Chapter 29: The Whispering Ashes
The night after the ritual was silent—but not still.
All across the den, the newly awakened lay in restless sleep. Some whimpered in their dreams, others snarled low and feral, their minds still tangled with the pulse of the chaos flame. Even Kael's senses hadn't fully settled. He could still feel the burn of a thousand memories that weren't his.
> System Notice:
Chaos Archive Expansion Unlocked.
New Access Point: Ashbound Memories (Location: Southern edge of Black Ash Vale).
Trigger Phrase: "Let the forgotten speak."
He didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
Instead, he stood at the highest ledge overlooking the Black Ash Vale. From here, he could see it—the Southern Scar. A dead stretch of land so quiet it made the bones ache. A place untouched by sunlight… where ash fell like snow.
He remembered the words from the Ashborn fragment.
> "You don't know what you're awakening…"
Kael's hands clenched.
Flam approached from behind, his steps careful. "The others are recovering. The ancestors have returned to their chambers. But... something's wrong, isn't it?"
Kael didn't turn. "The chaos bloodline isn't just strength. It's memory. It's history. And some of it… doesn't want to stay buried."
Tamir dropped down from a high perch. "I had dreams last night. Burning moons. Screaming wolves. A name kept repeating."
Milla stepped out of the shadows beside him. "Same here."
Kael finally turned to them. His voice was hoarse. "What name?"
All three answered at once:
"Ravaryn."
A cold wind swept through the vale. The ashes danced.
> System Ping:
Keyword Trigger Detected: Ravaryn
Initiating Memory Lock Release...
Warning: Viewing will attract attention.
Kael stared ahead. "Let them watch."
The world shimmered.
---
[Chaos Archive: Ashbound Memory – Entry 001]
The scene opened in firelight and screams. Wolves howled not in rage, but sorrow. Entire packs burned beneath an eclipsed moon. Towering above them stood a monstrous lycan—part wolf, part shadow, its eyes hollow pits of blue flame.
Chains dragged behind it, each link forged of the bones of its victims.
> "I am Ravaryn," it roared, "The First Howler. The Betrayer of Flame."
And then… a whisper.
From the ashes at its feet rose a second figure—slim, young, burning not with rage, but defiance.
The memory blurred—but Kael saw enough.
It was him.
Or someone like him.
---
Kael jolted back to the present.
His heart thundered.
Tamir caught him. "What did you see?"
Kael stared down into the ashes.
"I think… we've awakened more than just power."