Chapter 26: Scars of the Forgotten
The Ashen warrior lunged.
Not with the speed of a normal wolf—but with the force of a collapsed star. His claws tore through the air, molten sparks trailing each strike. Kael barely dodged the first, the heat singing the ends of his cloak. Flam met the second blow head-on, his blade clashing against burning bone.
Sparks scattered.
Tamir danced behind the enemy, his silver daggers slicing at joints and tendons, but they barely sank into the cursed flesh.
"This isn't normal," Milla shouted from the edge of the chamber, eyes wide. "His body... it's not healing like a normal werewolf. It's not even bleeding!"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
He saw it now.
The Ashen warrior wasn't alive in the true sense. His form flickered slightly with every movement—as if struggling to remain tethered to this world.
A remnant.
A fragment.
> System Ping — Only in Kael's Mind:
Ashborn Fragment: Bound Spirit of a Fallen Alpha
Objective: Disrupt the soul tether before the timer expires
Hint: The sigils binding his form to this realm lie beneath the platform
Time Remaining: 06:44
Kael growled and charged. "Flam! Tamir! Hold him down—don't kill him!"
Tamir blinked. "What?!"
"Just do it!"
Flam nodded. "You heard the Alpha."
They coordinated. Flam leapt high, driving his weight onto the creature's shoulders while Tamir spun, slicing into the warrior's legs and slowing his charge.
Kael rolled underneath the beast, landing in the center of the glowing summoning emblem. His fingers grazed the edge of a cracked rune, and pain lanced through his hand like fire.
The sigils reacted.
The entire floor pulsed crimson, the bones of the Ashen Guardian seizing up.
> System Syncing…
Chaos Flame Permission Confirmed.
Invoke Inner Burn? Y/N
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Heat exploded from his chest, rippling outward in tendrils of crimson fire. It wasn't normal fire—it felt wild, ancient, and sentient.
The Ashen warrior howled in agony. His body thrashed, burning from the inside, the soul tether unraveling like threads of cursed smoke.
"You… don't understand what you're awakening…" the warrior rasped. "The bloodline you follow… it's older than this world…"
Kael stepped forward, sweat and ash streaking his face. "Good. Then let it watch me rebuild it."
The sigils beneath them flared one final time—and with a screech like splintering bone, the Ashen warrior shattered, his spirit torn into embers that vanished into the Scar.
Silence.
Then—
> System Update:
Ashborn Trial Completed
Chaos Bloodline Sync: 51%
New Skill Unlocked: Inner Burn (Active) — Convert pain into temporary battle strength. Increases speed and reflexes by 25% while wounded.
Fragment Stored in Chaos Archive.
Kael dropped to one knee, breath ragged.
Milla helped him up. "What the hell was that thing?"
Kael looked back at the platform, now cold and quiet. He didn't answer.
Tamir stepped beside him. "That wasn't just a test, was it?"
Kael exhaled, voice low. "No. That was a warning."
Behind them, in the dark corners of the chamber, ancient carvings began to shift.
Eyes watched from the stone.
The Scar was not closed.
It had only just begun to open.