> System Notice: [Tracking Engaged: Sanctuary Point — 6.4 km Remaining] [Companion Affinity: Silna Farros — Passive Sync Ongoing] [Environmental Hazard: Mana Residue Detected — Moderate]
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The trail ahead twisted through a maze of basalt ravines, the air heavy with soot and static. Kael's steps echoed faintly across the dark stone, each one deliberate, silent but far from relaxed. A faint hum lingered in the air—the same sensation that had haunted him since the tomb.
Beside him, Silna walked with a hand resting near her blade, amber eyes scanning the shifting shadows. She said nothing, but the tension in her frame spoke volumes.
Kael exhaled, the breath caught between wariness and weariness. "You feel that?"
Silna's reply was quiet. "Something's watching. Again."
He nodded. "Thought so."
They passed a collapsed outpost—nothing but cracked stone pillars and rusted banners, half-swallowed by ash. The remnants of a skirmish lay scattered in bones and shattered sigils. Whatever force had swept through this region hadn't left survivors.
Suddenly, Kael stopped.
His gaze dropped to the dirt—prints. Not beast. Not human. Something in between. Three-toed, deep, scorched into the earth like molten glass had kissed the soil.
He crouched, brushing ash aside with the back of his glove.
"They're fresh," he muttered. "Too fresh."
Silna joined him, eyes narrowing. "Same direction we're headed. Joy."
A shriek split the air.
Kael rose instantly, hand on his sword. The cry echoed off the canyon walls, followed by a metallic rattle—a sound like bones grinding against chainmail.
Then they came.
Not deserters. Not monsters. Something worse.
Creatures with scorched hides and empty sockets, crawling from the blackened stone like maggots from a carcass. Their movements twitched unnaturally, driven not by hunger—but command.
> System Alert: [Hostile Entities Identified — Subclass: Wraithborne Sentinels] [Estimated Threat Level: Tier III — Suppressed Variant]
Kael didn't wait.
He surged forward, blade flashing with residual flame. His strike met the first Wraithborne with a hiss of igniting flesh. The creature staggered, screeching—but didn't fall.
Silna moved with him, silent as breath, her blade cutting through the air with lethal precision. One fell, then another.
But they kept coming.
Kael's pulse quickened. Not fear. Focus.
The Warden's trial had changed something inside him. He could feel the fire more clearly now, like a second heartbeat—dormant, but ready to burn.
> System Triggered: [Passive: Flamewake Pulse — Surge Threshold Approaching] [Warning: Internal Sync Exceeding Safe Parameters]
One of the Wraithborne lunged. Kael ducked, slammed his palm into its chest.
A blast of fire erupted.
It disintegrated.
He staggered slightly, the heat licking at his own skin.
"Kael—behind you!"
Silna's voice snapped him back. He turned—too slow.
A claw sliced across his shoulder, armor parting like paper. He grunted, spun, and drove his blade upward into the attacker's neck.
Ash exploded.
Silna caught him by the arm.
"You alright?"
He nodded, breathless. "Just bruised. They're... coordinated."
She glanced around. The remaining Wraithborne were retreating, melting into the dark cracks of the canyon, leaving behind silence and smoke.
Kael stared after them.
"Someone sent them."
Silna didn't argue.
> System Notice: [New Journal Entry Unlocked: Crimson Echoes] [Bond Skill Progression: 42% — Tier I Threshold Stable]
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The two stood in the aftermath, surrounded by the burnt corpses of the unnatural. Neither spoke for a long moment.
Finally, Kael looked to the dim horizon.
"Let's keep moving."
Silna sheathed her blade. "Yeah. Before they come back with friends."
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> System Prompt: [Tracking Recalibrated – Sanctuary Point: 5.9 km Remaining
] [Warning: Interference Detected in South-Eastern Skies — Unconfirmed Anomaly]
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[End of Chapter 17]