Chapter 39: The Grave of the First Flame
The night after the vision was silent.
No roars. No training. No council. Just the wind whispering through the charred trees of the Crimson Howl's territory.
But within the ancestral hall, Kael stood alone before the Oathstone, fingers tracing the glowing rules etched into its surface. Every line pulsed with quiet strength—rules he'd carved, laws that now governed the pack.
And yet… they were just the beginning.
"First Flame…" he muttered. "Where did they bury you?"
Behind him, a figure stepped from the shadows.
Grandfather Varric.
"You saw them," the old wolf said. "Didn't you?"
Kael nodded. "The First Pack. Chaos incarnate. They didn't follow rules… they made them."
Varric's expression turned solemn. "I suspected. Our blood has always felt... untamed. Like it was meant to burn through cages. Your father fought it. I tried to silence it. But you—you're letting it roar."
Kael turned. "I need to find the Grave of the First Flame."
Varric closed his eyes for a moment. "Then you'll need to go east. Beyond the Riven Vale. There's a gorge there... always burning, never dying. The land remembers what the world tries to forget. It's where the First Flame was extinguished."
Kael inhaled sharply.
"Then I'll go."
---
Three Days Later – Riven Vale
The journey was brutal.
Blistering heat radiated from the cracked earth as Kael and a small team—Flam, Milla, Tamir, and the newly recovered Seth—descended into the scorched valley. Ash blanketed the ground. Bones of beasts long dead littered the path. The air shimmered like a forge in overdrive.
"Remind me why we brought Seth again?" Milla muttered.
"I volunteered," Seth snapped. "I need to prove myself."
"Then don't trip over your own pride," Flam muttered, sword drawn.
They reached the gorge by dusk.
Flames danced in the cracks of the earth like trapped spirits. And at the center of it all—a lone stone altar, half-buried in volcanic soil, pulsing faintly with crimson light.
Kael stepped forward.
> System Alert:
Relic Site Detected – Grave of the First Flame
Initiate Trial: Burn or Be Burned
Requirement: Alpha Must Enter Alone
Warning: Trial Cannot Be Interrupted Once Begun
Kael cracked his neck.
"I'll be back."
"Or very crispy," Flam muttered.
Kael placed his hand on the altar.
The fire consumed him.
---
Inside the Trial
He stood in a world of flame.
The sky burned red. The air itself hissed. And in the distance, walking through the firestorm, was a giant wolf made of living embers and molten bone.
The First Flame.
It spoke without a voice—more feeling than sound.
"You carry the blood. But do you carry the will?"
Kael dropped into a low stance.
"I'm not here to ask. I'm here to take back what was buried."
The flame beast roared and charged.
Kael dodged left, fire licking at his cloak. He shifted mid-air, claws extending, slicing across the beast's shoulder. Flames erupted from the wound—but it didn't slow.
The ground cracked.
The world shook.
Kael activated his bloodline.
> Chaos Bloodline: Devourer – Surge Mode Activated
➤ Target Marked: First Flame Echo
➤ Assimilation Rate: 10%
➤ Blood Stability: 70%
But it wasn't enough.
The beast lunged—and Kael was pinned beneath a mountain of heat and fury.
His body screamed.
His soul trembled.
But something in him refused to break.
The memory of his fallen pack. Of their rebirth. Of the system. Of his vow.
"I won't kneel to fire. I AM the fire!"
He roared—and the fire inside him exploded.
Light swallowed the battlefield.
---
System Alert: Trial Completed
> First Flame Acknowledges Alpha
➤ Chaos Bloodline Advancement – Phase Three Seed Acquired
➤ New Active Skill: Infernal Pulse – Detonate Chaos Energy Around Targeted Area (Cooldown: 1 Day)
➤ Pack Bond Strengthened
➤ Chaos Resistance Increased
---
Kael collapsed outside the altar, steam rising from his skin.
His team rushed to him, but his eyes were steady.
No burns.
Just a new glow within.
Flam whistled. "You look like hell."
Kael smirked. "I brought a piece of it back."