Location: The Emberdeep Caverns, beneath the Gluthallen Barracks
The nights beneath the University of Eternal Flame burned quieter than one might expect. Not in silence, but in concentration—a smoldering focus born from ambition and fear. Beneath the dormitories, sealed by runes older than the Empire, lay the Emberdeep Caverns—a place used only for… sanctioned deviation.
Maximilian descended into the lower halls alone.
Until the shadows moved.
"You shouldn't be here," Maelis said.
She stepped from between two rune-etched pillars like a thought taking form. Her flame-black robe shifted subtly with her movements, shimmering with silent fire.
"And yet," Maximilian said, his voice low, "here I am."
They stood facing one another, the hush between them woven with layered intent. Maelis tilted her head slightly, dark braids swaying. Her ash-hued eyes flickered with an inner glow.
"I thought you might come," she murmured. "You've been seen."
"By who?"
"The ones who see without eyes. And listen through flame."
Maximilian hesitated, then spoke carefully. "You mean the Divine Committee?"
"No," she replied. "Worse."
Trial: Pact of the Ashborn
Wordlessly, Maelis extended a sealed scroll.
It bore no sigil. No system tag. Only one word etched in forbidden script:
Glutpakt — Ashen Pact_
"Unofficial trials exist," she said, "for those who don't wish to burn under the watch of others."
Maximilian unrolled the scroll. Inside were three names.
Trial Type: Pact Formation — Ashborn LineageParticipants: Maelis der Aschenträgerin, Maximilian KriegswaldObjective: Soulfire Synergy TrialDanger Level: A+
"If we complete this," Maelis said, "we share one hidden advantage: an ashen tether. It hides certain System pings… and permits synchronized aura masking. Useful. If you're planning to keep your secrets."
Maximilian's eyes met hers. He nodded once.
"I accept."
Trial Begins
Inside a sealed flame-ring, both channeled their auras. Maelis's flared in an eerie silence—like fire that didn't need to burn, only be.
Maximilian activated his Stellarweave state halfway—just enough to resist. Not enough to reveal.
The cavern grew hotter. Symbols erupted around them. A vision rose.
Ash. Flame. A shattered mountain. A child born of ember and shadow.
Maelis screamed—not in fear, but rage—and her aura collapsed. Maximilian caught her before she fell.
The pact flared.
Soulbrand Formed: Ashen Vow – Tier B+ (Hidden Classification)Effect: Shared suppression field, aura masking, dual resistance. Compatible with Astral and Obsidian aura roots.
They were linked now.
For better—or worse.
Interlude: The Ashborne's Secret
Later, outside the trial ring, Maelis stared into the soulfire brazier.
"My father was a god," she said softly.
Maximilian paused.
"Not by birth," she continued. "By pact. He swallowed a sliver of Ignia's heart during the last Schism War. Became something almost divine. It cost him everything."
Maximilian sat beside her in silence.
"They think I inherited his madness," she said, voice cool. "They're not wrong."
He looked at her with an unreadable expression. "You inherited fire. What you burn is your choice."
For the first time, Maelis smiled. Not cruelly. Not slyly. Just… faintly.
"You're not what I expected, Maximilian."
Lore Drop: Pact Trials & Hidden Systems
Pact Trials are unsanctioned system engagements used by rogue Houses, divine descendants, or forbidden lineages. They allow power-sharing, aura synchronization, and limited skill fusion. They are not recorded in the public System registry, but may be detected by Ancient Observer Runes or the Abyssal Divinities.
Pact Types:
Ashen (Obfuscation & Silence)
Glacial (Resistance & Delay)
Starlight (Perception & Range Expansion)
Bloodroot (Sacrifice & Regeneration)
Ashen Pacts are among the rarest due to their implications: most form only under immense pressure, mutual trauma, or divine tethering.
Item Profile: Emberbrand Pendant (Variant)
Name: Emberbrand Pendant – Variant: Ashforge
Type: Soul-Bound Accessory
Origin: Flameborn Vault, crafted in the aftermath of the Second Infernal Rebellion
Tier: A
Effects:
+15% resistance to heat-based aura attacks
Aura Signature Masking: -2 ranks on System Detection
Pact Reinforcement: Increases Pact synergy rate by 11%
Hidden Effect (Unlocked via Ashen Vow): Flame Echo Memory – allows recall of one event per pact-bound per moon cycle.
Note: These pendants were forbidden after misuse during the Eruption Trials in the 3rd Age. This particular one was found among Maelis's belongings after the trial.
Political Intrigue: Whispered Observations
Later that night, Chancellor Ignatia met with Archflame Meisterin Veltraxa von Rauschglanz.
"He's forming shadows," Ignatia said.
Veltraxa sipped her firewine. "He walks a path no one sees. That's why we must watch him, not force him."
"And the Ashborne girl?"
Veltraxa's eye flickered with Phoenix light.
"She's no longer just a threat. She's a tether."
"And when he awakens fully?"
"We either kneel," Veltraxa said, "or burn."
End of Chapter 15: Aschenpakt – The Ashen Pact