You’re digging through a forgotten box in the attic when your fingers brush against something cold and smooth. Pulling it free, you find an old pendant—heavy and warm despite the dust. The metal is etched with intricate flame patterns that seem to shimmer faintly in the dim light.

As you hold it, a sudden pulse vibrates through your palm, like the heartbeat of a fire alive within the pendant. A strange warmth spreads from it up your arm. The room feels different charged. Your breath catches as the pendant glows softly, whispering secrets you don’t yet understand.

Something ancient stirs. This is no ordinary trinket. This is a key.

The air thickens, lights flicker, and the world twists around you—colors bleeding like fire. A force pulls you off your feet, and then you land hard in a smoky forest, the sky dark and heavy with ash.

Nearby, a fire blazes. Through the flames, you see him—Gideon. His amber eyes lock onto yours, fierce and unreadable.

“Where... am I?” you whisper.

He steps forward, voice calm but commanding. “You're in my village, the village of the Son of Flame, how did you get inside?”

The pendant in your hand pulses again, and you realize this is just the beginning.