I'm The Heir

Kaelen didn't know what he expected when he took Darius's hand.

A dramatic portal? A sudden shift in reality?

What he didn't expect was to be pulled into Darius's chest like some kind of twisted waltz, his arms tightly wrapped around him seconds before the world around them shattered.

There was no light.

No spinning.

Just... silence.

And then, black flame swallowed them whole.

When Kaelen opened his eyes, they weren't at the academy anymore.

They were standing inside a colossal underground chamber. Massive black stone columns towered around them, etched with glowing red runes that pulsed like breathing embers. A dark crimson moon hung high in the artificial sky above floating within an illusionary dome that flickered faintly, as if sustained by ancient magic.

And in the center of it all… a throne. Jagged. Beautiful. Terrifying.

Kaelen stepped back. "Where... where the hell are we?"

Darius's voice echoed, rich with dark pride. "My domain beneath your world. A sanctuary carved from the ruins of the old war. Hidden from mortals. Forbidden to gods. And now, your second home."

Kaelen's heart pounded. "This is... underground?"

"Beneath the bones of the academy," Darius said. "Closer to your truth than you realize."

Kaelen stared around in awe and horror. "You built this?"

"No." Darius turned, cloak billowing. "This place was built long before I ever walked the earth. It was meant for us. For beings born of flame and shadow."

Kaelen blinked. "Us?"

Darius turned to him, slow and intense. "You still don't get it, do you?"

He raised his hand, and a panel of fire appeared in the air. It shimmered, forming an image one Kaelen couldn't look away from.

A battlefield.

Demons and humans clashed. Magic tore the sky apart. And in the center, two figures stood back-to-back one cloaked in obsidian, the other wreathed in red fire.

"Thousands of years ago," Darius began, "the first Flamebearer made a pact with a demon king. They weren't enemies. They were bonded. Soul to soul. Fire to flame. They burned down the gods that tried to destroy them."

Kaelen swallowed. "That Flamebearer…"

"Was your ancestor," Darius whispered. "And I… was the demon."

Kaelen's breath caught. "You—what?"

"I was sealed when the war ended. Buried beneath the lies of history. But your blood called to me." He stepped closer, voice soft and slow like a spell. "When you touched that cursed crystal, you didn't just awaken me. You awakened yourself."

Kaelen stared at him, shaking. "But I'm human."

"You were," Darius said. "Until your soul cracked open."

Kaelen took another step back. "This is too much. Too fast."

"It has to be," Darius said, sharper now. "Because you don't have time to ease into this. Every kingdom—every Order—wants you dead. You don't get the luxury of denial."

Kaelen clenched his fists. "Then tell me the whole truth. Now. No riddles."

Darius hesitated. For the first time, Kaelen saw something almost vulnerable in his eyes.

"There's more than one prophecy," he said finally. "The world believes there's one Flamebearer every thousand years. But that's a lie. There's always been two."

Kaelen froze. "What?"

"The Flame. And the Ender."

"One to protect the balance," Darius whispered. "And one to destroy it."

Kaelen's voice trembled. "Which one am I?"

Darius didn't answer.

The silence was louder than a scream.

Before Kaelen could demand more, a blaring alarm shattered the air. A shrill, magic-forged siren. The runes along the chamber walls flared to life.

"INTRUSION," a deep voice boomed from the stone itself. "UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY. GATE BREACH."

Kaelen looked at Darius. "Who—?"

Darius was already pulling him forward, cloak whipping behind him. "We're under attack."

They reached a balcony that overlooked the lower halls. Kaelen's eyes widened.

Dozens of black-armored intruders were storming in through a broken gate eyes glowing silver, skin marked with holy runes. Paladins. Divine hunters. And at their lead stood a woman in white robes, her hair a cascade of light, her hands glowing with sacred flame.

"Who is she?" Kaelen asked.

Darius's face turned to stone. "Lady Virelle. High Priestess of the Radiant Order."

Kaelen watched her raise her staff, her voice ringing through the chamber.

"Demon King! Surrender the Flamebearer! That child is a threat to the mortal plane!"

Kaelen's blood turned to ice.

"She's here for me?"

"Yes." Darius's voice was murder. "She wants to erase your bloodline. She's been hunting you since the moment you were born."

Kaelen shook his head. "But I didn't even know—!"

"She did," Darius snapped. "She knew what you would become. They all did. That's why your mother died."

Kaelen froze. "What…?"

Darius turned toward him slowly. "She was a Flamebearer too. She died protecting you. Hiding your existence. From them."

Kaelen couldn't breathe. "You're lying…"

"I wish I was."

Below them, the paladins raised their weapons.

Kaelen stepped back. "We have to run. We're outnumbered."

"No," Darius said. "We make a stand."

"I can't fight them!" Kaelen shouted. "I don't even know what I am!"

Darius's gaze sharpened like a dagger.

"Then let me show you."

He reached out and pressed two fingers to Kaelen's chest.

The moment they touched, the sigil on Kaelen's wrist exploded with fire.

Kaelen screamed but it wasn't pain. It was power.

It flooded him.

His blood turned to molten flame. His skin glowed. His eyes flared gold. The fire poured from his veins like a dam breaking.

Darius stepped back, smiling like the devil himself.

"Burn them all, Kaelen."

And Kaelen did.

He raised his hands.

And the throne room caught fire.

Not just any fire.

His fire.

Divine and unholy, bright and cruel, beautiful and terrifying.

Paladins screamed. Their magic faltered. Virelle raised a shield, snarling in fury.

"You monster! What have you done?!"

Kaelen stood tall now, flames coiling around his body like armor. His voice was no longer trembling.

"I'm not a monster."

He stepped forward.

"I'm the Heir."