Chapter 12: The Oathstone Ritual
Some laws are written in stone. Others are carved in blood.
The night sky trembled as the full moon ascended to its peak, casting a pale brilliance over Black Ash Vale. In the center of the valley, surrounded by ancient runes and jagged stone pillars, stood the Oathstone—black as obsidian, and veined with glowing crimson light pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kael stood before it, bare-chested, the Alpha Cloak of the Crimson Howl draped across his shoulders. Around him, the surviving members of the pack formed a wide circle, their breaths fogging in the cold air. The silence was heavy, sacred.
The ritual was ready.
System Notification:
Mission Complete: Create Your Pack
New Mission: Establish Pack Ritual Laws
Reward: Lawfire Fang Stone (Artifact – Evolves with Pack)
Failure: One Week Misfortune Penalty (All Pack Functions Limited)
Flam stepped forward and handed Kael the ceremonial blade, its edge glinting like silver moonlight. "Only the Alpha can carve the first law," he said softly.
Kael nodded, then stepped toward the Oathstone.
"I, Kael of the Crimson Howl, son of Ronin, grandson of Varric, declare the first law of our rebirth."
He dragged the blade across his palm. Blood dripped onto the stone.
"The First Law: Betrayal shall lead to assimilation. Those who betray the pack will be consumed by the Chaos Bloodline and erased."
The blood flared crimson as it touched the Oathstone. Words burned themselves into the rock in glowing runes.
Kael continued, his voice unwavering.
"Second Law: The younglings are sacred. To harm one is to face exile and spiritual dismemberment."
"Third Law: The title of Alpha is earned. Through challenge, growth, and recognition—not inheritance alone."
He paused. Then looked to his father and grandfather, who stood in silence beside the flame pits.
"Fourth Law: The Ancestor Order shall be established. Those who once led us and still live shall rise not as rulers—but as guardians. They are beyond the Alpha's command. They are the last will of the pack when death comes near."
The air grew still. Flames flickered higher. The Oathstone trembled.
Ronin and Varric stepped forward, the weight of their pasts and power thick around them. As Kael's blood soaked into the stone, their wounds fully healed, their eyes gleaming brighter than the moon.
System Notification:
Artifact Created: Lawfire Fang Stone
Stage: 1 (Bound to Crimson Howl)
Function: Enforces Ritual Laws, Grows With Pack
Stored Ritual Laws: 4
Next Stage: Unlock at Pack Rank 3
The Oathstone dimmed… but the howls that rose afterward didn't.
That night, the Crimson Howl Pack was no longer lawless.
It had become legend reborn.