The camp was quiet.
Too quiet.
After the attack, the air felt heavier. Every glance lingered. Every voice dropped in volume. Paranoia crept like frost through the rebellion.
And Aelric knew: this wasn't just the aftermath of a siege.
This was the weight of betrayal.
"We need answers," Lyria said. "Fast."
Aelric nodded. "We start with the medallion. Any rebel caught with a sigil from the Viper's Fang is getting questioned."
Caelum scowled. "And if they're too clever to keep it on them?"
"Then we use the old way," Aelric said grimly. "We test mana signatures."
> [System Activation: Aura Trace – Minor Level]
Allows temporary detection of mismatched energy patterns in known zones.
Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 6 hours.
The mana around the ruined supply tent lit up with spectral traces. Footprints of pale red lingered—distinct from the golden-white tones of rebel cultivators.
"Whoever was here… they weren't one of us."
While Lyria followed the trail, Caelum led a party to inspect the outer tunnels—emergency passages built under the ridge for supply runs and retreats.
And there, behind a fallen slab of stone, they found it:
A sealed door, etched with ancient runes.
Aelric arrived moments later.
He didn't hesitate.
He placed his hand on the mark.
> [System Response: Bloodline Confirmed – Kaelen Vaelion]
Unlocking...
Vault of the Flameborn: OPEN
The door groaned and slid open.
A rush of cold air swept out.
And inside… was silence.
The chamber was small, circular, and dimly lit by enchanted crystals long dormant.
Scrolls lined the walls.
And at the center, resting on a stone pedestal, was a single black-leather journal. Old. Burned at the edges. Bound in silver wire.
Aelric stepped forward.
He touched it.
And the past came flooding back.
> "If you're reading this, then I have failed."
"My dream—to unite the five empires and cast down the false gods of this world—was too dangerous. Even my closest friends turned from me."
"But I see a light still."
"My son. Aelric, if you live—if you survive this wretched world long enough to find this place—then I ask you to do what I could not."
"The empires must fall. The monsters are not the greatest threat."
"The rot is within the crown."
Aelric stared at the ink-stained words until they blurred.
His father hadn't just died in war.
He had died chasing an impossible dream.
Aelric clenched the journal.
"Then I'll finish it."
> [System Update – Legacy Quest Progress: 2/7 Clues Found]
Kaelen's Journal added to Key Items. Excerpt unlocked: The Crown of Masks.
Next Target: Find the Lost Sigil of the Dawn Pact.
Outside, Lyria returned—empty-handed.
"Trail went cold near the river. Whoever it was, they knew when to disappear."
"Then we smoke them out," Aelric said. "No more waiting."
His voice was steel.
"The rebellion will rise."
"But first…"
He held up the journal.
"…we learn what they tried to bury."
Far away, in a tower of black glass, a masked lord read a different copy of the same journal.
And whispered, "The boy reads his father's words. Just as planned."