He didn't remember running. Only falling.
He collapsed at the top of the Old Watch Hill, a broken stone monument looming behind him like a forgotten grave.
He screamed. The kind of scream that rips something loose inside.
đź”” SYSTEM DETECTED
Would you accept a CLASS AWAKENING?
CLASS FOUND: Infernal Warden
Alignment: Flame, Wrath, Endurance
⚠️ Warning: Emotion Threshold exceeded. Automatic Override possible.
"What…?"
A sigil of burning chains appeared before him, floating, spinning, searing into the air.
Then the pain hit.
It wasn't physical. It was memory and fury—compressed into molten light.
He saw his sister's death again. His village crumbling. His father coughing black blood. His mother's screams. The truth—this world was dying. And no gods would save it.
Only fire.
âś… CLASS ACCEPTED
🔥 SKILL UNLOCKED: Firebrand (Rank F)
🔥 PASSIVE: Wrathcore — When wounded, gain Strength.
🔺 STATUS: AWAKENED
Flames burst from his arms, climbing his veins. He clawed at his skin, but it didn't burn—it belonged.
He howled as the sky cracked above him. The twin moons turned red.
And far below, the Voidspawn shrieked. It had felt him awaken.
Morning came like a corpse—cold, still, and silent.
Kael walked through the ruins of Emberwatch barefoot. His clothes were blackened rags. His face, ash-covered. His hands still smoldered faintly.
No one moved. No survivors. Just bodies—twisted, burned, broken.
He found Alira's blade driven into the earth near the well. Blood dried on the hilt.
But no body.
🔺 QUEST ACCEPTED: Ashes and Echoes
Objective: Find the truth behind Emberwatch's fall.
Reward: Class Skill Upgrade, ???
Note: This quest may not be abandoned.
He stared at the blade. He thought about throwing it away. Instead, he sheathed it at his side. The grip still felt warm.
As Kael left the village, he looked back only once.
Smoke curled into the heavens like a funeral pyre.
"I swear to you, Alira," he muttered. "I will learn why this happened. I'll kill every last one of them."
The sigil flared on his chest again, faint and pulsing. He didn't know what that meant.
But deep within the earth, something ancient stirred.
It had felt him, too.
And it remembered his name.