Kael carried Malric on his shoulder through a shattered tunnel system long abandoned by the Authority. Cracked neon signs blinked half-alive. Rusted drones hung from ceiling rails like broken ornaments. The deeper they went, the more the silence thickened.
Until finally—
> "Welcome to Hollow Echo," Malric whispered, half-conscious.
A massive steel door groaned open.
Behind it: a hidden sanctuary.
Refurbished tech glowed faintly against concrete walls. Dozens of cloaked figures moved silently—some children, some scarred veterans, all branded with the same symbol across their arm:
⟁ — The Forgotten Flame.
Kael was met by two sentries in old-world armor. One held a plasma-axe, the other a quantum bow. Both looked like they'd fought monsters and lost more than once.
> "You brought him here?" one asked.
> "He's a bearer," Malric rasped. "And if we don't teach him… he'll kill us all."
Kael said nothing. He could feel the air shift.
The Seed inside his chest pulsed once—then dimmed.
> [Core Sync: 12%]
[Corruption: 5% – Contained]
---
They led him to a dim chamber at the heart of the complex. Stone tablets lined the walls, each carved with Reclaimer codenames and marked DECEASED.
At the center sat a thin woman in a gray hood, a mechanical spine protruding from her back, linked to glowing conduits.
Her voice was soft, but unshakable.
> "I am Ysira, Warden of Memory. Tell me, Kael Riven... why did you take the Seed?"
Kael met her gaze. "Because I had no other choice."
> "That's what the first Seedbearer said. Before the cities burned."
Ysira turned to a child hiding behind a data pillar. A small girl with no shoes and glowing blue eyes.
> "Ami," Ysira said. "What do you feel?"
The girl stepped forward slowly. Her eyes never blinked. She looked at Kael for only a second—
And screamed.
A shriek full of raw instinct and terror. She collapsed, sobbing, clutching her head.
> "It's watching from inside him! It's awake!" she cried. "The fire that forgets names!"
Ysira stood.
The room shifted.
Kael's HUD lit up red.
> [Hostility Detected – Gravepath Defense Grid Activating]
> "You carry not just a Seed," Ysira said coldly. "You carry a name that was erased."
> "And that makes you a threat to every living thing here."
Kael raised his hands. "Then teach me how to control it. Or you'll see what happens if I don't."
> "You think it's that simple?"
> "No," he growled. "But I didn't survive Zero and that damn dragon to be chained."
The tension was thick.
Then—a new alert:
> [ALERT: INCOMING SIGNAL – ENCRYPTED AUTHORITY FREQUENCY]
[SURVEILLANCE LOCK – GRAVEPATH LOCATION COMPROMISED]
[RECLAIMER OMEGA SQUAD INBOUND – ETA: 03:26 MINUTES]
Ysira's eyes widened.
> "They found us."
Sirens flared. Lights snapped red.
> "Get him to the forge chamber. If he fights, sedate him."
> "No need," Kael said, grabbing his rod. "They're not getting through without going through me."
Malric, pale but smiling, leaned against the wall.
> "Then it's time to see if you're worthy of what's coming."
---