Chapter 9: The Ruinbound Pact

Chapter 9: The Ruinbound Pact

Kael had never seen the Spire so silent.

The obsidian veins that usually pulsed with violet glow now stood inert, like the beating heart of the tower had stilled. Outside its weathered hall, the dawn sky churned with grey mist, refusing to commit to light or shadow. Yet within, the ancient structure bore witness to a conversation that would mark the first true pivot of Kael's path and perhaps the world's.

His bones still ached from the Mirror Trial. Soul Threads frayed and memories fogged, he now sat in quiet recovery inside the Flameborn Clan's ceremonial sanctum. Robes clung to his frame, the scent of ash and incense in the air as Elders gathered around him not to condemn or question, but to listen.

Maeryn, the First Elder, stood with his arms behind his back, one eye socket filled with burnished gold, the other scarred from decades of inner wars.

"Tell us what you saw," he commanded.

Kael recounted everything.

The Mirror World. The echo selves. The Over-Mirror. The system's growing voice. Even the new abilities.

He explained the Reversal Lens, and how it had nearly driven him mad. How each usage tore pieces of his past away. He described the Sightbind Thread and the new sentience behind his Oculith system. As he spoke, the room fell into breathless silence. Not fear. Not awe. Something else.

Recognition.

When he finished, Maeryn didn't speak at first. Instead, he turned to the gathered Elders, many of whom bore the same expression: tight-lipped restraint. As if confirming a prophecy.

"So it begins," Maeryn said at last.

Another Elder stepped forward, a dragonkin in humanoid form scales dulled with age, the brand of an ancient bloodline wrapped across his spine.

"The Second Seal has not been unlocked in six centuries," he rasped. "And even then, it brought nothing but war."

"It is not war," Maeryn countered. "It is awakening."

Kael spoke softly, "There are others like me. I saw them. Their presence like ripples through the veil."

"You did more than see," Maeryn replied. "You pulled on the Great Thread. Now it pulls back."

He stepped closer.

"You are not simply a Sightbearer. You are a Knot. The world bends around you."

Kael felt the words press against his chest like a physical weight. The system responded instantly:

[Recognition Protocol: "Knot" designation accepted. Status effects pending...] [World Event Triggered: Resonant Sightbearers Begin Phase Drift. Timeline instability increased by 3.2%]

"What happens now?" Kael asked.

Maeryn gestured to the side. Two initiates dragged forward an ancient altar carved from wyrmstone, lined with deep claw marks and inlaid with obsidian bones. Upon it rested a sealed scroll and a black crystal, faintly humming.

"You form your Ruinbound Pact."

Kael frowned. "What is that?"

"It is the bond all Second Seal wielders must take. A covenant with a creature or item of forgotten time something that mirrors the abyss within your soul and anchors your path forward. You will not master the seals without it."

The black crystal pulsed.

[System Alert: Pact Item Detected — Classification: Elderbound Relic. Compatibility: 87%] [Warning: Bonding requires partial sacrifice of essence. Memory, bloodline, or time. User must choose.]

Kael swallowed. "What happens if I refuse?"

"Then you stagnate. The next seal remains closed. You will rot from the inside, weighed down by what you've already endured."

"Then I accept."

The room dimmed.

As Kael approached the relic, a deep thrum shook the floor. His hand brushed the crystal, and a rush of images flooded him—a chained beast in the void, wings of shadows, a crown made of bone and regret.

He fell to his knees.

[Engaging Pact Synchronization...] [Essence Sacrifice Required. Choose One:] [1. Memory: Forget the face of one loved person] [2. Bloodline: Reduce current blood purity and resistances by 10%] [3. Time: Age five years instantly]

Kael gritted his teeth. "System, recommend."

[Strategic Suggestion: Sacrificing bloodline has least long-term impact in early realm stages.]

"Then take it."

A sharp pain shot through his spine. His veins glowed for a moment—then dimmed.

[Bloodline Adjusted. Flameborn Purity: 71% → 61%] [Ruinbound Pact Established: Companion Type — Forgotten Sovereign] [Creature Summary: Oneiric Wyrm sealed in ancient fold of time. Carries fragments of future and past. Compatible with Reversal Lens and Sightbind Thread.]

Kael collapsed.

But in his mind, something stirred.

A voice like cracked bells.

"We remember you, Flameborn. We dreamed you before you were born."

The system processed the integration.

[Skill Gained: Chrono-Anchor (Passive) — Prevents absolute death once per trial, rewinds fatal moment. Usable once per lunar cycle.]

[Skill Gained: Wyrm's Whisper (Active) — Send fragments of your voice to the past or future. Limited clarity. 24-hour cooldown.]

[Drawback: Temporal instability in high-pressure decisions. Periodic loss of presence. Meditation required to restore.]

When Kael came to, the Elders were gone. Only Maeryn remained, seated beside him.

"You did well."

Kael's voice was hoarse. "I feel like I swallowed a dying star."

"Good. That means it bonded."

Maeryn stood, walking to the arched window that overlooked the misty cliffs.

"You need to leave soon. Others stir. Not just Sightbearers. But those who hunt them."

K zeeael forced himself upright.

"Let them come."

Maeryn smiled faintly. "They already are."

In the distance, a horn sounded.