"Truth is not a sword. It is fire. And fire, once lit, cannot be reclaimed."
—Serya, Keeper of the Last Codex
+20 Days After the Ashen Vault Defense
Location: Western Skyline Ridge – Black Signal Tower (Derelict)
The old signal tower loomed like a broken fang against the blood-orange sky. Once, it was part of a forgotten kingdom's communication web—able to project arcane broadcasts across continents. Now, it was ruins.
But Jag had a reason to be here.
More than one.
Behind him, Rain and Verana carried the Archive Flame—a sliver of living memory, pulsing faintly inside a protective crystal engine. It would burn out if not installed into a relay node within one hour.
Ashra secured the perimeter with silent, efficient steps. She didn't trust the quiet. Neither did Jag.
The structure creaked with age and mana rot. Faded sigils lined the walls, half-erased. Several glyph plates had been carved with the names of settlements that no longer existed.
Rain whispered, "This was built to warn the world before the Sundering."
Jag replied, "Then we make it speak again."
[System Objective: Ignite the Archive Flame at a Broadcast Node]
Time Limit: 57 minutes remaining
Obstacles: System Corruption, Arcane Instability, Weather Interference
Threat: Vulture Saboteur Units (Detected)
Bonus Effect: If successful, memory pulse will sync to three neutral factions.
Interior – Broadcast Chamber
The central relay was intact—but barely. Its engine core was inactive, mana lines snapped. Rain placed the Archive Flame into the main pedestal. Light flickered.
Verana tapped into the sigil panel.
"Engine's rejecting the memory strand. It thinks it's corrupted."
Rain stepped forward, activating his Echo Herald aura.
[Echo Sync: Attempting Integration… 22% → 41% → 69%]
Error: External Corruption Detected
Verana's eyes narrowed. "They planted a counter-code. Something buried in the tower's last recorded broadcast."
Ashra drew both daggers. "Of course they did. They don't erase the past anymore. They poison it."
Outside – Saboteurs Arrive
A sharp whistle cracked the air.
Ashra turned just in time to see three cloaked figures descending from the cliffs—gliders folded behind them, each marked with the Vulture insignia.
Enemy Units: Vulture Suppression Agents (x3)
Class: Stealth-Interrupt Assassins
Objective: Destroy the relay / Eliminate Archive Flame bearers
Ashra met the first mid-air, blades clashing with a burst of force.
Ashra: Blink Strike → Critical Hit – 112 DMG
Agent A: Eliminated
Jag leapt from the tower steps, intercepting the second mid-roll.
Jag: Oathbreaker Swing – 90 DMG
Agent B: Disarmed, fleeing
The third was cloaked and climbing toward the broadcast pedestal.
Rain turned.
"Not this time."
He snapped two fingers.
[Skill Activated: Echo Chain – Target Memory Disruption]
Agent C staggered as their name flickered in and out of memory
Jag struck them down
Silence returned.
Verana – Restoring the Channel
"Now!" she shouted, fingers flying over the glyphs.
Rain pressed his palm to the core.
[Archive Flame Integration: 71% → 100%]
Sync Initialized
The entire tower pulsed with silver-blue light.
A low hum filled the air, then rose into a roar as a beam of pure memory surged into the clouds.
The world shifted.
[System Broadcast – Stormwatch Signal #1]
"To those who remain bound in false memory, this is your wake-up.
The Order of Rain was not erased. The truth was stolen.
The Vultures have rewritten your past.
But we remember."
—Prince Jag of Stormwatch
Accompanied Visuals: Redglass Hollow, Northwatch Depths, Ember Archive Projections
Broadcast Range: 3 Quadrants (Confirmed)
Listeners Detected:
• Steelpact Guild (East)
• Hollowpath Caravan League (Southwest)
• Sable Fangs Mercenary House (West)
Immediate Aftermath
The signal faded. Rain slumped against the pillar, sweat glistening on his brow.
Jag stood beside him, gaze on the fading light.
Verana's voice was quiet. "It's done. The truth is out."
Ashra joined them, wiping her blades. "They'll come for us now."
Jag turned, his voice firm.
"Let them."
[System Update – Chapter Complete]
Archive Flame Broadcast: SUCCESS
Influence Spread: 3 Factions Aware of True Order History
World Impact:
• +10 Favor from Steelpact Guild
• Hollowpath Caravans send scout envoy
• Sable Fangs issue bounty freeze on Jag & Rain
Enemy Response Triggered: Vulture Network Dispatches Class A Inquisitor
Codename: "The Revisionist"