Brent dropped to his knees beside Rae, unsure if he should touch her. The cave trembled faintly, as if reacting to her awakening.
"Rae," he whispered. "You're alive…"
Her eyes shimmered in the dim light—liquid metal and sunlight swirling, unnatural and beautiful. She looked… older. Like the forest had etched time into her skin. Her voice trembled, dual-toned and laced with something other.
"I saw you fall," she said. "Kalen… he stabbed you. I tried to stop him. But something found me before I could return."
"What was it?"
She shook her head slowly. "Not what. Who."
She reached toward the glowing tree, her fingers brushing the bark. The silver sap pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.
"The Mother of Flame and Thorn," Rae whispered. "An ancient guardian, buried by time… She saved me. And bound her power to my soul."
Brent blinked. "Like the system?"
"Older than that," she said. "More instinct than code. Not clean like yours. More… primal."
System Notification
New Entity Detected: Rae Ellanor – Flamebound Vessel
Affinity: Verdant Flame / Starthorn Roots
Status: Semi-Stable / Power Sync Incomplete
She grabbed Brent's wrist suddenly. Her grip was strong—too strong. Her skin glowed faintly, and warmth spread through him like wildfire.
"Brent, listen. Vaelrick's not just a tyrant. He's a conduit. Something is feeding through him. The academy… the students… They're building something. Gathering power."
"For what?"
Rae looked toward the mouth of the cave.
"For a Gate. One that should never be opened."
Back at the Academy…
Vaelrick stood in a sealed chamber beneath the main courtyard. Arcane rings spun around a darkened crystal, and chained figures—once students—hung suspended above runes etched in ancient script.
Kalen knelt at his side, one arm encased in new silversteel, forged from the essence stolen during his last encounter with Brent.
"Do you think he's truly dead?" Kalen asked, uneasy.
Vaelrick didn't answer at first.
Then: "I felt a flicker. He lives. But no matter. If he returns, he'll find we've prepared a… welcome."
He raised a blade of shadow-glass, and the crystal pulsed.
Soon, the Gate of Pale Flame would open.
Meanwhile… Brent's Power Evolves
The closer Brent stayed to Rae, the more his system changed.
System Evolution Triggered
Twilight Paladin path influenced by Verdant Flame.
You may now form Soul Pacts with chosen allies, granting shared boons and linked fate.
Warning: This bond is irreversible and will share pain, power, and emotion.
The bond took shape that night.
As Rae slept beside the fire, Brent placed his hand on her chest, just above her heart, and whispered:
"I swear to keep you safe. And to fight by your side."
Silver light laced with dusk wrapped around their hands and pulled into their chests. A soft pulse echoed between them, felt more than heard.
Soul Pact Formed: Brent & Rae
+10% Stats when fighting within 30 meters of each other
Linked Recovery / Pain Echo / Dualcast Potential
New Ability: Guardian's Respite – One can sacrifice life force to heal the other instantly.
They awoke the next morning, stronger, steadier.
Together, they began the journey back—not to beg for forgiveness or hide in shadows.
But to bring war to those who had turned the academy into a den of lies and monsters.
They were no longer students.
They were champions of old forces, reborn in a world that forgot them.
Final Scene: The First Gate Stirs
Beneath the academy, as Vaelrick raised his arms, the runes lit with sickly white light.
The Gate cracked.
And something smiled on the other side.
It whispered a name…
"Brent…"