Chapter 7: The First Broken, the First Flame
The air still carried the scent of scorched bark and blood-soaked moss. Smoke curled lazily into the morning sky above the eastern ridge, where the fires from the Hollow Shade's defilement had finally been extinguished. The crimson sun rose, casting long shadows across the stone circle where the Crimson Howl now stood in silence.
Kael stepped forward, his cloak brushing against the soft ash that blanketed the clearing. His eyes scanned his warriors—the survivors. Some stood tall, others leaned on makeshift crutches or nursing wounds. All bore fresh scars.
He turned to Flam, the one-eyed warrior, who stood before the Lawstone with a stiff spine and his chest out. His bandaged shoulder still oozed slightly beneath the wrap.
"I name myself Broken," Flam said, his voice rough but proud. "Not because I lost anything—but because I was there when we reclaimed something."
Kael nodded slowly, letting the words hang.
"From this day forward," Kael declared, his voice echoing off the stone pillars, "Flam shall be known as the First Broken. He was the first to lead the charge through the ash. The first to howl against fear."
The pack howled in response, a unifying cry that split the sky and filled the valley.
Then, another stepped forward.
Seth, bruised and bandaged, still limped from a slash across his thigh. He dropped to one knee. "I don't need a title," he said. "Just the chance to fight again."
Kael approached, placing a hand on the young warrior's shoulder. "And yet a name is what binds history to memory. You shall be known as the First Flame."
Seth blinked, startled. Then nodded with a faint smile.
System Notification:
Honor System Initialized
Title Granted:
— First Broken: Flam
— First Flame: Seth
Effect: Increases morale and battle fervor among pack's younglings (+5%)
Chaos Bloodline Synchronization: +2%
Pack Recognition: Moderate
Kael turned to the rest. "Do not let your pain blind you to your worth. We are broken not because we are weak—but because we have been reforged."
The pack remained still, and then one by one, they knelt.
Old warriors. Younglings. Even the wounded.
A single voice rose. "Alpha."
More followed.
"Alpha."
Kael felt it—not fear, not praise. Something deeper. A seed planted. Faith.
He let the moment linger, then turned away and climbed the jagged rocks of the ridge. He needed space to breathe.
"System," he whispered as he reached the top, his voice low. "Is this how leadership starts?"
System Response:
No. This is how a pack begins to heal.
Kael smiled, just faintly. But below, unknown to him, a pair of crimson eyes blinked open in the darkness of the forest.
A shadow had watched their ceremony. And it was not pleased.