The newly forged Sect Core pulsed like a newborn star at the heart of the Ashen Hollow. Though the mountains trembled and mana twisted through the air like storm-tossed silk, Belarion stood firm—his presence a beacon amidst the rising tide of energy. He gazed across the cracked, soot-black landscape where spiritual ash coiled like smoke from forgotten funerals. This was no sanctuary.
It was a crucible.
[System Alert: The House of Dominion Flame is currently unpopulated. Recommend: initiate recruitment.]
"Recruit?" Belarion scoffed. "I don't even have a roof over my head yet."
[Optional System Feature Activated: Phantom Echo Recruitment Protocol. Initiating...]
The air shimmered, and from the ashes rose spectral images—echoes of fallen warriors, cultivators who had died within the Hollow long ago. The system evaluated each one.
[Phantom Echoes Available: 372.] [Combat Viable: 27.] [Compatible Spirits: 3.]
"Filter them by loyalty potential," Belarion commanded.
[Filtering... Result: 1.]
A singular spirit emerged—a tall woman clad in rusted armor, her eyes burning like twin suns.
Name: Kaelira of the Crimson Moon Cultivation: Peak Sovereign (Spirit-bound Echo) Specialization: Battlefield command, bloodfire domain, void-summon tactics
"Who are you to disturb my grave?" Kaelira asked, voice a resonant hum of echoing war horns.
Belarion replied simply, "The one who will give your death meaning."
She regarded him a moment, then knelt. "Then let my sword rise once more."
[Kaelira has joined your sect as the First Flame Marshal. Loyalty: 72%.]
With Kaelira's help, the Hollow changed. They raised pillars of firestone and boneglass, constructed rudimentary defense wards, and forged summoning circles using the bones of forgotten beasts. Recruits came—wandering cultivators, wandering souls, and even a rogue demigod child with a broken halo and a grudge against the Heavens.
[House of Dominion Flame – Status Update: Influence Rating: 307 / 1,000.]
Belarion climbed to the summit of the Citadel Spire. The night sky above him crackled with aurorae born of dimensional friction. He sensed it.
The world was watching.
Elsewhere: Temple of Ten Thousand Eyes
Deep in the jade jungles of the Eastern Concord, an ancient scryer opened her ninth eye.
"He's begun," she whispered. "The boy of stardust and ruin. The Kingless Flame."
A towering figure beside her frowned. "Should we kill him now?"
"No. Let him build. Let him taste power. That is when he will be most vulnerable."
Back in the Hollow
Belarion walked through the ritual courtyard where Kaelira drilled new initiates in flame-step techniques and celestial defense stances. Their forms were clumsy, but eager. He noted them with mild curiosity, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
[Side Quest: "Founders' Challenge" Available. Objective: Challenge a recognized sect to legitimize your own rise. Reward: Divine Recognition +250 Influence. Warning: Risk of total sect destruction.]
He smiled. "Looks like I'll be paying someone a visit."
Kaelira overheard. "Which sect do you intend to challenge?"
"The Ashspire Cult," he said.
Kaelira froze. "You're either mad—or ready for war."
He turned to her, a grin playing on his lips. "Can't I be both?"
To be continued in Chapter 7: The Challenge of Ashspire.