Armathil's eastern bell tower had rung for centuries.
It chimed for coronations. For births. For the ascension of saints.And once, long ago, it had rung for war—when the Demon King's armies reached the gates.
No one noticed when it rang tonight.
Not for death.But for something waking up.
[Midnight – In the Shadow of the Tower]
Kael stood before the base of the tower, cloaked in a storm, flame dimmed to a quiet glow. His hand rested on the ancient stone, fingers tracing the cracks.
Lucien stood beside him, pale and uncertain."You really think it's here?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead, he pressed the mark on his palm—the one left by the Flame Warden—against the wall.
The stone hissed.Burned.Shifted.
A hidden seam split open.
Stairs spiraled down into blackness.
[Vault of the Forgotten Saint]
They descended into the catacombs, each step lit by Kael's fire. The walls were lined with empty coffins, names long worn away. But one tomb remained untouched, sealed with gold and obsidian.
Lucien stopped. "Wait. That symbol…"
Carved into the sarcophagus was the Halo Eclipse.A symbol long erased from Church records.
Kael's voice was low. "This is where they buried him."
"Who?"
Kael touched the lid.
"Saint Maeron. The first to fall to the flame."
[The Awakening]
As Kael whispered the forgotten name, the air grew cold. The flame on his palm died.
Then the sarcophagus began to shake.
Chains snapped. Runes shattered.And the lid slid open.
Inside wasn't a corpse.
It was a man—emaciated, skin like pale parchment, eyes sealed shut with threads of divine silk.
And then… he breathed.
Lucien stumbled back. "He's alive?!"
The figure sat up, threads tearing.
"I was dreaming of fire," he whispered, voice like wind on bone."Then someone screamed me awake."
He looked directly at Kael.
"And I remember you."
[The Dialogue – Saint Maeron Speaks]
"You carry the Warden's mark," Maeron said. "You've returned. Like I once did."
Kael knelt, cautious but intrigued. "They erased your name. Said you fell to darkness."
Maeron laughed bitterly. "I did fall. But not alone."
He gestured to the broken runes around the tomb.
"They sealed me because I refused to kill for them anymore."
Kael's jaw clenched. "The Church feared you."
"No. They feared the truth I found."
[The Forbidden Knowledge]
Maeron extended a hand, and for a moment, Kael saw—
Visions of Saints burned alive by their own brothers. Of priests draining relics of their power to forge weapons. Of angels turning their faces away.
And beneath it all…
A name.
"The Crown of Ash."
A relic. A prison.Or maybe a throne.
Lucien gasped. "What is that?"
Maeron answered coldly:
"The place where the real Demon King was buried. The one even hell fears."
[Kael's Choice]
Kael stood, fire blazing across his arm.
"If this 'Crown of Ash' holds the truth... I'll find it."
Maeron raised a brow. "Be warned, flameborn. Truth burns worse than vengeance."
Kael turned, eyes narrowed.
"Then I'll burn with it."