Rain fell like ash on the ruins of Outpost 9.
Burned vehicles littered the roads, their twisted metal frames still glowing from the residual heat of Gatefire. A siren whined weakly from a toppled tower, its sound drowned out by the howling wind—and something worse.
Screams.
Kael Riven ran.
His boots, torn at the soles, splashed through puddles laced with blood and black ooze. Behind him, shrieks of something not human echoed through the alleyways. His lungs burned, his side stabbed with pain, but he didn't stop.
Because she was still in there.
"Lyra… hang on," he muttered, more to himself than anything else.
Outpost 9's Reclaimer squad had entered the Gate this morning—standard C-Rank breach protocol. Fourteen members, geared and trained. Kael came as a trainee. A logistics runner. No combat certification. He wasn't even supposed to be armed.
But the Gate wasn't C-Rank.
It was a trap.
---
He found her beneath the ruins of an arcane spire, collapsed from the inside out. Her armor was cracked, her red Reclaimer badge barely visible through the soot. Her white hair, once braided neatly beneath her helmet, was matted with blood.
"Lyra!" he dropped to his knees beside her. "No, no, no—"
Her eyes fluttered.
"Kael… run…"
"I'm not leaving you," he whispered, hands trembling as he pressed them against her wounds. Useless. He had no healing protocols. He didn't even have a real Class.
The Reclaimer HUD in his retina flickered:
> [Vital Signs: Critical]
[System Error Detected]
[No Class Assigned. Protocol Access Denied.]
And then it changed.
---
[System Override Initiated.]
[Welcome, User: Kael Riven.]
[ASCENSION PROTOCOL BOOTING…]
"What?" he blinked.
Lyra choked on a gasp, clutching his sleeve. Her eyes locked with his, tears and fire dancing in their depths.
"Live… Kael. Be more than we were."
The light in her eyes faded.
A scream tore from his throat. Rage, grief, helplessness—all erupted at once.
And the system responded.
> [Target: Reclaimer - Flame Valkyrie (Deceased)]
[Permission to Absorb Class Signature… Granted.]
[Transferring Combat Memory… 13% Uploaded]
[Skill Acquired: HELLFIRE BARRIER – Rank C+]
[Unique Trait Detected: Soulbound Core (Glitched). Unrestricted Class Evolution enabled.]
Kael staggered back, clutching his head as a tidal wave of heat and memory surged into his mind. He felt her—every battle, every flame strike, every time she stood between death and her squad.
He stood slowly. His eyes glowed faint crimson.
The air shimmered around him.
Behind, the beast that had torn through their squad charged out of the shadows.
Kael raised his hand.
> "Hellfire Barrier."
A burning wall of searing flame exploded upward, splitting the street in half and forcing the creature back with a shriek.
Kael didn't blink.
> "I'm done running."