Chapter 2: Velmora Part 12
Part 12: The Third Crest and the Fire in the Ruins
[Scene 1 – Dawn of the Inquisition]
Location: Skies above Arkalis Academy
Velmora's morning light never came.
The sky remained dim — the black comet now hovered like an eye, half-closed but watching.
Through the clouds, flying vessels tore through the silence — they bore the crimson insignia of the Inquisition.
> Zyana (alert tone):
"Inquisitor-class strike ships… incoming. They've bypassed Academy protocols. This is a hostile retrieval."
Inside the Academy tower:
> Arshan (gritting his teeth):
"They're here for me."
> Veyron (calm but firm):
"No… they're here for what's inside you now."
---
[Scene 2 – Clash at the South Gate]
The South Gate of Arkalis lit up as flaming glyphs began to spin mid-air. Inquisitors in red-banded armor dropped in — armed with memory-siphon spears.
> Inquisitor Leader:
"Subject: Arshan. Surrender the Founder fragment."
Rayn pulled Ilira behind a pillar — she was still weak from the earlier wound.
> Arshan:
"I don't even understand what it is yet. You want me to surrender something I didn't ask for?!"
> Inquisitor (coldly):
"Understanding is irrelevant. Containment is everything."
A fierce fight broke out — sparks of pure mana clashing with system-assisted reflexes.
Arshan's body moved on its own — Zyana guiding every motion.
> Zyana:
"Deploying Soul-Lock Mode… defensive architecture initiated…"
---
[Scene 3 – Soul Weapon Awakens: Whisper of the Eternal Blade]
The skies roared — and from Arshan's back, a glowing symbol emerged.
His weapon — the soul-bound blade he inherited long ago — began to burn with blue fire.
And then it spoke.
> Soul Weapon (echoing):
"You finally heard the whisper.
I am Aetheryn, bound to the flames of the First Vessel."
Arshan froze mid-battle.
> Arshan (whispering):
"You… can speak?"
> Aetheryn (solemn):
"Only when time folds. And it has."
Arshan gripped the blade tightly — its edge no longer physical. It was flame made into memory.
He sliced through two Inquisitors — who turned to ash instead of blood.
---
[Scene 4 – Flight Toward the Eastern Ruins]
Zyana pulled a projection map in front of Arshan's eyes.
> Zyana:
"The Inquisitors won't stop. We must find the Third Crest — before they rewrite your memory core."
The group escaped using the underground relic path.
Ilira, now partially stabilized, guided the way using her clairvoyance.
> Ilira (while walking):
"There's something buried in the Eastern Ruins… but it's not sleeping. It's waiting."
---
[Scene 5 – The Flamebound Undead Army]
Location: Eastern Ruins – Obsidian Valley
Black ash coated the ruined landscape.
A massive gate, sealed with rune-fire, stood before them. As they stepped forward, the earth cracked — and undead rose, bodies wrapped in molten chains.
> Zyana (in horror):
"These aren't corrupted creatures… they were guardians. Firebound by the Founder to protect the Third Crest."
> Rayn:
"Then why are they hostile?"
> Aetheryn (answering):
"Because the Founder is not dead. And he is testing you."
The undead attacked — but they didn't just use brute force. They mimicked Arshan's own moves… as if they were his past lives.
> Arshan (realizing):
"They remember me…"
One undead knight bowed mid-fight and pointed his flaming sword toward a sealed stone.
> Knight (in broken voice):
"The Fire of the Third Crest… only answers to the bearer of the Rift Mark."
Zyana flashed a hidden glyph in Arshan's system interface — the Rift Mark had appeared after defeating the Time-Eater.
> Zyana:
"You are the bearer."
---
[Scene 6 – The Third Crest Reveals]
As Arshan touched the stone, a burning spiral rose up — the crest lit up with ancient letters that could not be read by normal eyes.
> System Update: Crest Acquired: Flame of the Rift – Crest 3/7 Buff Unlocked: Temporal Fire Resilience
Special Skill: "Soul Echo Burn" – Project your next strike into multiple futures.
> Zyana:
"There are seven crests. And now the war for them has officially begun."
---
[Scene 7 – The Founder Lives]
Inside the chamber, a flickering fire orb glowed — but then, it spoke.
> ??? (low and ancient voice):
"You hold the third. But only when the seventh returns… will I rise again."
Arshan's hand burned as flame carved into his skin — not to hurt, but to mark him.
> ???: "I am the one who fell from the first sky. And I am not done writing history."
Arshan staggered back.
> Arshan:
"He's… alive. Watching everything."
> Zyana:
"The Founder… is hiding in the timelines. He's fractured himself into the crests."
---
[Scene 8 – The Council's Next Order]
Far away, the Velmora High Council watched everything through cracked mirror interfaces.
> Council Head:
"He now holds the Third Crest. We can't kill him… but we can trap his timeline."
> Mirror AI:
"Shall I activate the Time Lock Protocol?"
> Council Head:
"No… release Protocol Zero.
Let the Founder Hunter wake up."
---
To Be Continued…
Next Part: Part 13 – "The Founder Hunter and the Chrono Trap Maze"
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Highlights coming in Part 13:
Introduction of the "Founder Hunter" — a being not bound by time, created to hunt down the Founder's fragments.
Arshan and team trapped inside a time-loop maze.
A new betrayal… by someone unexpected.
Arshan's soul weapon reveals a forgotten promise.