The ruins of Viremont loomed like broken teeth in the mist.
Once a bastion of knights and scholars, now only shattered walls and vine-choked towers remained. Aelric's horse snorted as the wind howled through empty corridors.
He dismounted and stepped through the archway.
The stone beneath his boots felt colder than it should've. The silence was unnatural.
> [System Warning: Aura Distortion Detected]
Mana density: unstable. Memory Echoes possible.
He drew his blade.
Something old lingered here.
The cathedral stood half-collapsed, its stained glass shattered, its altar cracked.
And at its center…
A man in a cloak of gray feathers knelt, lighting incense.
"I was beginning to wonder," the figure said without looking up. "If you'd come."
Aelric tightened his grip. "You sent the letter."
"I did."
"Then talk."
The man rose slowly.
His face was lined with age, but his eyes—his eyes burned like coals in winter. He held no weapon. No crest. Only presence.
"I am Isen Morthall," he said. "Once of the Obsidian Circle. War-mage. Strategist. And traitor."
Aelric blinked. "You admit it?"
"I do. I helped destroy your father's final campaign. Helped shatter his line. I turned the tide at Ironwood."
Rage flared in Aelric's chest.
He raised the Blade of the Oathsworn.
"I should strike you down."
"You could," Isen said calmly. "But then you'd never hear why."
Aelric hesitated.
And the old mage spoke.
"Kaelen Vaelion was planning something dangerous. Not a rebellion. A reformation. He sought to unite the empires under peace—abolish the cultivation hierarchy. Give power to the people. The Empire would never allow it."
Aelric's jaw clenched. "So you betrayed him."
"I tried to warn him," Isen said. "He wouldn't listen. So I chose survival over martyrdom."
"You chose cowardice."
Isen nodded. "Perhaps. But I also chose to live long enough to find you. Because I think... you might succeed where he failed."
> [System Notification: New Legacy Thread Unlocked – The Dream of One Flame]
Sub-quest: Uncover Kaelen Vaelion's secret plan to unite the continent. Current Clues: 1/7
"I'll give you names," Isen said. "Places. Allies your father trusted. But be warned, boy. If you walk this path, you'll not only face beasts and tyrants… you'll face his enemies. The ones who wear crowns and speak peace."
Aelric lowered the blade—just slightly.
"Then tell me everything."
They spoke for hours beneath the cathedral's broken roof. Maps unfurled. Codes deciphered. Aelric's view of the world twisted, then focused like a blade to the whetstone.
His father had not just fought for survival.
He had fought for a better world.
And now, that dream had passed to Aelric.
When he finally rode out from Viremont, dawn was breaking. The mist had lifted.
In his satchel were scrolls. Names. Proof.
And in his heart, the fire burned brighter.
Far across the continent, in the palace of gold and ash, a figure watched the flames dance in a bowl of black water.
"The boy has found the dream," the sorceress murmured.
A shadow moved beside her. "Then he must die before it lives again."