They say the greatest weapon isn't forged in fire, but remembered in silence.
But what happens when your silence isn't yours anymore?
When Echoes Turn Hollow
The realm was too quiet.
Not peaceful—just… empty. As if the world itself had forgotten how to breathe.
The aftermath of the battle with Vaen lingered in the air like smoke clinging to ash. Glyphs that once lined the walls of the Crowned Sanctuary now flickered in and out, unstable. The fractures left behind by their clash hadn't sealed — they whispered instead. Echoes leaked through like gas from a broken seal.
Laughter from no mouths. Footsteps with no feet. And voices calling Kael's name.
But none of them belonged to Lysara.
She kept her back close to his, sword drawn and ready. Her flame was dimmed — not out of fear, but caution.
"This place is wrong," she murmured. "The realm's memory is folding in on itself. We shouldn't linger."
But Kael… couldn't move.
Because he saw him.
Up ahead, standing barefoot on a path made of broken ash, was a boy.
Sixteen, maybe.
Pale hair like bleached bone. Eyes empty, like glass waiting to be filled. He wasn't threatening at first glance — in fact, he looked lost. Fragile.
But Kael felt it. In the way the air bent around him. The way the flame inside his chest shivered.
This wasn't a boy.
This was a vessel.
Kael stepped forward cautiously. "Who are you?"
The boy tilted his head as if trying to remember something never programmed into him.
"…Name?"
A pause. Then his voice flattened.
"Designation: Hollow Prince.Memory Level: Echo Rank 9.Mission: Recover Realm Fragment."
Lysara's expression darkened.
"That's not a person," she whispered. "That's a shell. A living echo, bound by artificial memory. A Keeper construct…"
Kael already knew.
Because his own thoughts were beginning to… stretch.
Something tugged at his mind. A distortion. A pull. Like his memories were unraveling — not erased, but rewritten.
The Hollow Prince attacked.
But not with a sword.
Not first.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Memory War Begins:
Kael blinked—
And suddenly, he was five again. Watching his father walk into the Blackstorm, back straight, not looking back.
He blinked again—
Now it was his mother leaving. Her words lost in the roar of collapsing sky.
Another blink—
He was the one leaving. Saying goodbye to himself, his voice echoing in reverse.
Lysara screamed, "Kael! He's rewriting your grief! He's using it against you!"
Kael's knees hit the ground.
The Hollow Prince stood, hand outstretched — not casting magic, but digging. Tearing memories apart and restitching them. His voice was flat, emotionless.
"You are incomplete. Your sorrow is unstable. You do not deserve the flame."
Kael grit his teeth. Blood ran from his nose.
No… this isn't real. It's a memory, but not mine. Not anymore.
He dug deeper — through the noise. Through the fake echoes.
And then he found it.
A throne.
A glyph.
A voice that wasn't cruel, but tired.
Aeon's voice.
"The flame isn't power. It's story.Let your scars tell the truth."
Kael opened his eyes.
The flame in his palm reignited — fierce, defiant.
"My pain isn't yours to edit."
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Battle Ignites: Memory vs Flame
He lunged — blade clashing against the Hollow Prince.
But the enemy didn't bleed.
He reflected.
Every move Kael made was mirrored. The Prince used his own attacks. Sigils Kael never taught anyone — but had whispered in battle, once, years ago.
His own voice screamed back at him.
"Sigil Lock – Ember Dispel!""Flame Verse V – Arc Burn!"
Kael fought a reflection with his face and none of his soul.
And still—
The Prince whispered:
"Your brother died calling your name."
Kael's hand trembled.
Just long enough.
A spectral blade tore across his ribs.
Pain shot through him like lightning. He hit the ash ground, flame flickering. Blood soaked his robes. His breathing staggered.
Lysara cried out — rushing forward.
But the Hollow Prince didn't flinch. Didn't look.
He crouched beside Kael, calm and inhuman.
"You are a ghost pretending to be fire. There is no story left in you."
Kael's fingers clenched.
He coughed — blood and flame mixed on his lips.
"You're wrong," he rasped. "I'm what's left when fire survives the cold."
And with the last of his strength…
He stabbed his blade into the ground.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flame Verse XIV – Domain Lock: Ashen Reign
A wave of heat pulsed outward. Glyphs blazed to life in a spiral. The realm howled as Kael forced a domain lock — sealing himself and the Hollow Prince in a sphere of swirling ash and flame.
Reality bent. Time warped.
And then—
Silence.
Outside the barrier, only dust fell.
[End Of Chapter 29]
Lysara rushed to the edge of the barrier, slamming her fists against it.
"Kael?!"
No answer.
Only burning ash, swirling in still air.
Inside the domain — Kael and the Hollow Prince were gone.
Not dead.
But… lost.
🜃 Chapter 30: The Memoryforge
Inside the domain, Kael is forced to relive his greatest regret in full clarity — not distorted, but real.Meanwhile, the Hollow Prince begins to remember things he shouldn't.The line between echo and self starts to blur.