After the Dua Daizen had ended, King Zaran had died, and the great mountain Zaranqui had fallen, the people of Truth-Fire had settled their second city, Mauzaika. And only a few years after Mauzaika's construction there was great strife. This strife came not from daizika—the lies of the dark lake—but from doubt.

Questions regarding who should lead the quirans, what their purpose was, and whether or not their immortality should have been sacrificed were raised. Even with the Truth-Fire shining its light over Mauzaika from atop its adamantine tower there were those that longed for the days when their own fire had given them guidance. The act that had saved the quirans was now being questioned.

Where before a quiran could rely on his own flames to guide his path he now only had the blue glow of the lantern, and it provided barely a whisper. A whisper few heeded or heard, for the hallowed light was a presence that had to share its truth and guidance with all of Mauzaika. It was not enough in the eyes of many. Greed once again took hold. This time it was not greed for power, but greed for the splendor that had been lost. Many regretted their choice to save the cinders of the First-Fire.

Immortality was desired most of all by the greedy, especially by the elders who now experienced death. But there was also greed for purpose and guidance. There was a wish to once again be certain of things. All fueled by fear of the treacherous path the quirans now walked with the First-Fire forever lost.

Zavain was the first to be questioned by the inquisition of doubt and greed. The son of the former king, the savior of the quirans, was confronted in Mauzaika’s main square and lambasted for his decision to keep the Cinders alive. It is said Zavain listened to the mob’s words, closed his eyes, and communed with the whispers of the lantern. The king then pleaded with the mob to see reason. He reminded them that they all had given up their fire to keep the Cinders burning and that they had willingly followed him into Fianqui to build Mauzaika. He reminded them that they themselves had given the Cinders truth and valor to safeguard it from lies and Darkness.

But the mob was beyond reason.

The inquisition of doubt and greed—called the daivazran or daiva by Quirani scholars—would question Zavain’s right to rule. They accused him of harboring cursed blood. They said he would bring the same Darkness to the second city that had destroyed the first. Zavain tried to explain that he had not seized power but, like his father before him, the quirans had chosen to follow him. Yet these words did not soothe the mob.

The leader of the daiva, Tsizen, climbed the fountain in the main square and accused Zavain of treason. Tsizen proposed to all of the inquisition that Zavain had freed them from the darkness not to bring them into the light but to control every quiran that survived Zaranqui’s destruction. Zavain begged the people to see reason once more and he pleaded with the quirans that did not follow the daiva to stop their brothers and sister from making a terrible mistake. Yet none dared to cross the anger of Tsizen nor the doubt that the daiva spread.

After many hours of heated debates within the daiva it was decided they needed to reclaim the light they had lost. They would shatter the lantern and retake the fire and truths they invested within the Cinders.

Zavain would not abide by this. He warned that what such treason would bring, that it would once more cast them in darkness. Zavain told the daiva that their immortality and cloak of flames had come from the First-Fire. If they shattered the lantern and destroyed the Cinders the golden flames of the First-Fire would be forever lost.

Tsizen told his people that the king lied and they marched to the adamantine tower. Zavain, distraught and full of terror, commanded the good people of the second city to stop the daiva. He told them that if they did not, then death would befall them all. Darkness would return to their halls without the glow of the lantern Finally other quirans opposed the daiva and terrible fighting befell the square and streets of Mauzaika. Tsizen forced his way through this fighting to the tower and Zavain followed.

As the daiva leader and king reached the tower they fought. In the ensuing struggle, Zavain was mortally wounded and Tsizen made his way up the tower. Zavain followed, though his wounds made him slow, and by the time he reached the top of the tower he found that Tsizen held the lantern. The daiva leader shattered the lantern against the adamantine floor and a great rush of golden light fell over the city before it was cast into absolute darkness.

But there were no celebrations. The golden cloaks that the daiva longed for did not return. The longevity of the Quirani race did not resurface. And the guidance they had sought was now truly lost. Tsizen, strict by regret and grief at his actions, threw himself off the tower and became lost in the darkness of Mauzaika.

Zavain cradled what remained of the Cinders and prayed to it to forgive the quirans. That is when the king heard a single whisper, one that promised him that the quirans would not be judged for one moment of doubt. The Cinders coalesced into a singular ember that sunk into Zavain’s chest and bound itself to his heart.

As the Cinders became the Ember it gave Zavain a mane of fire and eyes of burning gold. His wound was healed and he was once more made privy to the secrets of the First-Fire. Zavain’s golden fiery mane was the only light in the city and from atop the adamantine tower he spoke to the population. He demanded they stop their fighting and told them that their prayers had been answered. Silence fell over the city as the entire Quirani race waited for their king’s words.

Zavain told the quirans that the Quirani race would never again hear the whispers of the cinders, something that caused cries of anguish from the crowd, but he silenced them. He told his people that the Ember now resided within him and that it gave him guidance. As long as Zavain led them they would never be without clear guidance from the Cinders again. The people were moved by the king’s words and they prostrated themselves before him. They called for him to lead them out of the darkness and to forgive their lies and sin.

Zavain would descend the tower and decreed that the body of Tsizen needed to be found. With Zavain’s golden fire they found Tsizen’s body and wrapped it in white cloth. The body was taken to Zavain who forgave Tsizen’s sins. Zavain then decreed that a great pyre was to be built outside the gates of Mauzaika for Tsizen’s funeral. The people were so moved by Zavain’s act of forgiveness and respect that they all sacrificed items of value and importance to the pyre as it was built. Even Zavain gave a sacrifice to the pyre, a shard of the broken lantern.

It was said that from the moment the pyre was lit until its fire died, quirans claimed that they could feel the warmth of the First-Fire once more.

Once the pyre was naught but ash and Tsizen gone the people of Mauzaika were surprised and in awe as a warm blue light flowed from the ash. Zavain dug around the ash and found that the shard of the lantern now glowed an ethereal blue light. Zavain proclaimed it a holy object blessed by the Ember. The people then claimed the glowing shard was proof that it had not been a mistake to sacrifice their immortal lives for the sake of the Cinders. Some even said that following Zavain was now a privilege as only he had insight into what the Ember wanted.

In the valley outside Mauzika Zavain decreed many more things. He cast away his father’s title, Zen Atinren, and took the title of Zaivura which meant ‘guardian of the holy remains’. He also proclaimed that the quirans would expand the city and build a great array of mirrors so that sunlight may find its way into Fianqui. Zavain then commanded quirans to explore beyond the valley and go east of the ruined Zaranqui. It is said that within a decade the quirans established a settlement on the plains beyond their mountains and named it Ivulan, the First-Shield. Many quirans would move to this settlement and learn much of the world beyond their mountains.

With access to forests with good lumber, the quirans learned carpentry and they built their settlement out of wood and stone. A great bell tower was established in the middle of Ivulan which was blessed by Zavain. This bell would ring out and inspire strength and hope in the quirans that in turn turned this hope into a desire for knowledge and land. More and more quirans built villages eastwards, farms and agriculture developed that yielded far more food than the mushroom plantations of the past, and many were born outside of Mauzaika with a love for the sun.

The great expansion and migration east had begun, and the final fog of the old world was swept away. Zavain died and the Ember passed to his son Zarin, a lover of arts and writing. It would be Zarin who created the first proper Quirani state and it would be Zarin who created the written language all quirans used thereafter. And it would be Zarin who pushed even further east until he met with the most mighty of all races, creatures worthy of worship and respect, the Zenkai. Or as they would later be known, the dragons.

Merry Christmas everyone! This is the final update I have before I'm taking a small break for Christmas and New Years. I am going to be with family and friends and just gonna chill for a while. I hope this short little chapter entertains you in the meantime! Have a merry Christmas everyone!