Draconic Genesis — Chapter 25: Embers Beneath the Stone
The descent twisted downward into the earth, stone steps slick with condensation and age. A deep warmth pressed against Kael's skin—not from flame, but from memory.
His gauntlet glowed faintly, each rune a pulse of restrained heat.
Lys moved silently behind him, twin daggers in hand. "Feels older down here. Like something's watching."
Kael didn't reply at first. His mind was somewhere else—caught in a flicker of memory.
> A glade filled with crimson moss.
A girl with silver eyes laughing as she ran ahead of him, barefoot.
"Catch me, Kael!"
The scent of cinders in her hair.
He exhaled sharply, shaking it off. The memory was incomplete, fragmented, but real. Vireya.
Who was she to me?
---
The tunnel opened into a massive circular chamber, half-collapsed. Pillars lined the edges, each carved with wyrm-scale motifs. At the center stood an altar of blackstone, its top scorched and cracked—burned by ancient fire.
As they stepped forward, the Gracebound System stirred again.
> Gracebound System Notification
Resource Exchange Unlocked
Grace Points: 160
You may now choose ONE upgrade from the following list:
[Combat Power-Up: Infernal Surge] – Temporarily boosts strength, speed, and flame affinity for 10 minutes. (Cost: 120 GP)
[Weapon: Emberfang] – A wyrmsteel longsword forged with searing edge, scales with draconic affinity. (Cost: 150 GP)
[Pill: Draconic Focus Elixir] – Temporarily amplifies spiritual clarity, helps resist corruption and mental attacks. (Cost: 100 GP)
Choose wisely. Remaining GP: 160
Kael hesitated. His eyes flicked from the altar to the menu. He didn't speak aloud, knowing Lys couldn't see what he saw.
Lys stepped closer to the cracked stone. "You're stalling."
"I'm weighing my options," Kael muttered, voice distant. "The system's offering tools. But I can only afford one."
Lys raised an eyebrow but didn't press. She'd learned not to question the things Kael didn't explain.
---
Kael stepped closer to the altar. As he neared, a memory slammed into him—raw and uninvited.
> Vireya again. This time kneeling by the same altar, fingertips brushing its blackened stone.
Her voice trembled. "We were never meant to bear it alone."
Kael's voice, low and angry. "Then why did you let me?"
She turned, silver eyes wet. "Because I loved you."
The memory vanished, like smoke scattered by wind. Kael's breath hitched.
Loved me? Did I love her too?
---
The altar flared faintly in response to his presence, and from it rose three ghostly wisps—echoes of past choices, each pulsing with the aura of the options presented.
Kael clenched his fist. He had to choose—not just for now, but for what was coming.
He took a step forward… and paused.
Not yet.
---
"I need to think," Kael finally said. "Let's set camp here. Something's buried beneath this place, and I won't face it without knowing what I'm walking into."
Lys nodded. "I'll keep watch."
---
As the two sat at the chamber's edge, Kael stared at the altar. In the silence, one final whisper echoed in his mind.
> "Vireya… what did we promise each other here?"
He didn't remember the words.
But the weight of the vow still burned in his bones.
The descent into the buried sanctum was steep and silent. The air shifted—thickening with heat and pressure—as if time had curled inward on this place. Kael's boots struck stone steps that hadn't been touched in ages. Lys followed close behind, blades drawn, eyes sweeping the shadows.
A pulse ran through Kael's gauntlet.
> Gracebound System Notification
You have entered: The Sanctum of the First Vow
This zone contains sealed echoes of memory.
Warning: Psychological instability possible. Proceed with caution.
The moment they stepped off the final stair, the space around them lit with dull orange light—veins of emberstone glowing within the rock walls. Charred murals stretched across them, etched in old Wyrm dialect.
Lys tilted her head. "What is this place?"
Kael traced a sigil etched above an archway—two interlocking circles flanked by flame. "A covenant chamber. This is where the Ancient Flame Accord was formed... and broken."
> Gracebound System Notification
Mission Updated: Uncover the Truth of the First Vow
Optional: Interact with Echoes of Memory
Reward (Optional): +25 Grace Points per Echo Recovered
Kael reached for one of the scorched symbols. The moment his gauntlet touched it, flame unfurled in his mind—and the chamber blurred away.
---
[Memory Fragment: Echo I]
The air was dry and perfumed with ash blossoms. A woman stood on the edge of a glowing cliff, her golden hair braided with crimson thread, eyes shimmering like molten silver.
Vireya.
She turned, smiling as Kael approached. "You're late."
He couldn't speak. The memory wasn't his to control, only relive.
She walked closer, tapping his chest with two fingers. "You made a vow, remember? 'Where fire leads, I follow.'"
He remembered. His voice trembled. "And you said you'd never leave first."
Her smile faltered. The memory fractured—pulled away in sparks as Kael gasped and fell back.
---
"Kael?" Lys knelt beside him, worry darkening her face. "You spaced out."
He sat up, breathing hard. "Just... a memory. The first one."
> Gracebound System Notification
Optional Echo Recovered: Vireya's Cliff
+25 Grace Points Awarded
Total Grace Points: 185
Kael stood, shoulders stiffening. "There are more. We have to go deeper."
---
They crossed into the inner sanctum—a circular chamber with an altar at its heart. Embedded in the altar was a jagged, obsidian blade, half-melted and engraved with familiar runes.
Kael stepped forward, but the gauntlet pulsed.
> Gracebound System Notification
Gracebound Arsenal Available – Choose Your Reward
You may spend Grace Points on the following:
[Power-Ups]
Draconic Endurance (Temp +50% physical resistance, lasts 10 min) — 30 GP
Wyrmflame Channel (Enhance fire-based skills by 2x for 5 min) — 45 GP
[Weapons]
Emberclaw Spear (Anti-wyrm, light-weight, returns when thrown) — 65 GP
Flamebite Twin Daggers (Bleeds spirit energy on hit) — 70 GP
[Pills]
Ashroot Elixir (Cures spiritual backlash, 1-time use) — 25 GP
Emberveil Draft (Boosts spiritual perception, 15 min duration) — 40 GP
Grace Points Available: 185
Make a selection, or proceed without.
Kael didn't answer right away. He stared at the obsidian blade, then at the system's list.
"I need to think before choosing," he murmured.
Lys raised a brow. "What?"
"Nothing. Just... too many choices."
---
As Kael approached the altar again, his gauntlet burned faintly—not with power, but with remembrance. He reached toward the blade.
Another memory surged.
---
[Memory Fragment: Echo II]
Screams echoed through the hollow. Kael stood amidst flames—Vireya at his back, wounded, her robes torn and smoldering.
"You can't—" she shouted. "If you break the vow, it'll consume you!"
Kael's fists clenched. "We were tricked. The Accord was a lie."
Her voice broke. "But we believed in it."
A storm of heat and betrayal surged around them. Kael turned from her. The vow shattered.
---
Kael staggered again, breathing ragged.
> Optional Echo Recovered: The Breach
+25 Grace Points Awarded
Total Grace Points: 210
He didn't speak this time. Just stared down at the blade, its edge glinting with the pain of what he'd lost—and maybe what he'd still have to face.
---