Frostbound Flame: Legacy of the Forbidden Clans

The moon was high when Kaien and his allies reached the outskirts of Skyfallen Monastery—a sacred, floating sanctuary once home to the Lightcallers, a neutral order of mages known for guiding wandering spirits and preserving ancient relics.

But what stood before them now was a ruin.

The floating temple had cracked—hovering slightly above ground level, its sacred stones scorched and defiled. Ethereal chains wrapped around the pillars, glowing with ashfire. The second portal shimmered in the center courtyard, wide open, breathing a dull, poisonous light.

Lira stepped forward, visibly shaken.

"I grew up here…"

Kaien placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Then let's free it—together."

A Sanctuary Twisted

Inside the shattered monastery, remnants of glowing murals flickered faintly—depicting celestial warriors, old elemental spirits, and one haunting image at the center: a blindfolded priestess with silver eyes, standing between flame and void.

"It's the legend of Selune," Lira said softly. "She was the First Seer of Light—our protector."

Saejin studied the broken altar. "So why does this place now reek of decay?"

Before anyone could answer, a low voice echoed through the ruin.

"Because I chose to see what your Order refused to."

From behind the portal stepped a woman—barefoot, draped in broken prayer robes, skin laced with glowing veins of shadowfire. Her eyes shone like silver glass, cracked with darkness.

Lira gasped.

"High Priestess Sylia… You were supposed to be dead."

Sylia smiled.

"I was reborn. Not by your stagnant light… but by the Hollow Flame. And now, I will cleanse the false flame from this world."

She raised her hands—and ghostly constructs of former monks rose, bound by cursed runes. Their hollow chants filled the courtyard.

Battle in the Temple of Light

Kaien summoned the Flamebond Spear, its runes glowing gold-red.

"Saejin, circle the left. Toru, guard Lira. Akari, with me."

Yuki stepped beside him without a word.

Sylia's ghost-army charged.

The clash erupted like thunder through the sky.

Toru swung his stormhammer in wide arcs, shielding Lira from cursed spirits. Saejin moved like smoke, his daggers slicing through spectral monks before they could reform.

Akari spun with phoenix flame around her, screaming, "Crimson Bloom: Burning Lotus!", scorching three spirits to ash.

Kaien and Yuki pressed toward Sylia together.

But as Kaien raised his spear to strike, it suddenly resisted.

A voice—ancient, gravelly—rumbled in his mind.

"Seal her… and you seal her soul forever. Are you ready to destroy a life to stop a curse?"

He froze.

Sylia smiled, noticing.

"You hesitate. Just like the last Flamebearer."

She blasted him with shadowfire. Kaien crashed into a broken pillar.

Lira's Light

As Sylia charged for the kill, Lira stepped forward.

Tears streamed down her face.

"You raised me… You taught me how to heal. You told me every soul can be saved."

Sylia paused.

"You were innocent once," she said softly. "But innocence is a cage."

Lira took a breath. Then lifted her staff—shaped like a sunburst.

"Then I'll free you."

"Light Seal Art: Suncall — Absolute Dawn!"

A radiant wave exploded outward.

Sylia screamed—not in pain—but in memory. Her body flickered between shadow and light.

Kaien's spear flared gold.

He understood now.

"You don't need to be sealed," he said. "You need to be… released."

He threw the spear—not to wound, but to purify.

It struck Sylia's chest.

The portal behind her cracked.

The ghost monks faded—free.

Sylia collapsed to her knees, crying.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I can finally see again…"

Her body faded into light.

The Second Portal Sealed

As the portal shrank, Kaien knelt beside Lira.

"You saved her."

Lira trembled. "Not all flames need to burn, Kaien."

Behind them, the altar lit up again. The cracked mural of the silver-eyed seer slowly reformed—whole once more.

Yuki placed a frost lily on the altar in Sylia's memory.

Saejin knelt briefly—his eyes reflecting more emotion than usual.

"Two down," Akari muttered. "And it's getting harder."

Kaien rose. The Flamebond Spear felt heavier now—not in weight, but in judgment.

The runes pulsed faintly.

And the whispers were growing louder.

A Glimpse into the Void

That night, Kaien sat alone, overlooking the ruined temple as stars twinkled through torn clouds.

As he closed his eyes, sleep didn't come.

Instead… a vision did.

He saw a throne of bone—hovering in a void.

A dragon, larger than any he had seen—even greater than the Dragon King—coiled around it. Its body was blackened with stars. Its eyes… were empty.

And something inside it—trapped—was screaming.

"Don't wake it…""Don't wake… me…"

Kaien gasped awake, drenched in sweat.

The Flamebond Spear beside him glowed faintly. The third portal's location pulsed in his mind:

"Verdant Hollow. South of the Forgotten Wilds."

And in the echo of the wind…

He could hear wings.