It began in the sanctum's heart, beneath the Oathstone.
Kaien had not called for it. He had not meditated or performed the rites.
And yet—
The moment his lineage was confirmed,when the Pillar of Ash responded with that low, ancient pulse—
The memory came.
Not a whisper.
Not a vision.
A pull.
His knees gave out. His spirit fell backward.
[SOUL-MEMORY INITIATED]
Lineage: Maerok (Ashen Flame Sovereign Line)Memory Fragment Source: Alvar Maerok, 3rd CycleYear: Unknown. Era: Before the Flame CourtsEvent: Tenth Pillar Suppression / Birth of the Hollowbrand Flame
When Kaien opened his eyes,they were not his own.
He stood atop the Obsidian Spire, the center of the world.The sky was green with burning law.The nine other Pillars shimmered in a ring around the horizon—monuments of will and element, blazing truths in the shape of towers.
The Tenth stood beneath them.
Not a tower.
Not a monument.
A hole.
A chasm wrapped in unlight, singing in syllables that couldn't be heard—only remembered.
Alvar Maerok stood still, arms folded across obsidian robes,his voice like flint cracking.
"It woke too soon."
Beside him, Seyara of Verdant Flame turned, her crown of flowering heat dimmed.
"It was never part of the pact," she whispered.
"It was never meant to exist."
A third Sovereign, Vauren of Torrent Pyre, swore violently and hurled a lance of thunder into the Tenth's pit.
It vanished. Absorbed.
Then the darkness sang.
A whisper that Kaien—no, Alvar—felt deep in his bones.
"I do not forget.You burn and rise.But I... remember."
The Nine Sovereigns gathered, a final time.
Not in unity.
But in necessity.
Alvar spoke.
"We sealed the Sovereign System to balance elemental truth and spiritual harmony."
"But this one…"
"It does not belong to any flame. It devours meaning."
He knelt by the pit.Not in worship.In defiance.
"So I will burn.My name, my root, my very house.And leave only ash."
[Ancestral Skill: Soulburn Oath – Fragment Unlocked]
☲ This technique severs the flame-wielder from all Flame Registry systems.☲ It may be used to erase knowledge, identity, or power—at the cost of self.
Kaien felt Alvar's decision not like thought, but like weight.
And as Alvar stepped into the void,chanting the Ashen Flame Law,the other Sovereigns turned away.
Not from cowardice.
But grief.
Only one remained.
A child.
His child.
Kaien saw him—barely twelve, hiding behind an Oathstone, watching his father choose extinction over inheritance.
And before the memory ended,Alvar turned to his son and smiled.
"Flame... is not to be worshipped."
"Only carried."
"One day, when the Tenth sings again—remember why I burned."
[Soul-Memory Complete]
New Trait Acquired: Oath of Ash (Dormant)
Flame will resist corruption. Memory attacks reduced.Cannot be erased unless willingly forgotten.
Kaien woke in the Hollow's sanctum, drenched in sweat, the world pulsing around him.
Seren sat nearby, her brows furrowed.
"What did you see?"
Kaien looked at her.
His eyes glowed faintly with ember-black.
"The moment the world chose forgetting over truth."
"And my bloodline was cursed to remember what no one dared to name."
Nyel arrived, silent.
So did Rin. Veyra. The others.
Kaien looked at his disciples—not students anymore.
"The Hollowbrand will awaken again."
"And if we are not ready—"
He paused.
No, there were no ifs anymore.
"We must be ready."
[System Update]
The Pillar of Ash recognizes the Hollow as a Living Flame NexusSub-realms will begin to convergeWorld Phase: Cycle of Resonance has begun⚠ Unknown Pillar activity detected near the Rift of Broken Flame
Outside, the wind howled.
But not in fear.
In invitation.