System Reminder: 653 days remaining until your soul is claimed.
The sealed vault groaned as ancient locks twisted in surrender. Black smoke hissed through the cracks as the door split open, revealing a descent into a spiraling chasm glowing faintly red—like embers that refused to die.
Kael stood at the threshold, Tenn beside him, staring into the abyss.
System Alert
Warning: The Vault of Heirlock contains remnants of the First Flame—an origin source. Proceed with extreme caution.
Nightmare Gauge: 49%
Emotional Instability Detected: Residual hatred + ancestral trauma
Kael took a step forward.
And the abyss screamed.
Scene Transition – Descent into the Vault
The walls were carved in black glass, covered in writing too old to name. As they descended, shadows walked the edges, whispering. Not in words, but feelings—bitterness, betrayal, rage.
Tenn shivered. "These voices… they feel like regrets."
Kael nodded. "They are."
Then his hand twitched. Something had responded to his presence.
A flame flickered at the bottom of the vault. But this wasn't hellfire. It was older. Pale blue and violet, as if the flame itself was frozen in time.
System Message:
[First Flame Detected – Origin Sin Remnant Identified]
Do you wish to forge a Primordial Pact?
⚠️ WARNING: This pact transcends the Devil System hierarchy. Unknown effects may occur.
Conditions: Offer a True Memory.
Internal Monologue
A true memory… not a fake sob story. Not a dramatized betrayal.
Something that still hurts.
I have too many of those.
Kael stared into the flame—and let the memory surface.
Flashback: The Night of His Final Trial
Kael was fifteen.
Bleeding. Kneeling.
His own teammates—his brothers from the sacred academy—stood over him, blades drawn. They were ordered to finish him for "corruption." A sin he never committed.
Their eyes were cold. One of them whispered, "Forgive us."
The last thing Kael saw before losing consciousness… was the banner of the sacred order burning.
They didn't just abandon him. They erased him.
Back to Present – First Flame Response
The fire blazed upward, engulfing him—but he didn't burn.
Instead, it listened.
Memory Received. Pact Accepted.
🔥 [Primordial Pact Formed – Origin Sin: Betrayal]
You have awakened a forgotten branch: The Betrayer's Flame
🔥 New Sub-System Unlocked: Betrayer's Flame
Core Passive:
[Flame of Reversal] – Any ability or effect used on Kael has a small chance (5% → 25%) of reversing onto the caster, scaling with emotional intensity.
Active Skills:
[Ashen Mirror]: Project a false version of yourself that mimics enemy attacks.
[Scorch the Sigil]: Burn divine contracts and sacred seals.
[Pyreborn Reprisal]: Counter a finishing blow with a flaming resurrection—only once per day.
[Oathbreaker's Brand]: Permanently mark those who betrayed Kael, increasing Sin Point gain from interactions and kills.
Scene Transition – The Flame Guardian
The room trembled. The flame receded, and in its place stood a knight clad in obsidian, his helmet weeping molten gold.
"Who claims the Pact of the First Flame?"
Kael stepped forward, fire spiraling in his pupils. "The one they tried to erase."
The knight drew a massive halberd, flames licking its edge. "Then prove your will is stronger than your ashes."
BOSS FIGHT – Guardian of the Betrayer's Flame
Name: Heirlock, Keeper of the Old Sin
HP: 78,000
Weakness: None
Resistances: Fire, Shadow, Soul Magic
Special Trait: Immortal unless struck with an Oathbreaker-infused attack
Battle Highlights
Kael dodged the first blow by a breath. His [Echo Step] danced him behind Heirlock's blind side, only for the guardian to parry mid-motion—predicting his own envy-fueled skills.
System Insight: "This enemy remembers how you fight."
Kael switched tactics.
[Sin Fusion: WRATH + ENVY → Blazing Phantom]
New Hybrid Skill Unlocked: Hellstep Copy – Leave behind an explosive doppelgänger that mimics your next move.
Kael activated it and feinted right—only for his doppelgänger to lunge left, striking true.
Then Kael whispered:
"Ashen Mirror."
Heirlock struck it—and the blow rebounded, shattering part of his armor.
Kael roared and plunged his hand forward.
[Wrath Incarnate – Partial Activation: 40% Boost]
[Blazing Ruin Fist: Oathbreaker Variant]
"Burn in the betrayal you upheld!"
The knight screamed as the fire ignited from within.
Enemy Defeated: +25 SP
Unique Drop Acquired: Flame Sigil of the Betrayer
Post-Battle
The flame slowly faded, leaving behind only Kael and Tenn.
But something had changed.
Kael's aura now carried a subtle hum, like a blade being sharpened by unseen hands.
And on the back of his neck—the mark of the Betrayer's Flame burned faint blue.
System Notification
You have made a pact beyond the Devil System.
You are now tracked by other entities beyond Lucivar.
📜 System Update Summary
SP Total: 76
Nightmare Gauge: 53%
Contract Slots: 1/3
Alignment Drift: Moderate Damnation
New Sub-System: Betrayer's Flame (Hybrid Tree – not tied to Sin Points)
Unique Title Earned: Ash-Bound Oathbreaker
Watcher Entities Alerted: 1
📅 Days Remaining: 653
End of Chapter 9