Kael stood upon the summit of the Shattered Spire, the wind pulling at his tattered cloak. Beside him, Sirena adjusted her armor, her expression unreadable. Below them, the broken lands of Dravenmoor stretched out like an open wound.
Vel'tarion pulsed softly on his back.
"You need to know what's coming," Sirena said quietly.
Kael turned. "I know the Hollow Flame wants me dead."
She nodded. "Yes, but not just them. Power has always drawn power. You've awakened something ancient, and now the world's factions move."
She reached into a scroll pouch and handed him a faded war-map, marked in celestial ink.
---
**FACTION BRIEFING: Current Power Players in the Known Realms**
**1. The Order of the Hollow Flame**
* *Alignment*: Ruthless law and divine judgment
* *Goal*: Purify the realms of cursed bloodlines, reclaim relics like Vel'tarion, and awaken their god-king from celestial stasis
* *Known Rank Structure*: Knight > Marshal > High Flamekeeper > The Hollow Seer
* *Key Known Member*: Sirena (Knight-Rank, now defected)
**2. The Dawnbound Circle**
* *Alignment*: Star guardians, oath-bound to protect celestial relics from misuse
* *Goal*: Prevent awakening of ancient gods and maintain world balance
* *Known Rank Structure*: Novice > Starblade > Celestial Warden > Keeper of the Veil
* *Status*: Mostly dismantled; their last known High Warden vanished
* *Key Known Member*: Serenya (former High Blademaster, rogue)
**3. Velmora's Royal Dominion**
* *Alignment*: Political monarchy with shadowy council rule
* *Goal*: Maintain throne supremacy, suppress all prophecy connected to Kael
* *Key Leader*: King Maren (Kael's father), under pressure from unseen advisors
**4. The Guild of Boneglass**
* *Alignment*: Mercenary assassins, curse-harvesters, and relic traffickers
* *Goal*: Extract and sell power from cursed beings like Kael
* *Status*: Rogue, unpredictable. Highest bidder wins
* *Symbol*: Crimson skull etched in glass
**5. The Frostborn Pact (Northern Frontiers)**
* *Alignment*: Isolationist warrior clans tied to the Winter Star
* *Goal*: Restore the Old Northern Empire and keep the Black Star from reaching full ascension
* *Rumor*: They wield froststeel magic perfect counter to cursed flame
---
Kael lowered the scroll slowly. "So… basically everyone either wants to control me, kill me, or both."
Sirena smirked. "Welcome to prophecy."
---
**Meanwhile: Inside Velmora's Royal Sanctum**
King Maren gazed into the scrying mirror. Runes shimmered along its rim.
"He has passed the Shattered Spire," whispered a shadowy figure behind the throne. "The blade sings again."
Maren's hand curled into a fist. "He was supposed to die in exile."
"Then send the Phantom Warden," the voice said. "Let the bloodline be ended for good."
The mirror darkened.
---
**Back at the Spire Midnight Strategy**
Kael and Sirena sat around a fire built into an ancient star-forged brazier.
"We need allies," Kael said. "Serenya. Thalen. Even the Frostborn if they'll speak."
Sirena nodded. "And you need to rise in strength. The blade has awakened, yes. But you haven't."
Kael looked down at his hand. The runes glowed softly.
"What do you mean?"
Sirena stood, walking to the edge. "Vel'tarion has *three phases*. You've only unlocked the first Flamebound."
Kael's eyes widened. "And the next?"
"Starforged. And then… Wyrmbringer."
Kael stood slowly. "Then tell me what I must do."
Sirena turned. "You need to walk into the Ashfields. And survive what lives beneath."
---
**Power Ranking Guide (Current)**
To help readers and Kael track growth:
**POWER TIERS (General)**
1. **Unranked** – Civilian/mortal baseline
2. **Ember-Touched** – First awakening of elemental or cursed spark
3. **Runebearer** – Those marked by rune spirits or weapons
4. **Flamebound** – Those bound to cursed weapons (Kael's current state)
5. **Starforged** – Fully synced with a relic, capable of celestial channeling
6. **Ascendant** – Able to bend battlefield-level magic, command spirit armies
7. **Wyrmbringer** – Final tier. Bound to a primordial wyrm or god-rune. Changes fate itself
Kael clenched his fist.
"I will rise through them all."
Sirena smiled faintly. "Then step into the ash, my prince."
And Kael, heir of Vel'tarion, stepped into the dark.