> [Location: Charred Sky Monolith – Outer Flame Veil Reconstructed]
Status: Jiang Han – Free Flame Divergence Confirmed | Integration: 76.4%
System Network: Hostile Designation Applied | Overseer Team Sigma Deployed
Notice: Emergency Seal Failed – Flame Veil Core Exposed
---
Flame Unleashed
The chamber trembled as Jiang Han rose, silver-white flame coiling along his back like a living dragon. But it wasn't just power that burned now.
It was freedom.
His Sovereign Spark pulsed without restriction. Each heartbeat sent ripples through the surrounding flame field.
Tian Xue stood by him, her flame also shifting—slightly violet, laced with chaotic warmth from their twin sync.
> "We need to leave before they collapse this place," she warned.
> "We can't just run."
> "Then what—stay here and fight a purge squad?"
> "No," Jiang said, stepping toward the Monolith, hand over its surface. "We show them what this flame really is."
The Monolith answered his touch.
> [Free Flame Network Initiated – Echo Transmission Sequence Started]
---
Overseers Descend
In the sky above the Riftlands, Team Sigma tore through the clouds in burning formation. Five Sovereign-class enforcers, all bound by Flame Contracts.
At their center, a figure in armor blacker than void, eyes sealed behind mirrored runes.
> "Target: Jiang Han."
"Order: Exterminate subject, secure spark, collapse Monolith zone."
"Secondary target: Tian Xue. Execute if resistant."
"Engage in 60 seconds."
---
Rebirth of the Monolith
As Jiang poured his will into the Monolith, its flames changed color—no longer orange or white, but memory-flame blue, laced with traces of Long Chen's past echoes.
The flame leapt into the sky—not to destroy, but to broadcast.
Every nearby artifact, hidden glyph, and forgotten ruin across the region pulsed to life.
> "Hear me."
> "We were not given flame to obey. We were not born to kneel beneath it."
> "The spark was never theirs. It was always ours."
Flame runes echoed across the Riftlands.
And the Overseers saw it.
> "He's activating the network. Shut him down—NOW."
---
Battle Erupts – Five vs. Two
The sky split as the Overseers arrived.
Jiang raised his head. Tian Xue flicked her blade.
Behind them, the Phoenix Hatchling and Nightflame Lynx roared in unison, flame wings extended.
> [Combat Initiated – Team Sigma vs. Jiang Han & Tian Xue]
Sovereign Disparity Detected – 5 Class A Enforcers vs. 2 Flame Divergents + Soulpets]
Free Flame Invocation Available – Soul Tax: 17% per use (Stacking)
> "We hold the line," Tian Xue said, stepping forward.
"Together," Jiang nodded.
The first Overseer struck—blades like twin lightning arcs.
Jiang moved faster than he ever had.
Not because of speed.
Because he refused to follow their rules anymore.
---
Free Flame Awakens
> [Free Flame Mode Activated – Duration: 10 Seconds]
Effect: All Flame Law Restrictions Nullified. Improvisational Flame Constructs Enabled.
Jiang's flame didn't just burn.
It shaped itself.
He grabbed fire from the Monolith and wove it into a whip of silver-blue light—then snapped it, disarming one Overseer mid-flight.
Tian Xue surged with him, invoking her own memory resonance.
The Phoenix Hatchling dove, breath flaring with memory fire—burning not the body, but the soul-bond of one Overseer's pet, snapping their link.
> One down.
> "They weren't ready for this," Tian Xue said.
> "No," Jiang said, his eyes glowing. "But we are."
---
Countdown to Collapse
A rumble shook the ground.
The Monolith flared—unstable.
> [Core Overcharge: 82%]
Collapse Estimated: 3 Minutes]
> "We can't hold it," Tian Xue said.
> "We don't have to."
Jiang reached into the Monolith's heart.
A crystal formed—a sliver of its core.
He tucked it into his flame thread.
> [Monolith Core Shard Acquired – Retains Full Flame Memory Index. Transferable.]
> "We take the fire and run."
Tian Xue smirked. "Now that's a plan."
---
Escape Ignites
Jiang raised his arm.
The flame beneath their feet twisted upward—forming a storm spiral. The Phoenix Hatchling screamed, bursting upward with Tempest behind it.
Jiang and Tian Xue launched through the sky—not retreating, but carrying the flame somewhere it could live.
Behind them, the Monolith imploded—not with violence, but with a final whisper:
> "Set them free."