They were told to forget.
They chose to remember.
Now the world will burn.

In the fractured realm of Oruin, where power is measured in bloodlines and secrets, the ancient Guardians once bound reality with sacred laws. But those laws were broken—and the truth was buried.

Enter Grim, a reluctant prodigy with a storm raging beneath his skin. After surviving a mysterious experiment and a deadly clash with royalty, Grim discovers he carries more than scars—he holds a piece of something forbidden. Something that should have stayed locked behind time and flame.

When his awakening draws the attention of the Blank Court—a secret order seeking to shatter the boundary between worlds—Grim and his four powerful siblings are forced into the heart of a war long erased from history. Each is chosen by a lost Guardian, each tested by realms of myth and madness. But even their newfound strength may not be enough.

Allies become enemies. And if Grim cannot master his fire, his storm, and the shadows hunting him—then the very fabric of existence may fall to ash.

Location: Hollow Reach Outskirts – Glitchfire Cavern


Grim doesn't explode so much as detonate—


A storm of flame and backlash pulses from his chest like a second heart rupturing. The cave flickers between now and never, reality struggling to hold its breath.


Eyes blaze like they remember being stars.


The Irix-Class Assassin doesn't retreat.


She moves like a glitch in reality—skipping frames, rewinding space. Her arms stretch into jagged constructs, part blade, part code, reshaping at will. Her voice distorts with every word:


"Subject: Sparks. Status: Rogue Entity."


Sparks hovers beside Grim, crackling dangerously.


"Grim, if she hits your central channel—"


They collide. Blinding speed. Slashes and flame. Sparks of data and fire collide as Grim dodges one slash, then counters with a spiraling flame punch. She glitches—appears behind him—


Grim catches her blade barehanded. Flames roar up his arm.


"Enough!" Sparks shouts, light erupting from her.


Together, they move as one. Grim's next attack isn't just fire—


It's codefire, burning with Irix glyphs and raw memory.


He stamps a brand into the assassin's chest—


She glitches mid-scream, collapsing as her corrupted body dissolves into glowing static. Her last words echo in fragments:


"...Five remain... Core... incomplete..."


Grim falls to one knee. Sparks flickers beside him, weak.


"And yours. Which means someone in Irix is still watching."


Grim looks down at his glowing palm. "There's something inside me. Something old. That lit you before we met. I think I… called you."


"Guess fate ships us," Sparks says with a tired smile.


The cave's edge fractures—and a blade flashes through the fading glitch residue.


Cloak torn, hair wind-swept, blade humming with kinetic light.


"Guess I'm not too late," she mutters, surveying the chaos. "That thing was Irix-class. You shouldn't have survived."


Kaia moves to Grim's side. "You're lucky my cousin picked up the rupture signature. Grab your things. We're burning daylight and patience."


"Where are we going?" Grim asks, standing slowly.


"Ashenwell," she says, eyes sharp. "You've been accepted."


"You didn't have to. You're a walking security breach. They want to watch you."


"I'm here to make sure you don't die before you do something stupid and important."


She tosses a small healing shard toward him. "Now move. The lions are hungry."


As they exit, Grim glances back one last time.


A black feather drifts upward through the cave's flickering light—rising, not falling.


Chapter 6 - CHAPTER SIX – “Codebreaker’s Waltz”