The Hollow had grown.
The brazier in its heart now cast shadows across twelve stone seats—unmarked, unclaimed.Each one carved from oathstone, waiting for a name.
Above them, three disciples trained beneath Kaien's silent gaze.
Rin slammed ashbound fists into the stone again and again, sparks flying like teeth.Veyra stood motionless, judging the flicker of her brand.Seren meditated near the Veilbranch, whispering to dreams that hadn't happened yet.
Kaien turned from them.
The wind carried the sound of feet—six pairs.
The first pilgrims had come.
They emerged from the Wound Path cautiously—battered, mud-slicked, burned. Two young men carried a girl with a shattered arm. A robed cultivator, older, eyes hollowed by exhaustion, stepped forward.
"We saw your fire," he said."The world says it's real."
"But the world also says it will be extinguished."
Kaien met his eyes without blinking.
"So step closer and find out."
[Ashen Hollow – Discipleship Trial: Initiated]
Pilgrims: 6
Tora: Dual Root (Wood / Wind), Beast Affinity
Mazren: Flame Root, Basic Combat Level
Lenari: Water Root, Healer's Talent
Unnamed Boy: ??? (System Unawakened)
Dara: Broken Flame Core
Jii: Ashmarked, No Known Element
Kaien spoke to them as dusk fell.
"You are not disciples," he said."You are not protected."
"You are only potential."
"And potential must burn to be true."
That night, the Hollow came alive.
Kaien set them to task—not combat, not yet.
Each one faced a mirror of flame, shaped by the Oathstone, showing not power—but truth.
Tora wept as the flame showed her the beast she once failed to save.Mazren trembled before his brother's face, the one he had let die.Lenari fell to her knees, unable to forgive herself for surviving her sect's fall.
The unnamed boy did not react.
And the flame flickered without answering.
Kaien's gaze lingered.
"That one's not simple," he whispered to Seren.
"No," she said softly. "He's not ready yet."
"But he will be."
By the second day, three passed the fire's test.
Tora, Mazren, and Lenari—granted provisional oaths, each binding them to the Hollow not as full disciples, but embers—willing to learn.
Veyra tested their balance.Rin tested their pain.Seren tested their fears.
And Kaien watched.
On the third day, he addressed them.
"We stand weeks from the Celestial Sect Convergence."
"There, the Hollow will be named, judged, perhaps challenged."
"If you wish to burn with us, you will be seen by the world."
"And the world may want your flame extinguished."
He raised a single hand. From the Oathstone, sparks bloomed. A map unfurled in firelight.
"These are the Sects that will be there."
He pointed to each:
The Verdant Halo Sect, healers and poison-weavers from the Grove of Many Roots.
The Sunclad Verdict, judges and flame casters, aligned with the Inquisition.
The Severance Choir, memory mages who silence truths with song.
The Towerless Children, nomads who kill gods and rewrite names.
And perhaps, even a representative from the Upper Flame Courts, sent to verify the Hollow's legitimacy.
"They will not speak first," Kaien said."They will wait. Watch."
"You must make them listen."
That night, Kaien stood at the cliff-edge and stared at the stars.Nyru sat beside him, tail curled like a question.
Seren joined him.
"You still think we won't survive?"
He said nothing for a long time.
Then—
"I think we will burn bright enough that surviving won't be the point."
"We will be remembered."
Back at the fire, the unnamed boy sat before the brazier, alone.
The flames flickered uncertainly.
A shadow passed across his face.
For the first time, the system whispered into the dark:
[Unknown Entity – System Initialization Error]
Designation: ???Talent Rank: UnmeasuredNote: Root Memory Conflict DetectedStatus: Dormant Flame — Locked Potential
And from deep within the Hollow's mountain roots—
Something old stirred.