The map was simple.
A burn-etched line across a weathered page, ending in a rough outline of stone teeth rising from a forested basin. No names. Just a mark:
> "Valecrown."
It wasn't just buried—it was forgotten on purpose.
The next day, Jackie chose who would go with her.
🜂 The Flameborne Team:
Kael, her second, who knew Warden tech and traps better than anyone.
Mira, for her precision flame—the only one who could burn without damage.
Luci, quiet and intuitive—her fire always flickered when danger was near.
The others stayed to guard the Circle.
Vael'tharuun gave Jackie a final look before she left.
> "Not all vaults stay buried.
Some wait to be reopened."
---
🜂 Arrival: Hollowspire Basin
It took four days of travel.
The deeper they went, the quieter the wilds grew. Not from peace—but from fear. No birds. No Riftbeasts. Just stillness.
The Hollowspire itself wasn't a tower anymore—just blackened ruins, curved stones jutting from the ground like dragon ribs.
At the center: a circular platform, half-buried in moss and time.
Jackie stepped onto it.
The sigil stone in her pocket pulsed—and the ground shuddered.
Then a voice. Mechanical. Hollow.
> "Flameborne presence verified.
Access: unlocked."
---
🜂 The Descent into Valecrown
A spiral staircase unfolded from the ground—glowing faintly with emberlight.
They descended for hours.
Stone turned to obsidian. Obsidian turned to something older. Smoother. Not human.
Jackie could feel it.
This place was never meant for people.
It was built by dragons.
And in the final chamber—lit by floating fire—orbs that sparked at her presence—they found it:
> A massive door.
Circular. Covered in runes.
And in its center: two keyholes.
One matched her sigil stone.
She placed it in.
The other was shaped like…
> A tooth.
Kael frowned. "A dragon's tooth?"
Jackie shook her head slowly.
> "Not just any dragon."
"Jazira's."