Rune of Flames

The world didn't just have people disguised as monsters.

When the Hollow Disaster first appeared in Arkheim almost six centuries ago, it brought along waves of grotesque beasts—twisted reflections of nature, hatred, and hunger that stirred the souls. They were called Hollow Creatures, or Hollows, as if shortening the name might make them easier to kill.

It didn't.

The phenomenon opened up an entire new world called the Shattered Realm, an alien dimension that mirrored a world after the apocalypse. But it wasn't just a world—there were many worlds residing in the Realm and merging themselves like jigsaw puzzles: a desert could be next to a rainy forest, or a cave could lead to a cityscape. It was nothing short of a fantasy, but the reality wasn't that beautiful.

Hollows started invading the earthly realm through Distortions—cracks in reality that leaked black mist and screams. Entire cities vanished in days. The world cracked, fractured, then bled.

Society was plunged into madness and chaos.

That was when the first generation of Resonators emerged—humans who could survive the Hollow Energy, whose souls didn't rot just by standing near a Distortion.

Some of them awakened supernatural powers. Others just didn't die.

They called the weaker ones Dormants—Resonators with Echo Essence in their souls but no awakened abilities. Stronger than humans, slower to age, and harder to kill, but essentially still human.

The powerful ones, however, were different. Resonants were marked and changed, and each had their own Verse—a supernatural ability.

They bore the Echo Stigma on their wrists, a brand etched into their very soul the moment their powers awakened. Each one was unique and irremovable; some were even alive.

And now, Luciel had one—his own Echo Stigma, and his Verse was this scarlet flame he'd just summoned.

'This... doesn't make sense.'

He didn't know if he should feel grateful or afraid.

He looked at the Stigma faintly pulsing on his wrist. The shape was an enigmatic, scarlet circle, but he felt like it was unclear, hazy, and half-formed, as if it hadn't fully decided what it wanted to be. But the sensation was there.

The thought of becoming a Dormant was far-fetched to him, let alone a Resonant. Being a Dormant could secure you a comfortable life in the Districts already, but being a Resonant could shoot you up into the high echelon of society, depending on what your Verse was.

Furthermore, the Outlands were infamous for the dangers of a Distortion appearing out of nowhere. He'd been lucky not to encounter one, but now, he had something to combat it. Having another weapon for survival was always welcomed, especially when the Districts would take weeks before dealing with a Distortion in the Outlands.

But there was one major issue that he couldn't overlook.

Throughout all recorded history, no one had ever awakened before the age of sixteen.

Luciel didn't know exactly why, but society treated it as an ironclad law of the Shattered Realm.

He was an anomaly—a thirteen-year-old Resonator. There were no rules or precedent for that. If he were to reveal himself to the whole world, especially in the Federation, he could bid his life farewell. Only fear, speculation, and questions that drew the wrong kind of attention.

'I'll think about that later. But these, however...' his thought lingered.

He shifted his gaze at the flaming runes hovering in the air.

Throughout his thirteen years of wandering, scavenging, and collecting information, he'd never heard of someone having a rune inscription describing their abilities and attributes. He'd only heard that most Resonants instinctively drew out their abilities with Echo Essence from the soul and didn't follow any type of system.

That was why the collective governments of the world created an international administrative body called Central Union of Resonator Affairs, or CURA, just to classify and record Resonants and their Verses.

Luciel, however, had a runic system. Still not believing it, he scanned the runes from top to bottom again.

Name: Luciel.

Epithet: —

Soul Form: [Kindleheart].

Flame Phase: [Scarlet].

Soulflame Resonance: [Kindling].

Soul Cinders: [0/500].

Soul Attributes: [Flameborn].

Soul Abilities: [Divine Flame].

Relics: —

Could he summon them again? Dismiss them at will? The flame hadn't told him anything—but it had shown him this.

He tried willing it—mentally, instinctively—anything that might make sense.

Then, with a single thought, the runes faded away like ash and into the depth of his soul. Gone. But not forgotten.

'...That worked.'

He then exhaled slowly and focused—not on the flame, nor flesh and bone, but on the realm beneath it.

A quiet pull stirred in his chest. The air felt denser.

Then they appeared.

Faint, scarlet runes floated in a half-circle before him. It was as if his soul had simply responded to his call and decided to show him its reflection.

He subconsciously wanted to dive deeper—into the runes themselves.

Then, in an instant, the names started to write descriptions. Luciel's gaze fixed on [Kindleheart] first.

Soul Form: [Kindleheart].

Soul Description: [A soul kindled by a forgotten warmth, fragile but alive. Beneath the ash lies a flicker of purpose—uncertain, yet already walking toward ruin and rebirth.]

Luciel stared at the long-winded description of his soul, somehow understanding the gist of it. It sounded cryptic and frivolous to him at first, but the more he repeated the words, the more it resonated with his soul.

He certainly couldn't explain it clearly—just a feeling that buried deep in the weight of his soul.

With a meaningful gaze, he continued down the line.

Flame Phase: [Scarlet]

Phase Description: [The first awakening of divine fire. Unstable yet pure, this flame does not follow—it watches. It judges. Its warmth is not comfort, but challenge. To bear Scarlet is to be seen by the flame, but not yet accepted.]

Soulflame Resonance: [Kindling].

Resonance Description: [The flame has touched your soul, curious but distant. It stirs at the edges, uncertain whether you are worthy to wield it.]

Luciel figured these two were connected. The scarlet color marked the condition and identity of the flame—its temperament, nature, and will. The resonance, however, reflects the state of the bearer's soul—how closely his soul echoed the flame's rhythm.

And [Kindling], from the name, maybe it meant the flame hadn't acknowledged his soul yet.

It wasn't power. Not really. The power was here, but not his.

The flame didn't obey him, but it didn't reject him either. 

Luciel didn't know how to feel about this. Resonants usually took full control of their Verses immediately. It was different from mastery, of course, but he'd never heard of an ability being sentient.

On the other hand, having a companion could be a great boon to his growth. He had a completely different progression path than the normal Resonators, after all.

He narrowed his eyes to the Soul Cinders counter just beneath the the Soulflame Resonance.

[Soul Cinders: 0/500].

No description, no symbol—just a number. A measurement, maybe. For what, he didn't know. But it was the only part of the system that looked like it could grow. For how, he had no clue also.

The most straightforward yet obscure concept.

Sighing, he continued to read the shimmering runes.

Soul Attribute: [Flameborn].

[Flameborn] Attribute Description: [Kindled in fire, tempered by conviction. Heat, pain, and passion form the core of your being.]

[Flameborn] was less straightforward. It didn't sound like a skill—more like something that had configured his essence. He wouldn't know until he tested it, though, so he resumed reading the second-to-last one.

Soul Ability: [Divine Flame].

[Divine Flame] Attribute Description: [Your flame is the origin of life, the purest of flames. It brings both salvation and ruin.]

'Aren't Soul Abilities the same as Verses?'