Ashes of Valyria: The Reforged FlameChapter 1: The Rebirth at Bloodstone Hold
The heat of the forge was all-consuming.
Even as a child, Aerion Vórenyx could feel the oppressive warmth that seeped through the volcanic stone walls of his family's fortress. It wasn't just the fire from the molten rivers that ran beneath Bloodstone Hold or the scalding gusts that blew in from the east — it was Valyria itself. A land forged by flame and ruled by dragons, where power whispered through obsidian and blood sang with ancient fire.
And yet, Aerion's blood ran different.
He wasn't a trueborn child of Valyria. Not really. He was reborn, a man from another world, another life. A world of cities that scraped the sky, of glowing screens, of wars fought not with steel, but with information and machines. He had died — he remembered that clearly. The cold rain, the screeching tires, the flash of pain.
And then, nothing.
Until he woke in silk blankets, screaming lungs, and a woman with violet eyes sobbing over him. He was Aerion Vórenyx now. Fifth son of a lesser house. A name almost forgotten in the politics of the Valyrian Freehold. But to him, this was no accident. This was opportunity.
He was five now. And everything changed on his fifth nameday.
The Hall of Ashes was quiet.
A grand chamber carved into black stone, its domed ceiling inlaid with veins of glowing crystal that pulsed with natural heat. Obsidian dragon statues lined the walls, each with eyes of polished ruby. And in the center, upon a low pedestal, stood a solitary brazier.
Aerion knelt before it, small hands clasped, as the fire licked upwards with pale blue flames.
"Repeat the words, my son," his father said from behind. Lord Vaelar Vórenyx, a stern man with silver-streaked hair and eyes like frozen flame. His voice echoed through the chamber. "We endure in flame. We rise from ash. We are Vórenyx."
Aerion recited them. His Valyrian perfect, elegant.
The fire flared.
And then, in his mind, it appeared.
[SYSTEM BOOTING...]Mount & Blade: Legacy Module ActivatedInitializing... Soul Signature Found: Aerion Vórenyx (Reincarnated)
STATUS WINDOW UNLOCKED
Aerion's breath hitched. The world seemed to blur around him.
NAME: Aerion Vórenyx
AGE: 5
TITLE: None
LEVEL: 1
XP: 0 / 100
ATTRIBUTES:
Strength: 3
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 5
SKILLS:
One-Handed Weapons: 2
Smithing: 5
Riding: 1
Tactics: 3
Leadership: 2
SPECIAL TRAIT UNLOCKED: Reforged Soul (XP gain from crafting and battle doubled. Immune to soul corruption.)
QUEST UPDATED:
Survive the Doom of Valyria (Time Remaining: 15 Years) Objective 1: Establish a loyal retinue (0/5) Objective 2: Discover a method of escape (0%)
It vanished a heartbeat later. But he had seen enough.
He wasn't dreaming. This world, this system — it was real.
And he would use it.
Later that night, Aerion sat beneath a balcony that overlooked the sea. The Smoking Sea, as they called it, where the waters boiled and shimmered under a molten sky. He could see distant isles where dragons nested, their roars faint like thunder from gods.
His elder brother, Maelor, found him there. The third son, a knight in training.
"You didn't burn," Maelor said. "When you spoke the words in the flame. I watched. The fire kissed you."
Aerion tilted his head. "Perhaps it liked me."
Maelor laughed. "You're strange. Too calm. Too clever."
Yes. Because he wasn't a child.
"They say our blood was thick with dragonfire once," Maelor went on, sitting beside him. "But that was before the dragons of House Vórenyx died. Father won't speak of it, but I saw the bones. In the vaults. They called her Thraelyx."
Aerion's eyes glinted. A quest?
He opened his palm, imagining the system again. And this time, it answered.
NEW QUEST AVAILABLE:
Legacy of Thraelyx Objective: Discover the fate of your family's dragon. Reward: ???
The next morning, Aerion rose early and descended to the lower vaults.
He pretended to chase a pet shadowcat, his little boots pattering through obsidian halls until he reached the sealed gate of the crypts. A hidden rune glowed faintly — magic ward.
He touched it.
[LOCKED: Requires Arcane Knowledge 2]
Tch.
Too early.
Still, he grinned. This world was his now. The game had begun. And in fifteen years, everything would burn.
Let Valyria bask in its glory. Let the dragonlords play their games.
He would rise from the ashes.
END OF CHAPTER 1
(Next: Chapter 2 — "Dragon's Bones and Silver Tongues")