Gluthallen Barracks – Ember Halls, Morning After the Duel
Maximilian woke not to silence, but to the resonant clang of Kira Eisenmoor's mana-reinforced hammer striking her own shoulder.
Clang.Again.Clang.Blood. Steam. Then runes crawling over skin like iron vines.
"She's pushing her mechnerve limits," muttered Alwin Noxrot from the bunk above, barely lifting his soot-streaked gaze from the floating schematic rotating above his palm.
Maximilian rose, rotating his shoulder. The aftershock from the duel with Falko Grauwind still reverberated through his aura circuits. The Astral Core within his chest had absorbed more than expected. The subtle ache told him the path forward would demand more than victory.
He stepped toward the chamber's soulflame brazier and fed it a drop of starlight—a trick he hadn't learned so much as remembered. The flame reacted, shifting from crimson to indigo.
Behind him, Lirael Veinsturm narrowed her eyes. "That's not standard Sovereign-Class mana."
"No," Maximilian replied, "It's Stellarweave."He didn't elaborate.
System Update: Training Module Assigned – Arcanum Trial I: Flame-Tongue Constructs
Objective: Manifest and stabilize three autonomous mana-bonded constructs using integrated soul channels.Time Limit: 3 days.Modifiers: Interruption Penalty / Public Exhibition / Mentor Evaluation
Training Grounds – Sector 7F: Ashglass Arena
The ground here shimmered with heat memory. Scars from past spell-duels flickered with residue auras. Mana storms rolled slowly overhead, attracted by high-energy spellcasting.
"Begin," said Professor Kelemvor, an Arcanum teacher bound to the Eternal Flame through a seven-fold soul-pact. His voice rang like a bell through fire.
One by one, Flamebound students raised their palms and began weaving.
Most failed.
Their constructs sputtered—half-born elementals or broken glyph-creatures torn apart by unstable channels.
Maximilian stood still, drawing a breath charged with silver and flame.
"[Invocation: Stellar Threadbinding – Rank A+]""[Core Weaving: Triple Sigil Overlay – Lunar Phase Drift]"
His aura exploded in radiant spirals, forming three orbiting constructs: a clockwork hawk, a chain-serpent, and a floating mask bearing a mirrored sigil.
They sang as they hovered, powered by the flame and something deeper—something starborn.
"Evaluation: Pass – Grade: Omega-Class Tier I. Threat Profile Escalation Recommended."
But it wasn't just about the trial.
Because someone had been watching.
The Balcony Above the Arena
Maelis der Aschenträgerin stood with arms folded, her robes whispering with embers. Beside her stood a lesser-known figure—Darian Solfeuer, scion of House Solenschatten.
"He's masking a higher core resonance," Maelis said. "And he's growing fast."
"Too fast," Darian replied. "If he doesn't align soon, he'll draw the attention of the Obsidian Tribunals."
"I wonder," Maelis mused, "if that's what he wants."
Character Interlude: Alwin Noxrot – The Echo Engineer
Later that evening, Maximilian found Alwin alone in the Gearbloom Workshop, speaking to the spirit of a deconstructed mana-engine.
"You speak their names," Alwin whispered to the machine fragments. "But they don't remember you."
"What are you doing?" Maximilian asked.
"Listening," said Alwin. "To machines that remember pain."
"Why?"
"Because someone's using dead tech. I heard screaming sigils in the Arena. From his shield."
"Falko's?"
Alwin nodded. "That shield wasn't forged. It was resurrected."
Something dark threaded the edges of Alwin's voice.
Maximilian filed that away. He'd need more than raw power in the coming days—he'd need allies who saw what others didn't.
Lore Drop: Die Urschmiede – The Primordial Forge
Before the Eternal Flame, before the Universities, before even the Dawnwars, there was the Urschmiede—a forge said to be alive, buried beneath the Ashen Spire Mountains.Only once every century does a Starforged Sigil appear, guiding its bearer to it. None have returned.Some say the forge reshapes the soul. Others say it judges it.
Item Profile Unlocked
Name: Mask of the Star EchoType: Adaptive Soulbound RelicRarity: Unique – 1 of 1Current User: Maximilian KriegswaldAbilities:
Mirrored Sigil Projection – Creates false Class Signatures to fool Diviners or Ranking Scans
Temporal Feedback Loop – Upon critical damage, rewind last 0.5 seconds (Cooldown: 12 hours)
Evolving Trigger – Grows more powerful the more secrets the user keeps
Origin: Crafted subconsciously during the Arcanum Trial, fused from residual soulfire and Stellarweave fragments
Nightfall – At the Ashen Balcony
Maximilian stood under the flame-starred sky, reviewing his interface.
"New Title Unlocked: Echo-Weaver""Synchronization Rate: 44%""Caution: Hidden Class Traits at Risk. Suppression Decaying."
Behind him, Lirael approached, her usual cold demeanor softened.
"I've seen many hide what they are," she said. "But none have hidden who they are quite like you."
"I don't have that luxury," Maximilian replied.
"And yet," she said, tapping his interface, "you're running out of masks."
Elsewhere – The Chamber of Cinders
A cloaked figure knelt before a pyre shaped like a throne.
"Report," rumbled a voice behind flame-veiled curtains.
"He has the key. The constructs. And the echo-mask."
"Then we must move the Third Seal."
"Yes, Lord Obscura."
"Let him ascend… just slowly enough that he never sees the knife."
End of Chapter 13: Feuerseelenpakt – The Pact of Flamebound Souls