Episode 7
The fires of the Vault still burned behind Kael's eyes.
Even after his return to Emberhollow, every breath he drew was warm with embers. The ancient echoes—those flickers of knowledge, pain, and prophecy—now lived within him. He wasn't the same boy who had stepped into the depths. The flame had marked him.
The city knew it.
As Kael stepped through the iron gate of the Ember Vault, people gathered. Whispering. Staring. Not in fear—but reverence.
"He survived…"
"He carries the spark."
"The Flamebearer has returned."
Kael tried not to let the weight of their words settle on his shoulders. But it was impossible. With every step through Emberhollow's stone corridors and blazing forges, he felt history pressing in. He was no longer hidden. He was the heir of Valis. And now, all eyes were watching.
At the Ember Bastion, the great hall of fire-mages and archivists, Master Solenya waited.
She approached slowly, cloaked in robes of crimson and coal-black, her braided hair lined with ember beads that shimmered with heat. In her hand, she held a narrow flame, dancing atop her palm.
"You've seen them," she said.
Kael nodded. "The echoes. The voices. The memories. Some aren't human."
"They wouldn't be," she replied. "Flame remembers all things, not just men."
He looked into her eyes. "One of them… was my father."
A pause.
Solenya lowered her hand. "And did he speak to you?"
Kael closed his eyes briefly. "He said the flame chooses only those willing to burn."
Solenya smiled faintly. "Then you understand the cost."
Behind her, the council gathered—elders, mystics, warriors, and scribes. The Flamebearer's Circle.
Kael was brought before them. He stood under the Ember Sigil, the great symbol of the Eternal Fire, carved into stone, burning without fuel since the founding of Emberhollow.
An old man stepped forward. His beard reached his knees. His voice was thunder wrapped in soot.
"Kael of Valis. Do you stand ready to take the Oath of the Flame?"
Kael nodded.
The council chanted in unison:
"To hold the fire, to walk the path, to carry the light into darkness…"
Kael repeated it, voice steady.
"…I burn, I bleed, I endure."
"I burn, I bleed, I endure."
Flames leapt from the Eternal Sigil, circling Kael's body. His cloak caught the heat, his skin tingled with old magic, and his veins glowed like molten metal.
The oath was sealed.
At the ceremony's end, Lira appeared at his side. She hadn't spoken to him since the Vault. Now, she handed him a bundle.
"A gift," she said, "from the forge-masters. Your father left the design before he vanished."
Inside was a sword.
Forged from firesteel and volcanic obsidian, its edge shimmered with flickering runes that pulsed to Kael's heartbeat. The hilt was wrapped in scorched leather. It was not ornate, but every inch whispered power.
He held it—and something inside him clicked into place.
"I'll call it Ashrend," he whispered.
"Fitting," Lira said. "Because where you go… ashes will follow."
That night, Kael stood at the edge of the Emberwatch Tower, overlooking the city. The wind carried the scent of coal and pine, of history and blood. The stars above seemed closer.
Solenya joined him.
"You leave at dawn," she said. "The Flame Path waits."
Kael nodded. "What lies ahead?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then, "Test after test. Betrayal. Loyalty. Death. Life. You'll face the Five Gates. You'll learn the truth behind the Flame. And you'll face… Vorthal."
Kael's breath caught. "The Devourer?"
"He was the first to claim the fire. And the first to try and steal it from the gods. Now he waits beyond the last gate. Trapped. Dreaming. Hungry."
Kael felt a chill despite the ever-burning city.
Solenya placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are the spark, Kael. But the world is soaked in oil. Be careful what you ignite."
Below, the city shimmered.
And the path ahead burned.
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