The ruin loomed ahead like a slumbering giant, half-buried beneath the roots of colossal, crimson-streaked trees. Faint glyphs pulsed along its cracked stone, their light pushing back the mist just enough to make the air breathable.
Arlen's flame flickered at his side, more steady now, though every step still felt like a risk. His body ached from the battle with the abomination, mana reserves running dangerously low. Still, curiosity pulled him forward.
"What is this place?" he whispered.
Liora's eyes narrowed, scanning the glyphs. "Ancient. Older than the grove. Older than the kingdom, maybe. These ruins predate our history."
As they approached, the system chimed.
> Location Discovered: Ruins of Thalorien
Condition: Corrupted – Bound by Scarlet Grove
Warning: Entities detected within.
The great stone arch that marked the ruin's entrance seemed to breathe, expelling a faint mist with every gust of wind. Arlen felt his pulse quicken. It wasn't just a ruin. It was alive in some way, or at least bound to something that was.
"Do we really go in?" he asked.
Liora glanced back at him, her face unreadable in the dim light. "The grove doesn't give us choices. It gives us roads. This is the only one open."
He nodded grimly, following her beneath the arch.
Inside, the air shifted immediately. It was colder, drier. The mist clung less tightly here, as though wary of the glyphs carved into the walls. Torches lined the stone corridors, unlit but etched with runes that hummed faintly.
Arlen brushed his fingers along one torch, feeling a strange warmth beneath the stone. "These… they're waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
Before he could answer, the system spoke again.
> Dungeon Initiated: Ruins of Thalorien (Tier D)
Objective: Reach the Heart of the Ruin.
Reward: Unknown.
Arlen's heart skipped a beat. A dungeon. He had heard stories of them—places where ancient magic pooled, twisting the environment into a crucible for those daring enough to enter. And now he was standing in one.
Liora's lips curved faintly, almost amused despite the tension. "Your system is full of surprises, isn't it?"
Arlen swallowed, gripping his staff. "Let's hope it doesn't run out of them."
As they pressed deeper into the ruin, faint sounds stirred—scraping claws, rustling fabric, whispers threading through the air. The walls seemed to close in, each glyph glowing brighter as if feeding on their presence.
Then the first guardian revealed itself.
It stepped from the shadows, tall and thin, its body cloaked in tattered robes that bled mist. Where its face should have been was only a hollow void, glowing faintly with crimson light. In its hand, it held a staff of bone and root.
The system identified it instantly.
> Scarlet Wraith Priest – Rank D
An echo of Thalorien's fallen acolytes, bound to the Grove's corruption. Caster-class. Dangerous.
Arlen's pulse hammered. His fight with the abomination had been brutal enough—now he faced a caster born of corruption.
Liora drew her blade, stepping forward. "I'll break its defenses. You end it."
Arlen steadied his staff, Emberflame crackling faintly at its tip. The wraith raised its own weapon, chanting in a tongue that made the walls shiver.
The ruin trembled as the battle begin.
The priest's chant deepened, echoing like a drumbeat through stone. Glyphs on the walls flared crimson, pulsing in time with its words. Then the ruin answered—mist poured in thick waves, swirling into skeletal arms that clawed at the air.
Arlen's stomach lurched. "It's summoning!"
"Not if we cut it down first!" Liora surged forward, her blade flashing as she closed the distance. The wraith's hollow face turned toward her, its staff sweeping in a lazy arc. A wave of scarlet mist exploded outward, forcing her to skid back, coughing. The ground hissed where the fog touched it.
Arlen clenched his teeth. He raised his staff and fired a bolt of Emberflame. The golden spark streaked across the chamber, striking the priest's chest. It staggered but didn't fall—the mist wrapped around its robes, knitting the wound closed.
> System Alert: Target has Regeneration Trait. Direct flame insufficient without purification boost.
Arlen cursed under his breath. Pure damage wasn't enough here. He had to burn the corruption itself.
The wraith raised its staff high, shadows twisting into a dozen spectral figures—twisted mockeries of men, women, and children. Their faces were familiar. Duskwood. Again.
The sight struck Arlen's heart like a blade. The illusions reached for him, calling his name, pleading for salvation.
> Willpower Check Initiated.
Arlen's hands trembled. He saw his mother's face, pale and broken, whispering: You weren't enough.
His flame sputtered. Doubt gnawed.
But then—Liora's shout broke through. "Arlen! Look at me, not them!"
His gaze snapped to her. She was holding her ground, her blade slicing through the wraith's summoned mist-figures, refusing to bow. Her eyes locked with his, fierce and unwavering.
Something inside Arlen snapped taut. He wasn't the boy who had run from burning homes. He wasn't powerless anymore.
He gritted his teeth, thrust his staff forward, and roared. The Emberflame surged golden, brighter than before, carving through the illusions like sunlight burning fog. The false faces melted away, leaving only the wraith.
The system chimed.
> Flamebound Soul Trait Resonating – Emberheart Purification Initiated.
Golden fire coiled around his staff, wrapping it like a living serpent. The priest shrieked, sensing the danger, and hurled a bolt of scarlet energy. It struck Arlen full in the chest—only for his flame to consume it, devouring corruption like dry tinder.
He pushed forward, step by step, each breath heavier than the last. "You're not real. You're not my guilt. You're just corruption!"
With a final shout, he slammed his staff into the ground. The golden fire burst outward, searing across the chamber. It wrapped the wraith in a cocoon of light, burning through its robes, its bones, its hollow face. The crimson glow flickered, then shattered.
The wraith collapsed into ash. Silence followed, broken only by Arlen's ragged breathing.
The system spoke.
> Enemy Defeated: Scarlet Wraith Priest
Reward: +2 Levels, +6 Stat Points, Skill Gained – Purgeflame (Basic).
Arlen blinked at the words, barely processing them. His body shook with exhaustion, but his flame didn't die. Not yet.
Liora approached, resting her blade against her shoulder. Her expression was sharp but approving. "That was different. Stronger. You're learning."
He gave a weary smile. "Or maybe the grove just really wants me dead."
She smirked faintly. "Both can be true."
Before either could say more, the glyphs along the walls dimmed—and new ones lit up, forming a path deeper into the ruin. The dungeon wasn't done with them.
Arlen steadied his staff and forced himself upright. His heart pounded, his flame still flickering gold. Whatever awaited at the heart of Thalorien, he was certain this was only the beginning.
And he wasn't turning back.
The air in the ruin shifted after the priest's fall. The mist pulled back, sluggish, as though the grove itself was wounded. Yet deeper ahead, Arlen felt a pulse—a heartbeat, slow and ancient, reverberating through the stone.
They followed the glowing glyphs, winding down narrow halls etched with murals worn by time. Strange figures loomed on the walls: robed acolytes gathered around a radiant flame, kneeling in reverence. The same flame appeared again and again, painted in hues of gold.
Arlen slowed, touching one of the carvings. "This… it looks like my Emberflame."
Liora studied the murals, her brow furrowing. "Or rather, your flame resembles this. Maybe the grove isn't trying to kill you, Arlen. Maybe it's testing you—because you're tied to something older than either of us."
He swallowed. The thought was terrifying. The fire wasn't just his—it was a legacy he didn't yet understand.
At the end of the corridor, they reached a vast chamber. Roots sprawled across the ceiling, thick as pillars, their tips dripping crimson sap that hissed when it touched the floor. In the center of the chamber rested a stone altar, glowing faintly with golden light.
The system chimed.
> Dungeon Core Detected – Heart of the Ruin
Objective: Purify or Claim the Core.
Warning: Choosing "Claim" will bind you permanently to the ruin.
Arlen's pulse quickened. The core was alive—pulsing like a heart, radiating warmth that called to his flame. He stepped closer, but the grove resisted. The mist surged violently, forming a final guardian.
The sap pooled, twisting upward into a towering figure. Half-root, half-bone, its chest glowed with crimson embers. The guardian's roar rattled the chamber, shaking dust from the walls.
The system named it.
> Scarlet Root Titan – Rank C-
Guardian of the Core. Born from corruption. Highly resistant to physical damage. Weakness: Purifying Flame.
Arlen gritted his teeth. His mana was thin, his body strained—but he had no choice.
Liora tightened her grip on her sword, standing at his side. "Together?"
"Together," Arlen said, and they charged.
The titan swung a massive root-arm, crashing into the ground. Stone shattered, sending tremors through the chamber. Liora darted left, slashing at the roots with steel, while Arlen thrust his staff forward. Emberflame surged, golden and hungry, burning into the titan's chest.
The corruption resisted, but his flame tore deeper with every heartbeat. The titan bellowed, striking wildly. One blow grazed Arlen, hurling him across the chamber. His back slammed against stone, air forced from his lungs.
The system flickered before his eyes.
> Health Critical – 22% Remaining.
Arlen coughed, forcing himself upright. Across the chamber, Liora fought fiercely, her blade glowing with runes as she carved into the titan's limbs. But it wasn't enough—the beast regenerated too quickly.
Arlen raised his staff again, heart hammering. He had only one option left. The Emberheart Surge. It would drain him dry—but maybe that was the point of this trial.
Closing his eyes, he focused not on fear, but on purpose. Not on what he'd lost, but on what he could still protect. His flame roared in answer, swelling brighter than ever. Golden fire wrapped him, licking across his arms and chest like armor.
The titan sensed the danger, lunging toward him with a roar.
Arlen planted his staff, voice breaking with the effort. "Burn—everything that binds this place!"
The Emberheart Surge erupted, a storm of golden fire that filled the chamber. It consumed the titan, searing root and bone alike. The crimson light in its chest sputtered, then shattered with a deafening crack.
The guardian fell, its body collapsing into cinders.
The mist recoiled, shrieking like a dying thing. Then—silence. The chamber cleared, bathed in golden light. The altar pulsed warmly, its glow no longer tainted by crimson.
The system spoke.
> Dungeon Complete: Ruins of Thalorien (Tier D)
Objective Achieved: Purify the Core
Rewards: +3 Levels, +10 Stat Points, Item – Core Fragment (Purified).
Arlen staggered forward, placing his hand on the altar. Warmth spread through him, filling his body with a steady, quiet strength. The Emberflame within his chest pulsed in rhythm with the altar—as though they shared a bond.
Liora approached, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You claimed it without claiming it. That fire of yours… it belongs here. Maybe everywhere."
Arlen breathed deeply, his flame flickering golden in his eyes. He didn't know what the future held, but he understood one thing clearly:
This was only the first ruin.
The grove had shown him power, but also hinted at something larger. His fire wasn't just his own—it was part of an ancient legacy waiting to be uncovered.
And now, he was strong enough to take the next step.