Frostbound Flame: Legacy of the Forbidden Clans

They left the sea behind.

Ahead stretched the Moltra Scar—a chain of molten canyons carved by fire spirits and ancient dragons. The air shimmered with heat; the wind carried the scent of ash and sulfur. Lava rivers pulsed through cracked ground like veins of a dying god.

The fifth portal slumbered somewhere beneath the largest volcano—Mount Vyrrak, still rumbling with breath.

Kaien tightened his cloak as the Flamebond Spear pulsed.

"We're close. The portal here is… angry."

Akari, still glowing faintly from her Sea Inferna awakening, whispered, "This place feels like my mother's stories—where flames cry, not rage."

Baran's Restless Soul

Baran, usually stoic, had been strangely quiet. His steps were heavier. His gaze lingered on glowing rocks and echoing roars from beneath the canyon.

At nightfall, he finally spoke.

"My ancestors came from here. Flamewelders, bonded with volcanic beasts. But when the Hollow Flame rose… they were wiped out. I was a child."

Kaien looked over.

"You think something's calling you?"

Baran clenched his fist.

"Not something. Someone. My beast never died. It was sealed—in the fifth portal."

The Path Through the Cinders

To reach the portal, the group had to pass the Cinder Caverns—a labyrinth of magma tubes and unstable stone bridges. As they entered, the Heptasoul Core flickered in Kaien's pouch.

It pulsed once—twice—then cast a projection of a cloaked man wielding a primitive spear of pure flame.

The vision spoke.

"I am Kael Drakthorne, the First Flamebearer. I forged the Flamebond during the War of Nine Clans.If you are seeing this… the Void Flame stirs again. And only through unity… can we seal what should never be born."

Everyone froze.

Kaien whispered, "He was real…"

Lira touched the core. "Then we're more than warriors now. We're heirs to something far older."

Mount Vyrrak Awakens

As they reached the volcano's heart, tremors shook the cavern.

The fifth portal opened slowly—molten red and surrounded by obsidian chains. A creature roared from within, and when it emerged, the ground shook—

A massive beast—Infermaw, the last Volcanic Wyrm—half magma, half soulfire.

Its body glowed like a sun inside a furnace. But chained to its neck was a seal… glowing with Baran's clan crest.

Baran stepped forward, tears steaming from his eyes.

"…Father?"

Kaien turned. "Wait—what?!"

The Truth Beneath the Flame

Infermaw's soul was merged with Baran's father, once a beast-tamer of the Flamewelders. The Hollow Flame had bound him to the fifth portal, forcing him to protect it forever in agony.

Tyrael's voice echoed from the volcano walls.

"What better guardian than a father who could never protect his child?"

Baran roared in fury.

Kaien grabbed his shoulder. "You can't kill him."

Baran replied, "I'm not here to kill. I'm here to free him."

The Fifth Portal Battle

As the team fended off waves of obsidian wraiths, Baran advanced on the flaming wyrm.

He struck the ground:

"Flamewielder Art – Soul-Bind Resonance!"

Molten runes carved themselves around his arms. A tether connected him to the beast. The portal screamed behind it.

Baran's body burned—but he pushed through.

Kaien and Yuki held off the portal's defense with dual magic—Frostfire Harmony, a technique created from combining their flames.

Akari invoked her blade—Scaldfang—and carved through the collapsing cavern wall to buy them time.

At last, Baran reached his father's heart.

"Forgive me…"

He drove his hand into the flame and absorbed the Hollow Brand.

Infermaw howled—and vanished into light.

Aftermath – A Bond Reforged

The volcano stilled.

Baran collapsed. His hair had turned streaked with ember-gold. On his back: a new flame crest, marking him as the last true Flamewielder.

The fifth portal cracked… then sealed.

Kaien stood over him. "You freed him."

Baran looked up. "No. He freed me."

A Love Interrupted

That night, as the group camped near a lava spring, Kaien and Yuki stood beneath a sky of crimson smoke and stars.

She spoke softly. "Every time we fight, I feel closer to losing you."

Kaien looked into her eyes.

"And every time I survive, it's because I know you're still watching."

She stepped closer.

For a heartbeat, everything was quiet.

Then—

"Kaien." Saejin's voice cut through the moment.

The Flamebearer turned.

"What is it?"

Saejin looked grim. "The sixth portal… is already open."