Kael cast his gaze to the sky.
The ash had stopped falling.
Overhead, a blood-orange glow simmered behind the clouds—
As if the world itself were smoldering from within.
His shoulders sagged beneath the weight of his cloak, damp with sweat and ash.
With bated breath and unsteady legs, he rose from his knees.
The vow he made to Elijah echoed in his mind,
instilling in him a quiet, aching fervor—
a need to understand why he was cast into this world of ghosts and desolation.
A quiet chime rang out beside his thoughts.
[System Notification]
Resonance registered.
Source: Memory Shard — The Dying Flame
Emotional imprint stabilized.
Ember signature evolving.
Active Skill Unlocked: Oathguard
Summons a spectral barrier of grief-bound flame when protecting another or standing firm in resolve. Stronger when defending a vow
Passive Trait Unlocked: Burning Sense
You are drawn toward emotional remnants in the world—locations, people, or relics bound by intense unresolved emotion.
---------
His hands trembled.
Not from fear—
but from something rising.
A knowing.
A weight he hadn't earned... but would carry.
Then, the fervor began to shift—
Not in shape but in quality.
A warmth bloomed from behind his ribs—
Like a hearth that hadn't been lit in ages, catching breath.
Not searing.
Not consuming.
Kael gently closed his eyes.
He raised his ash-covered hands his chest and whispered,
"Hmm... thank you, Elijah. I will carry this through another lifetime."
Then—
Behind him, a scrape.
Stone on stone.
Something moving that shouldn't be.
He froze.
Breath caught in his throat.
Another sound—closer this time.
Grinding. Dragging. A presence shifting just beyond sight.
The scrape came again.
Then another. Closer. Faster.
Kael turned.
Something crawled into view—too many limbs, not enough face.
Shadows clung to its frame like skin it hadn't grown into yet.
A hollow eye, turned toward him.
It bared its maw—
Jagged, rotting teeth.
A festering tongue covered in fissures.
"MOVE, KAEL! MOVE! MOVE! MOVEEEEEEE!"
Heat began coiling in his chest—violent, reactive, alive.
The creature surged forward—
It's maw now in front of his face—
Then—bang!
A translucent blue barrier exploded between them.
The creature slammed into it and recoiled, dazed.
It staggered back, limbs twitching, then locked its gaze on him—
Silent. Watching.
Kael, thrown by the force, crashed backward onto the stone.
The breath left his lungs in a single, ragged gasp.
He scrambled upright, legs shaking beneath him.
His eyes scanned the ruin—
An opening to the left.
A split between to collapsed pillars.
His only way out.
The barrier flickered.
Not enough time
He ran.
Muscles burning, cloak dragging behind him, Kael launched himself towards the gap—
And behind him, the thing shrieked.
He landed hard outside the ruins.
A snap. Rubble shifted.
The creature fought to push through the collapsed pillars.
Digging his fingers into the ash, Kael forced himself forward.
Ahead—
A forest of dead trees.
Five steps in—
The creature broke through.
He wasn't even half way to cover.
He kept running.
Then—calculating.
Timing the lunge.
When it reaches me. I jump.
The moment came.
He leapt—
The barrier flared again.
He was thrown forward—closer to the trees.
His head hit ground.
Vision blurred.
This can't be the end.
It won't be the end.
He didn't look back.
He picked himself up—
And ran.
His muscles screamed,
His mouth burned dry,
His thoughts scattered—
But still, he ran.
He finally reached the edge of the forest.
Then—
A burning sensation washed over his mind,
Not pain.
Not memory.
A pull.
He felt something calling him.
CRASH!
Kael was hit.
His body flew into a tree.
The world cracked.
Almost unconscious.
The creature circled him, waiting for the barrier to fall.
He forced himself upright—using the tree as a crutch.
Then, through blurred vision and the pounding of blood,
He felt it.
The pull.
Not a voice.
Not a system.
Something deeper.
Burning Sense.
He limped forward, chasing it blindly.
The pull grew stronger—stronger still.
He barely heard the scream behind him.
No time left.
A flicker.
A fall.
A snap.
"I'm sorry, Elijah"
Then—
Darkness.