After his victory against Akira, Kael's name became more and more well-known. Everyone in the city streets was talking about Iron Blaze. Some called it a legend, while others said he had simply been lucky. Kael, however, did not care about either opinion. He still could not get out of his head what he had seen and felt in the blacksmith's workshop.
Iron Blaze was strange.
Too strange.
One evening he sat on the hill behind the stadium while the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains. He turned the top in his hand, and the red light reflected in his eyes.
"What are you, really?" he asked quietly.
"Are you talking to yourself?"
Kael flinched.
The voice came from behind him.
He turned around and saw Akira approaching with his hands in his pockets.
"You?" Kael asked.
"Disappointed?"
"More surprised."
Akira smiled.
"Don't worry. I don't want a rematch."
"Then what do you want?"
"To talk."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"With you?"
"Yes, with me."
Akira sat down beside him in the grass.
For a few seconds there was silence.
"Iron Blaze has changed since you got it, hasn't it?" he finally asked.
Kael looked at him in surprise.
"How do you know?"
"I saw it in your eyes."
"That's not an answer."
"I have experience with special tops too."
Kael remained silent.
"Sometimes it feels like…" he finally said, "there's something inside it."
"Something?"
"Someone."
Akira's face became serious.
"Interesting…"
Before they could continue, they heard footsteps.
Shiro arrived.
"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere."
"What happened?" Kael asked.
"I don't know, but something strange is going on in the city."
"What do you mean?"
"People are talking about a cloaked figure."
Akira frowned.
"What kind of figure?"
"No one knows. They only say he's a stranger and that he's looking for someone."
Kael's stomach suddenly tightened.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
That same night, he woke up to a strange noise.
He stepped outside.
The streets were empty.
The moonlight illuminated the stones with a silver glow.
Then he saw him.
A figure stood in the middle of the main square.
He wore a long black cloak.
As if he had been waiting for him.
"Kael," the stranger spoke.
"How do you know my name?"
"Because I was looking for you."
Kael stepped closer.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Orion."
"What do you want?"
The stranger was silent for a long time.
"Your power."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"Give it to me."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, the world will be destroyed."
The boy laughed.
"Is this some kind of bad joke?"
"No."
"Then explain."
Orion slowly raised his head.
A strange silver light shone in his eyes.
"Have you ever heard of the Star Core?"
"No."
"You should have."
The air around them seemed to grow colder.
"Thousands of years ago, a star fell onto this world. Its core carried energy beyond human imagination."
"And?"
"Its power was broken into pieces."
"Why?"
"Because it was too dangerous."
Kael understood less and less.
"What does this have to do with me?"
Orion pointed directly at him.
"You carry one of the fragments."
Kael froze.
"That's impossible."
"No."
"You must be confusing me with someone else."
"I am not mistaken."
At that moment, Iron Blaze began to glow at Kael's side.
The red light filled the square.
Orion nodded.
"See?"
Kael stared at the top in shock.
"What's happening?"
"The Star Core is reacting."
"This is crazy."
"I wish it were."
At that moment, the sound of running footsteps echoed.
"Kael!"
Shiro and Akira ran toward him.
"Are you okay?" Shiro asked.
"We heard shouting," Akira added.
Both of them noticed the stranger.
"Who is this?" Akira asked.
"His name is Orion."
"And what does he want?"
"He claims that I have some kind of power called the Star Core."
Shiro laughed.
"That sounds pretty crazy."
"I know."
But Orion remained serious.
"Kael isn't the only one involved."
The three boys looked at him at the same time.
"What do you mean?" Akira asked.
"The fragments of the Star Core do not exist in only one person."
"How many are there?" Kael asked.
"No one knows exactly."
"And who possesses them?"
"It chooses those whose destiny is special."
Akira crossed his arms.
"So you think I do too?"
Orion looked at him.
He studied him for a few seconds.
"No."
Akira's face immediately darkened.
"What do you mean, no?"
"I don't sense it in you."
"How do you know?"
"I simply know."
Shiro tried to laugh.
"Then I must be the chosen hero."
Orion suddenly turned toward him.
The smile disappeared from Shiro's face.
The stranger's eyes widened.
"What?" he asked uncertainly.
Orion did not answer immediately.
"Interesting…"
"What's interesting?"
"Nothing."
"Don't say that! What did you see?"
"It's not time yet."
"What?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Kael and Akira exchanged confused looks.
Orion then turned toward the sky.
In the distance, a black lightning bolt streaked through the clouds.
The stranger's face turned pale.
"No… this soon?"
"What is it?" Kael asked.
"Them."
"Who?"
"Those who want to obtain all the fragments of the Star Core."
The ground trembled slightly.
Above the distant mountains, a vortex of dark energy began to form.
Shiro swallowed.
"That doesn't look good."
"Because it isn't," Orion replied.
Kael tightened his grip on Iron Blaze.
"Then tell us the truth already!"
Orion slowly turned toward him.
"If you want to save the world, you must find the other heirs."
"And if we don't?"
The stranger's gaze darkened.
"Then the Dark Star will awaken… and everything you know will disappear."
The four figures stood silently in the moonlight while the distant sky grew darker and darker.
Somewhere far away, someone was already watching them.
And smiling.