Kael stood in the Soul Vault long after Taron had been dragged out.
The air still smelled of burnt mana and shattered memories.
The orb he absorbed earlier still pulsed faintly in his hand. It had given him Wraith Step, but something inside it… remained unawakened.
"Phantom Echo pending."
Kael didn't like unanswered questions.
So he went looking for them.
By dawn, he stood in front of the Hall of Old Flames — a sealed library buried beneath Frosthold's forgotten catacombs.
According to legend, it was once a prison for Ashbloods — magic wielders who could control memory fire, the rarest form of soul magic.
Only one name had ever escaped that fire.
"Veyna Ashblood."
And she had just appeared in his mirror two nights ago.
As Kael pushed open the iron doors, a pressure pressed against his chest.
A heartbeat.
But not his own.
Inside, the walls were lined with charred scrolls and shattered tomes.
The room pulsed with the remnants of burned knowledge.
In the center stood a figure in red.
Back turned. Barefoot. Flame swirling around her like a scarf.
She spoke first.
"I liked you better when you were dead."
Kael didn't flinch. "We've met."
"Not in this life," she said.
Then she turned.
Her eyes were glowing with ink-black fire.
Her face?
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"You were there," Kael whispered. "At the citadel… before I died."
She smiled softly. "You never figured it out, did you?"
She raised a hand — and flames erupted, not hot, but… cold.
Each ember held images — people Kael knew, moments he forgot.
She was holding his lost memories.
Kael drew his sword.
But before he could move —
BOOM.
A sudden explosion of air and light ruptured through the room.
The flame vanished instantly.
The pressure disappeared.
And someone else stood between them now.
Smiling.
Casually.
A man.
Tall. Pale hair glowing faintly blue. Long dark coat fluttering. Blindfold around one eye.
He looked like he had just woken up from a nap — but power rolled off him in waves.
"Hey, hey. Not cool," he said to the woman. "You know the rules. No frying memory shards in front of the rookies."
Kael blinked. "Who—"
"Oh," the man said, turning to Kael. "Name's Zeid. Technically your senior."
He grinned.
"But let's be real — I'm the one they call when stuff gets fun."
[System Alert]
Entity Registered: Zeid (Rank: ???)
Division: Chain Elite (Class S — Temporal Specialist)
Trait: Infinity Threads
Sync Level: ???
Authority: System Override (Active)
Zeid cracked his neck and turned to the red-robed woman. "You broke containment, Veyna. Again."
She just smirked. "You think he's ready?"
Zeid didn't answer right away.
Then he looked at Kael.
His expression sharpened.
All that lazy power condensed into one intense second of awareness.
Kael felt it — like the weight of a thousand fights staring through his soul.
Then Zeid smiled again. "Yeah. He's getting there."
Veyna vanished in a burst of red ash.
Zeid turned and patted Kael's shoulder.
"Next time," he said, "try not to pick fights with people who can delete their own deaths."
Then he was gone too.
Just gone.
Kael was left standing in the ruins of ancient fire.
And for the first time since he was reborn…
He realized he was part of something way bigger than himself.
Next Chapter: "Blood Memory"