A soft mist coiled through the ruins surrounding the Vein-Watch Tower, dragging embers from broken stones. Kael sat against a cracked pillar, inspecting the Reflective Scale Shard he looted.
He wasn't alone anymore.
---
Far across the Emberlands, in the capital city of Velmorr, a closed council gathered beneath the burning banners of House Ironvein. The tension in the room was thicker than magma.
> "The boy awakened a fragment?"
Lord Halmar Ironvein's voice boomed, echoing in the marble war chamber.
> "Confirmed," replied a scout cloaked in shadow. "House Virdane's ninth son. One that was thought insignificant."
Halmar's thick fingers curled.
> "This changes the Ember Accord. If another Flameborn is rising—especially a forgotten one—then the Dominion pact must be reconsidered."
A woman stepped forward, tall, cold-eyed—Lady Seraphina Lureth, envoy of the Aetherveil Court.
> "Or perhaps," she said softly, "this boy is a fluke. Unstable. Useful only if watched closely."
---
Back near the tower, Kael's pulse quickened as he sensed motion. A figure dropped from a hovering glider above—cloaked in fur-lined armor, bearing the sigil of Frost Shroud.
> "Kael Virdane?" the stranger called. "By order of the Crown Duel Accord, I challenge you—in witness of the Grand Academy."
Kael narrowed his gaze.
> "You are…?"
> "Thol Greymark, cadet-knight of Glaciem. My House finds your survival problematic."
He threw a blade into the dirt.
Kael stood.
> "You came across a continent to provoke a duel?"
> "No." Thol smiled grimly. "I came to test a future threat."
---
> [System Triggered: Political Duel Request]
▪ Duel Type: Observation (Non-fatal)
▪ Status: Local system lockdown for 10 minutes
▪ Title Wagered: None
▪ Spectators: Active (3 Hidden Observers)
Kael let his flame coil around his wrist. He didn't want this—but the world was moving, and standing still meant being swallowed.
""Lady Seraphina Lureth " : Aetherveil Court Cunning diplomat, observer of systems and fragments.
"Thol Greymark" : Frost Shroud (Glacie Kingdom) Elite cadet, anti-Virdane, potential political rival.
"Lord Halmar Ironvein" : House Ironvein Military leader, seeks control of the fragments.