The Buried Secret two

"The Buried Secret Two: Beneath the Ashes" by Josef Dam tells the story of Lian, a young man living in a village haunted by its past. The narrative begins in the aftermath of a mysterious fire that leaves behind a cryptic message: Lian's name seared into the ashes. This event marks him as an outcast and sets him on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind the escalating series of arsons. As Lian investigates, he finds clues that connect the fires to a forgotten covenant and a dark secret involving the village's founding families.
He is not alone in his search; he is soon joined by Alistair Finch, a scholar from the capital who is intrigued by the "unusual pyrological phenomena." However, Lian quickly realizes that Finch is not just an observer but has his own motives. Lian's quest is complicated by his relationship with Noor, whose family is deeply entangled in the village's secrets, and his interactions with Adam, the reclusive village elder who belongs to a secret brotherhood of "Watchers" sworn to guard the covenant.
Through a series of cryptic clues, including a torn page from his grandfather's ledger and a symbol of a serpent devouring its own tail, Lian uncovers a story of betrayal, a falsified sacrifice, and a murder that has poisoned the village for generations. The conflict escalates as the fires become more destructive, turning the villagers against each other and revealing "The Betrayer's Mark." Lian discovers that the fires are a ritualistic "Unmaking" orchestrated by a faction of the Watchers, led by the fanatical Alistair Finch, who seeks to purify the village by exposing its founding lie.
The climax reveals that the true villains are the ancestors of the village healer, Noor's adoptive father, who have maintained their power through a centuries-old deception. The story culminates in a devastating fire that engulfs the entire village, forcing a final, public confession and leaving the survivors to reckon with their shared, tragic history.