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Night fell over Emberspire like a curtain of molten silk, the sky glowing with distant eruptions from the dormant volcano. In the hush of darkness, the cloaked spy trailed AshenZero toward the abandoned mine outside the city walls. Roots of magma veins glowed faintly through cracks, hinting at hidden power beneath the earth.
AshenZero paused at the mine entrance, the rune-hammer slung over his shoulder. The spy crouched behind an outcrop, eyes narrowed. With a soft murmur, AshenZero removed his gauntlet and placed his hand upon the stony wall embedded with rune-light shimmering in the rock.
"Molten-Core… awaken," he whispered, voice almost reverent. The wall pulsed in response.
AshenZero swung his pickaxe, and rune shards rained from the ceiling like glowing embers. He caught two of them with practised precision, sliding them into leather satchels.
Suddenly, he stopped and listened. The spy hardened in his concealment, heart pounding—AshenZero was close.
But then he relaxed and spoke to himself. "Years of infestation, yet here it survived. This vein might redraw the guild's future… or burn it all."
He pocketed the shards and turned away, glancing once toward the ridge. The spy held still, then slipped off, heading back to Emberspire.
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The Meeting at Dawn
At first light, Seraphine addressed her cloister of spies and informants in an austere tower chamber. The window overlooked the mine's entrance. The room was thick with chart maps, rune fragments, and surveillance notes. She turned to the spy.
"Report," she demanded.
The spy bowed and laid out a small pouch of rune fragments on the table. "He harvested again, My Lady. Twice as much as last time. He spoke of fate and ashes—but no mention of the guild."
Seraphine narrowed her eyes and pivoted to the map. "Chart his routes. I want to know every place he visits—even caves uncharted."
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Mael Stormhand: The Hermit Rune-Smith
Midday, the spy tracked AshenZero into a phosphorescent cavern—remote, half-buried, and untouched by most maps. In its heart, an old figure waited: a silver-haired hermit dressed in cracked leather apron and rune-etched robes. His eyes glittered with ancient knowledge.
"Ah, you're back," the hermit said softly.
AshenZero inclined his head. "My veins are strong. Your prophecy runes nearly complete."
Mael nodded: "The Codex foretells a flame-warp that will break the balance. But the runes we craft can absorb or channel it—if handled rightly."
AshenZero's face remained impassive. "We'll need more. And time is running."
"Time... is short," Mael repeated.
The spy watched from the cavern's mouth, invisibly recording every word.
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A Hermit's Instruction
AshenZero and Mael spent hours measuring and forging bright rune-shards. Each ritual was tethered to ancient glyphs carved deep into the cavern's bedrock. Embers pulsed in time with the old man's breathing.
Mael paused at one point. "Your flame-class change… it's a signal to those like me. I knew the Codex existed; I thought—oneday—it would find its heir."
AshenZero shrugged. "I never asked to be heir. I want to stop the surge—and maybe save my home."
Mael studied him. "Save Meras… or control Meras. Make sure you know the difference."
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Return & Revelation
The spy returned to Seraphine at dusk, exhausted and pale. He laid out rune-shards and sketches of the cavern.
"She's a talented forger... intuitive. But the hermit… he called it prophecy runes," said the spy. "Seems bigger than guild ambitions."
Seraphine studied the fragments. "This runs deeper... We may have underestimated him."
She looked toward a tapestry on the wall—ancient Crest of the Firebound, rumored to be dormant since the era of the Flameforger kings.
She whispered, "It begins now."
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Chapter 6 reveals secrets behind the runes, introduces the mentor Mael Stormhand, and raises the stakes — guild politics now feel small next to prophetic forces. All the while, eyes watch AshenZero's every move.
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