The wind in the southern reaches was different—hot, dry, and filled with whispers.
Kael traveled alone now, his cloak tattered and boots coated in red dust. The Ashen Wastes loomed ahead, a desolate scar on the land, said to be cursed by the gods themselves. But Kael had no room left for superstition. Not after what he'd seen. Not after what he was becoming.
The nights grew colder. The dreams, darker.
And the System began to twitch.
> Warning: Tracked by hostile entity – Origin Unknown.
Proximity: 12 kilometers. Moving rapidly.
Flamebound Hunter Detected.
Kael froze.
"Already…?"
He looked toward the mountains behind him. A faint trail of black smoke wound through the hills. Too fast for any normal traveler.
Too deliberate.
He made camp early, but he didn't rest.
Instead, he drew his sword, knelt by the fire, and waited.
It came just before midnight.
A gust of heat. The crunch of scorched grass. A voice, dry and cracking like burning parchment.
> "You wear the fire like a badge."
Kael stood.
From the shadows stepped a creature wrapped in crimson robes, its skin charred and cracking, as if fire had once tried to escape from within. Two glowing coals burned in its eye sockets. In one hand, it held a jagged blade. In the other—nothing. The flame danced from its palm freely.
> [Enemy Identified: Flamebound Hunter – Rank: Elite]
Level: 36
Type: Aberrant – Divine Marked
Objective: Terminate emerging Flameborn.
Kael drew his sword, heart hammering.
"I'm not dying tonight."
The hunter tilted its head. "Then burn with purpose."
The battle began in silence.
Kael launched forward, activating Ashstep—vanishing in a burst of flame and reappearing behind the hunter with a downward slash.
The creature moved faster.
Steel met cursed iron. Sparks flew. The air rippled with heat.
> Skill Activated: [Flamewake Slash – Tier 1]
Damage: 142 (Critical – Elemental Weakness)
The hunter hissed but retaliated immediately, summoning a whip of fire from its hand and lashing Kael across the chest.
> You are Burning (Light) – 6s remaining.
HP -37
Kael rolled, gasping. The pain wasn't just physical—it stirred the mark on his chest. The fire inside him roared.
> System Alert:
Emergency Sync Option: 25% Flameborn Surge Available
Use Surge? [Y/N]
He hesitated.
Then:
> Y.
The world turned red.
Kael's body ignited—not in destruction, but in divine energy. His blade became fire. His vision narrowed.
He moved like lightning, every strike carrying embers that ate through the hunter's defenses.
> Combo: Ashstep > Flamewake Slash > Ember Lance (Unlocked Temporarily)
Total Damage: 812
The hunter shrieked. Its mask split. For a moment, Kael saw a human face underneath—broken, hollow-eyed.
"Forgive me," it whispered, as Kael drove his blade through its chest.
> Enemy Defeated: Flamebound Hunter (Elite)
XP Gained: +1200
Flameborn Path Progress: +7% (Total: 25%)
Item Acquired: Ember Sigil Fragment x1
The body turned to ash and scattered in the wind.
Kael collapsed beside the dying fire, the flames inside him ebbing.
He stared at the stars above, wondering how many more would come.
How many would wear his face when they died.
The System chimed softly in the back of his mind:
> You survived the first hunt. More will follow.
He didn't speak.
Just breathed.
And in that moment, as the ashes blew past and the fire burned low, Kael knew this path would not end with mastery.
It would end with war.