Chapter 29: The Temple of Unwritten Flames
The spiral path narrowed as we descended deeper into the earth, the trees above giving way to slabs of broken stone and jagged cliffs draped in ash-stained vines. The silence had grown unnatural—too complete. Even Lira's breathing, soft and steady beside me, sounded distant in this oppressive quiet.
There were no more birds. No insects. Only the crunch of bone-dry leaves under our boots and the flickering whisper of the wind that felt more like breath than breeze.
We passed shattered statues half-swallowed by the ground. Most were headless. Some had spirals carved into their foreheads. One had been burned—violently—and melted into slag.
"I think we're nearing their heart," Lira said, her voice almost a whisper.
I nodded. "Then we're close to the truth."
Eventually, the spiral trail ended at a mountainous wall of black stone, its surface etched with deep runes and faint spirals that pulsed like cooling embers. A massive door stood embedded in its center—closed tight, its seams sealed by age and silence. Above it, a crumbled relief depicted a crowned flame being pierced by three spears.
The air vibrated.
I stepped forward and placed my palm on the stone.
[System Notice: Sealed Archive Detected – Temple of the Unwritten Flame][Soulkindled Flame Signature Detected – Partial Access Granted][Warning: Memory Integrity Weak – Expect Fragment Manifestations]
The spirals lit up—one after another—until the door groaned and split open down the center.
Not with a quake—but with a breath. A sigh, long and mournful.
Behind it: darkness. Cool. Ancient.
Alive.
We entered a cathedral carved beneath the world.
It was massive—larger than any ruins we'd seen above, its ceiling lost in shadows. The floor was tiled with obsidian slabs inlaid with glowing silver lines that formed spirals, eyes, and flames. Pillars of bone and stone supported the space, each one carved with faces twisted in agony or awe.
Some walls bore murals, flaking but still legible. One showed a woman wrapped in chains made of stars. Another showed the Spiral Moon splitting into fragments, each consumed by fire.
And at the far end of the cathedral stood an altar.
Obsidian. Cracked.
And atop it, a silver flame—small, unwavering.
Not warm. Not hot.
Just… there. Watching.
Lira stopped beside me, her eyes wide with something between fear and reverence.
"What is this place?" she asked.
"Their origin," I murmured. "Maybe hers too."
I stepped forward.
The silver flame pulsed.
[System Notice: Fragmented Will Detected – Reconstructing Memory Node…][Subject: Seluriel, the Flamebound Priestess of the Crowned Eclipse][Unlocking Testimony…]
The flame twisted—lengthened—shaped itself into a figure of light and ash.
A woman. Regal. Wounded. Her hair drifted like veils of moonlight, her robes stained with burnt symbols. Her face was calm, but her eyes… they were grieving.
"To the bearer of the flame I cast away…"
Her voice echoed not in the chamber, but within my soul.
"You tread the path I broke. You seek truth buried beneath lies wrapped in song. You walk among ash where once there was light."
She turned her eyes to me.
"I was their voice once. The voice of the Spiral Moon. I thought I was chosen."
Her voice faltered.
"I was used."
Images burst behind her. Spirals carved into living flesh. Flames burning not to purify—but to silence. Chains. Blood. A scream that never ended.
"I broke the hymn. I shattered the chain. But the Mind sleeps still—and its dream lingers."
The silver flame split into three motes. They hovered above the altar, orbiting one another like stars around a dying sun.
"These are what remains of me. Three keys. Three memories. Three fragments of a will that dared to defy the gods."
[System Update: Quest Added – "Keys to the Lost Flame"]Objective: Retrieve the Three Spiral Sigils hidden within the Catacombs of SelurielPurpose: Reconstruct the Flamebound RiteReward: Unlock [Primordial Soulkindled Rite] – Rank: ???
Lira's hand gripped my arm.
The memory flickered.
"You are not me," Seluriel said. "But you may become more."
Then her form unraveled, scattering like smoke.
And behind the altar—something stirred.
A hidden passage opened behind the shattered dais, revealing a spiral staircase descending into pure darkness. Faint whispers rose from below—too many voices speaking at once, as if remembering themselves through me.
Lira's eyes met mine. "They're still dreaming down there."
I drew my blade.
"Then we wake them."
Together, we stepped into the black.