The torches lining the academy's west tower flickered unnaturally as Kael and Elira stood at its base, cloaked in darkness.
Night had fallen, but they were already ghosts in the hall moving unseen.
Kael's wounds from the assassin's ambush throbbed beneath his coat, but his soul burned hotter than ever. The system was quiet now, watching, calculating. Waiting.
Elira knelt near the old stone wall, running her hands over a half-hidden sigil carved into the bricks.
"This is it," she whispered. "The entrance is sealed by a glyph lock. We'll need to align its energy frequency to your core signature."
Kael nodded. "Do it."
Elira placed her palm on the stone, channeling soul-light into the sigil. It pulsed, then began rotating—gears grinding from somewhere deep below.
"Soul Lock Recognized: Devourer-Class Signature Detected."
The wall split with a low rumble, revealing a spiral staircase descending into the earth.
Kael took the lead.
---
The passageway was narrow and cold, filled with dust and whispers of old power. Each step echoed with a weight older than the empire itself.
As they descended, the system pulsed:
"Soul Node proximity: 80 meters. Arcane interference detected. Warning: ambient soul pressure increasing."
"What is this place?" Elira asked, her breath visible in the chilling air.
"A vault the empire wanted forgotten," Kael muttered. "And whatever's down here… they feared it."
---
At the bottom, a massive iron gate awaited them. It was covered in crimson runes that shimmered as Kael approached.
He reached out instinctively—and they burned into his palm. He didn't flinch.
"Soul Burn accepted. Gate unlocked."
The doors groaned open, revealing a wide chamber lit by pulsing lava veins in the walls.
And at the center of the room, suspended above a shallow pit of molten stone, floated a crystal—fiery red and flickering like a beating heart.
*The Living Flame Crystal.*
Kael stepped forward, but the air grew heavy—choking.
From the shadows emerged three guardians: towering statues animated by old soul magic, each armed with burning halberds.
Elira raised her hands. "Soul constructs. They're bound to the forge's energy."
Kael's system flickered:
"Engage battle mode. Devourer's Core (Level 1) recommended. Permission to drain external constructs granted."
"Good," Kael said coldly. "Let them come."
---
The first guardian struck like thunder, its halberd cleaving through the air. Kael dodged, sliding across the slick stone. The second followed with a downward strike, cracking the floor as Kael rolled away and countered with *Soul Strike*, punching directly into the construct's chest.
The stone cracked. The system flared.
"Soul Fragment Absorbed: Residual Flame Type."
Kael's arm ignited in red energy temporary, unstable, but powerful. He turned and threw a punch of pure fire into the second guardian's chest, blasting it into the wall in pieces.
Elira supported him, casting barriers and healing flares as the third statue lunged.
Together, they danced between death and power, moving with perfect rhythm—two souls in sync.
---
Finally, the last construct fell, collapsing into rubble.
Kael approached the suspended crystal, the heat nearly unbearable. But his soul drew it in like a beacon.
He reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it, fire erupted through his body raw, unfiltered power. The Soul Devouring System surged.
"Living Flame Crystal Acquired.
Soul Forge Blueprint Progress: 42%
Passive Trait Gained: Soulfire Core – Allows fusion of flame-type souls with Devourer abilities."
Kael staggered back, chest heaving.
Elira caught him, arms tight around his shoulders. "You did it."
"No," Kael said quietly, eyes burning silver and red. "We've just started."
---
As they climbed the stairs back to the surface, Kael felt it:
Something had noticed the forge awakening.
Far away, in a place not bound by flesh, a hollow voice whispered across realms:
"He has found the crystal."
The Hollow King stirred.