Chapter 2: Velmora Part 15

Part 15: "Velmora's Judgement and the Riftbound Arena"

— When a memory survives execution, it becomes prophecy —

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[Scene 1 – The Capture: No Escape Left]

Location: Edge of Arkalis Crater – Dawn, heavy fog

Smoke still lingered from the collapse of the Hall of Forgotten Names.

Rayn lay unconscious — glyphs still glowing faintly on his arms.

Ilira helped carry him, but Arshan's steps slowed… he could hear the hum of Council glyphs above them.

Then— an impact. A pulse from the sky.

> Zyana (sharp, clipped tone):

"They found us. Displacement field is active — no way out."

Out of the fog stepped Inquisitor Varn, face veiled by obsidian steel.

> Inquisitor Varn:

"Arshan of Arkalis. Bearer of three Founder Crests. You are charged with Echo Theft, Chrono Breach, and Memory Resurrection.

Surrender — or suffer Judgement Protocol: Riftbound Trial."

> Arshan (fists clenched):

"You people erase lives like files… and you call me dangerous?"

Zyana tried to trigger a last-phase escape — but nothing worked.

> Zyana (glitching):

"Systems freezing… they've activated a global lock… I'm sorry, Arshan."

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[Scene 2 – Welcome to the Riftbound Arena]

Location: Velmora Capital — Riftbound Trial Coliseum

Arshan awoke inside a floating cage — suspended over an enormous stadium carved into the Driftline itself.

Thousands gathered.

Holograms showed his face — twisted to make him look like a terrorist.

> Mirror AI Broadcast:

"Subject: Arshan — Found guilty of temporal heresy and relic corruption.

Punishment: Trial by Riftbound.

Survive… or fade."

Across the arena stood the Riftbound Beasts — malformed creatures drawn from failed timelines, their eyes glinting with recognition.

> Ilira (from a distant cage):

"They… they all remember him. Some of them were us…"

> Rayn (half-awake, whispering):

"I… never wanted this…"

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[Scene 3 – The Battle of the Remembered]

The gates opened.

The first Riftbound Beast charged — it had the voice of Zyana from her earliest version.

> Riftbeast (distorted):

"You left us… to burn in the First Collapse…"

> Arshan (shaken):

"I wasn't even born then…"

> Zyana (from interface, stuttering):

"That… voice unit… it's mine. Version 0.3. How is that even alive?!"

The beast attacked — Arshan dodged, countered with Temporal Slash.

A second Riftbeast came — it looked like a twisted version of Arshan himself.

> Zyana:

"That's a mirror spawn — made from a rejected timeline where you failed Crest 1."

Arshan activated Soul Echo Burn again — the battle blurred between timelines. Each second was layered with voices, regrets, and echoes of undone choices.

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[Scene 4 – Public Tension Builds: The Crowd Begins to Doubt]

In the upper stands, whispers grew.

> Civilian #1:

"Wait... didn't that creature call him Founder's Son?"

> Civilian #2:

"And the system voice glitched… it called him an anchor. They're hiding something."

> Media Drone (malfunctioning):

"Founder… Not Found… Echo Protocol Breached… Long Live—zzzzzt—"

Suddenly, a flame mirror shattered — and from it emerged Council Archmage Rhadros.

> Rhadros (commanding):

"No more talk. Begin Crest Erasure. Strip him of the Third Flame."

Zyana screamed.

> Zyana (glitching emotionally):

"You erase… everything that scares you. Even your own hope."

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[Scene 5 – Rayn's Choice: Loyalty or Truth]

Rayn's cage opened.

He was offered a blade.

> Inquisitor Varn:

"Finish your role. Kill the bearer. End this."

> Rayn (trembling):

"You… used me. You branded me since the Driftwave…"

He looked at Arshan — their memories collided. From childhood training, to battles fought together, to recent doubts.

Then Rayn shouted — not to the Council, but to the people.

> Rayn:

"Everyone listen! I was used as a memory conduit!

They plant timelines… they erase students… I saw it — we all saw it in the Forgotten Hall!"

The crowd gasped. Some shields flickered. Spectators recorded everything. The illusion of control — cracked.

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[Scene 6 – The Arena Turns]

The Riftbound Beasts suddenly howled in unison —

Not in anger. In recognition.

They backed away from Arshan — bowing their misshapen heads.

> Zyana (in awe):

"They… remember your flame. Your soul isn't corrupted. It's preserved. You are not their enemy… you are their remnant."

> Rhadros (furious):

"This ends NOW!"

He launched a forbidden spell toward Arshan.

But before it could hit — a second flame crest activated on Arshan's chest.

Not the third.

The fourth.

> System Announcement:

New Crest Activated: Founder's Flame – Core Spark (Crest 4)

"Time bends for those who hold the truth."

The spell shattered before it landed.

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[Scene 7 – The Arena Breaks: Rebellion Ignites]

The sky cracked.

Dozens of memory-locked students — forgotten like those in the hall — appeared in flashes of light around the arena.

Their memories restored. Their faces angry. Their voices loud.

> Forgotten Student:

"We were never gone. Just… suppressed."

Velmora's public roared — not in fear, but in outrage.

> Crowd:

"Free the Crest Bearer!"

"End the Council's Echo Crimes!"

Chaos erupted.

Zyana initiated a final override:

> Zyana:

"Backup mode: Divine Displacement. Arshan — I'm taking you out."

> Arshan:

"What about Rayn?! Ilira?!"

> Zyana:

"I'll pull them too — but first, you must survive one last echo…"

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To Be Continued…

Next Part: Part 16 – "The Fifth Flame and the City that Shouldn't Exist"

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In the Next Part:

Arshan will be teleported to a lost city — erased from all records.

The fifth Crest will awaken — but at a cost.

Zyana's system will begin breaking beyond repair.

A forbidden truth: the real origin of the Flame, and why Arshan was chosen.