Chapter 15: The Ash Pact
The mountain fog clung to the earth like ghostly breath as the Crimson Howl stirred from its ritual slumber. Though the bloodline had awakened, its full strength remained dormant—barely tamed, quietly pulsing beneath the skin of every pack member.
But time was not a luxury.
Kael stood atop the tallest ridge, eyes fixed on the distant trails winding through the jagged canyons below. Even from here, he could see them—black dots moving in formation, kicking dust into the sky.
The Broken Fang Raiders.
A fragment of a once-powerful pack that had succumbed to madness after the Black Moon. Now they wandered like carrion wolves, looting broken territories, preying on the weak—and they had set their eyes on the Crimson Howl.
Kael descended the slope, cloak billowing behind him, his golden eyes burning.
He called for a council.
The core members gathered near the Lawfire Fang Stone: Flam, Tamir, Vira, old Malric, the twins from the southern ridge, and several more—twenty-two in total. Each stood proud, even if some still bore bandages and limps.
"The Bloodline is stirring," Kael said, voice calm but firm. "And the world already wants to test it."
Flam's eyes narrowed. "Broken Fang?"
Kael nodded. "Two days. Maybe less."
A low growl rippled through the group. Tamir spat on the ground. "We're not ready for war."
"We're not," Kael agreed. "But we're not running either."
He turned, his gaze scanning each face. "They think we're fractured. That our howls are hollow. They're wrong. Tonight, we stop being survivors—and become something more."
He stepped forward and placed a fist to the Lawfire Stone.
"I propose we bind ourselves not just by blood or law—but by will."
A flicker of power surged from the stone.
System Notification:
Optional Pact Ritual Available:
Title: The Ash Pact
Type: Unity Oath
Effect: Temporarily Increases Pack Sync by 15%
Duration: 7 Days
Warning: Oathbreakers Will Be Marked and Banished
Trigger: All Members Must Howl as One
Proceed?
Kael met their eyes. "We howl… together. If your heart isn't ready to bleed with your brother's—walk away now."
No one moved.
Then Flam lifted his head to the moon.
He howled.
A long, fierce sound—part anger, part pride.
Tamir followed. Then Vira. Then the twins.
One by one, the pack lifted their voices, and the mountain trembled.
Kael threw back his head and let his howl rip free—wild, untamed, ancient.
System Notification:
Ash Pact Initiated.
Pack Sync Boost: +15%
Chaos Bloodline Sync: 26%
Devourer Mark Now Available (Limit: 1)
New Passive: Battlebond Aura (+10% Coordination in Combat)
Kael exhaled slowly. The system hummed within his mind like a second heartbeat.
They weren't ready before.
But now?
Now they had a bond.
Let the Broken Fangs come.
The Crimson Howl had awakened.