet…

Something between them had changed.

Maybe forever.

Nero saw the way Nagel's hand lingered on his axe.

The way Angel watched him when she thought he wasn't looking.

He couldn't blame them.

Because even he didn't fully trust himself anymore.

---

(The Fire's Warning)

Nero flexed his fingers.

The flames didn't flare up.

Didn't lash out.

Didn't resist.

They just… waited.

Not gone.

Not tamed.

Just watching.

And that terrified him more than anything.

---

(A Discussion They Couldn't Avoid)

Angel exhaled. "We need to talk."

Nero nodded. "I know."

Nagel crossed his arms. "Then let's stop pretending nothing happened."

The air was thick with tension.

Angel hesitated before speaking again.

"You controlled the fire. You won."

Nero nodded.

"But…" Angel continued, choosing her words carefully, "how do you know it won't happen again?"

Nero clenched his fists.

He didn't know.

But what was he supposed to say?

"I just do," he said.

Nagel scoffed. "Not good enough."

---

(The Path Ahead)

Angel sighed. "Where do we go from here?"

Nero knew the answer before she even asked.

"Aizen."

Nagel frowned. "You really think he'll help?"

"He gave me this power," Nero said. "He has to know something."

Angel crossed her arms. "Or maybe he knew exactly what would happen and didn't tell you."

That stung.

Because what if she was right?

What if Aizen had known all along?

---

(A Warning in Fire)

The road stretched before them, endless and uncertain.

But as they walked, Nero felt something shift.

The fire stirred—not as a whisper, but as a pull.

Guiding him.

And then—

They saw it.

A single word, burned into the rock ahead.

"CHOICE."

The flames were still fresh, golden embers flickering in the dim light.

Someone had left this message for them.

For him.

Angel and Nagel exchanged glances.

Nagel scowled. "That's not creepy at all."

But Nero's blood ran cold.

Because this meant—

They weren't alone.

---

(The Feeling of Being Watched)

The wind was still.

No sound. No movement.

But Nero felt it.

Eyes on him.

Not just watching—waiting.

A shadow in the distance.

Too far to see clearly.

But there.

Watching.

And then—

It was gone.

---

(Nagel's Doubt)

Nagel's expression hardened. "We're walking straight into something."

Angel gave him a look. "We've been walking straight into things since the beginning."

Nagel let out a sharp breath. "Yeah, but now the enemy knows us. Knows him." He jerked his chin toward Nero.

"Nagel," Angel warned.

"What? I'm just saying what we're both thinking," Nagel muttered. "First, we're fighting for our lives. Then, suddenly, the fire inside him is under control? The enemy ran from him, Angel. You saw it. What if they weren't just afraid?"

Angel didn't answer right away.

Because she did see it.

And she didn't know what it meant.

---

(Nero's Struggle)

Nero closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

He wasn't blind to their fear.

He had felt it from the moment the battle ended.

And he wasn't angry.

Because the truth was…

He was afraid too.

Afraid of what was inside him.

Afraid of what it wanted.

And most of all—

Afraid of what it would take to keep it caged.

---

(Aizen's True Intentions)

Angel hesitated. "Do you think Aizen knew?"

Nero frowned. "Knew what?"

"That this would happen. That you'd almost lose yourself."

Nero hadn't thought about that.

He had always trusted Aizen.

But why?

Why had Aizen given him this power without warning him about what it really was?

And more importantly—

What if Aizen hadn't chosen Nero?

What if the fire had chosen him instead?

---

(The Road Ahead)

They walked on, but none of them spoke.

The silence between them was different now.

Not just fear.

But understanding.

They had all changed.

And the road ahead would change them even more.

Because Nero knew one thing for certain—

This was only the beginning.

---

The road stretched into the unknown, a path of cracked earth and jagged cliffs rising on either side.

Nero, Angel, and Nagel moved in silence.

Not because they were tired.

But because none of them knew what to say.

The fire inside Nero wasn't burning.

And that was the problem.

Because it wasn't gone either.

It was just… watching.

Waiting.

And the longer the silence stretched, the more he wondered—

Was he really in control?

Or had the fire just decided to be patient?

---

(The Distance That Wouldn't Close)

Angel walked at his side, but she kept glancing at him.

Nagel stayed a step behind, his hand never far from his axe.

They were traveling together.

But they weren't together.

And maybe they never would be again.

---

(Nagel's Suspicion)

Finally, Nagel broke the silence.

"You feel that?"

Angel frowned. "Feel what?"

Nagel slowed his steps, scanning the darkened landscape.

"The air. It's… wrong."

Nero had felt it too.

A weight in the air.

A presence.

Something just beyond the horizon.

Watching.

Waiting.

---

(The Fire's Whisper)

Then, a voice echoed through Nero's mind.

Not his own.

Not Aizen's.

Not even the fire.

Something else.

"You are running out of time."

Nero's breath caught.

It wasn't just a thought.

It was a warning.

---

(Aizen's Hidden Truths)

Angel kept her voice low. "You really think Aizen has answers?"

Nero exhaled. "He has to."

But in the back of his mind, he wasn't sure.

Aizen had given him this power.

But had he ever truly explained why?

Or had he always known what it would do to Nero?

What if Aizen hadn't given him this fire to protect the village?

What if he had given it to Nero for something else?

Something far worse?

---

(The Warning Sign)

As they rounded the next ridge, the wind shifted.

A strange mark was burned into the ground.

Not words this time.

A symbol.

The same symbol that had appeared in Nero's vision when he first met Aizen.

Nagel narrowed his eyes. "Tell me that's just a coincidence."

Angel ran a hand over the charred surface. "This was made with fire."

Nero's fire.

---

(The Final Realization)

Angel stood. "Nero… what if we're not heading toward Aizen?"

Nero frowned. "What do you mean?"

Angel's gaze darkened.

"What if he's the one leading us to him?"

Nero's stomach twisted.

Because now, deep inside…

He knew she was right.

This wasn't just a journey.

This was a summoning.

And Aizen was waiting for him.

Not as an ally.

But as something else.

Something far more dangerous.

---

(The Road Ahead)

They walked on, but everything had changed.

They weren't just traveling.

They were walking toward a truth that none of them were ready for.

And as they disappeared into the horizon, Nero whispered under his breath—

"Aizen… what have you done?"

---

End of Chapter 20

.Nero has control—but does he truly understand the fire's purpose?

.Angel and Nagel travel with him, but trust is still broken.

.A hidden presence follows them—waiting for the right moment.

. A warning appears—a symbol of fire, leading them toward Aizen.

. The final realization—Aizen isn't just waiting. He may have planned this all along.

Next up: Chapter 21: Aizen's Truth—Nero finally confronts the man who gave him this power… and the reason behind it.