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Chapter 27 – Threads in the Emberwind
The wind on the mountain had changed.
Kael could feel it in the way the heat from the trial chamber cooled too quickly, the way the mist hugged the peaks tighter, heavier. Like the world had shifted a degree sideways—and something old had turned its attention back to him.
They made camp near the ruins of a collapsed shrine, just beyond the range of the molten ring. Kael sat cross-legged while Lys sharpened her blades nearby, eyeing him now and then but asking no questions.
The obsidian scale rested in his palm. It pulsed faintly—once every few seconds—as if syncing with his heart.
> Gracebound System Alert
Unique Item Analyzed: Vestige of the First Wyrm
Passive Effect: +5% fire resistance, +10% spiritual energy regeneration
Resonance Level: 1/10
Progress to Next Level: 4 more Memory Fragments Required
Kael slid the scale into his pouch, lips pressed tight. "It wants more memories."
Lys raised an eyebrow. "What kind of memories?"
"The ones I lost."
He didn't mention Vireya by name.
Not yet.
---
They resumed their climb at dawn. The path wound steeper, cracked by old magics and forgotten duels. The deeper they went into the Emberwind Peaks, the more remnants they found—burned sigils, scorched bones, broken weapons half-fused to stone.
And signs of something else.
Not natural decay.
Hunting.
Lys crouched beside a torn corpse of a flame fox, eyes narrowing at the cauterized edges. "This wasn't for food."
Kael nodded. "No. This was a message."
Above them, a low howl echoed through the cliffs.
---
By midday, the sky dimmed unnaturally. Veins of red light rippled behind thick clouds, and Kael's instincts screamed.
They weren't alone anymore.
"Lys," he said quietly, "draw your weapon."
She didn't argue.
The creature that stepped from the fog was unlike anything Kael had faced before. Its body was lean, almost skeletal, wrapped in scorched fur and hardened bone. Its face was a half-mask of dragon scale, fused unnaturally over a skull far too human.
> Gracebound System Notice
Threat Level: Crimson-Tier Aberration
Name: Wyrm-Taken Sentinel
Estimated Combat Level: Peak Foundation
Recommended Action: Flee or Eliminate with Full Arsenal
Lys backed up a step. "What the hell is that?"
"Someone who failed their legacy trial," Kael said grimly.
And the creature snarled—its jaws crackling with a dragon's flame.
---
The fight was brutal.
Lys kept it distracted with speed and precision while Kael circled wide, slipping behind it. He activated the twin daggers, carving across the exposed spine, but the creature didn't bleed—it hissed, igniting with rage.
Kael flipped backward as flame erupted beneath his boots.
> Gracebound Arsenal Access
Available GP: 315
Would you like to access the Arsenal for combat aid?
Kael paused in mid-sprint, mind racing. Should I burn more points or trust my skill?
If there's worse coming, this could be a waste...
But the scale in his pouch pulsed again—resonating.
Suddenly Kael felt it: the surge of warmth from within. Not borrowed power. Something awakening.
He didn't need a new weapon yet.
He needed to remember.
---
[Memory Fragment: Echo IV]
Vireya again. Standing at the mouth of a volcanic cave, her arms outstretched.
"You feel the pull, don't you?" she whispered, her golden eyes dancing. "It's not fire. It's memory. The first dragons didn't just burn—they remembered everything."
Kael hesitated behind her.
Vireya glanced back with a smile that made his heart stumble. "That's the key to draconic legacy. Not rage. Not conquest. Continuity."
He whispered, "Why do you know so much?"
She didn't answer.
---
> Optional Echo Recovered: Flame Continuum
+25 Grace Points Awarded
Total GP: 340
Resonance Level: 2/10
---
Kael exhaled—and the flame around the Wyrm-Taken flickered.
He felt the creature's instability now. It wasn't just corrupted. It was starving for identity. The broken legacy had left a vacuum inside it.
He whispered, "Rest."
And his blade pierced the creature's heart.
It let out a shriek—not of pain, but relief—before collapsing into ashes.
> Wyrm-Taken Sentinel Defeated
+60 Grace Points Awarded
Total GP: 400
You may now access a rare item drop.
The ashes reformed into a small orb, glowing faint red.
> Item Acquired: Ember Core (Fragmented)
Usable for Forging or Alchemical Enhancement
Warning: Item is unstable. Handle with care.
Kael pocketed it carefully.
Lys came to stand beside him. "You're getting stronger."
"I'm remembering who I was," he said quietly.
Then he turned toward the last peak, where a massive black temple loomed like a scar across the sky.
---
Far Away...
In a dim, starlit chamber, an old man in golden robes gazed into a flickering crystal. His lips curled.
"So... the scale has chosen him," he murmured. "Finally."
A shadow shifted behind him.
"And if he remembers everything?" the voice asked.
The old man smiled.
"Then the real game begins."
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End of Chapter 27