Training with the Tether
The woman called herself Seina—the last Flameborn Tether.
She lived in silence, her voice like smoke on still air, her eyes ancient with grief.
> "You think your bond is strong," she said. "It is wild. Untamed. It will devour you both if you don't learn to shape it."
She took them to a spiritual convergence point—a shallow lake where flame danced across the surface like petals.
> "Sit. Breathe. Merge. Let your souls touch."
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Shared Spirit Trial
Christian and Kien sat opposite each other, palms touching, eyes closed.
The tether awakened between them—not just a line of energy, but a living thing. It pulled memories like water from a well.
Kien saw Christian's moment of Awakening—alone, bleeding, choosing fire over surrender.
Christian saw Kien's childhood, surrounded by silence and cold… until she found her first book on spirit theory.
They felt each other's pain. Each other's strength. Each other's hopes.
And for a moment, their flames overlapped, a swirl of crimson and pale blue, neither dominating.
> "You're not afraid of me," Christian whispered, half-conscious. "No," Kien said. "I'm afraid for you."
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Bond Deepens – The First Kiss (Almost)
Later, in the quiet of the mountainside temple, Christian reached out to her—only for their bond to flare unexpectedly, throwing sparks across the stone.
They froze. Inches apart. Breath mingling.
But neither stepped back.
> "It's too dangerous," Kien murmured.
"So is everything we've done," he said.
They didn't kiss.
But the air burned between them, charged with more than spirit flame.
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Far Away – The Scorch-Eater Moves
At the Flame Cult's shrine, the Scorch-Eater rose fully now, a beast of shattered masks and fire-forged claws.
It turned its head toward the distant mountains.
> "The bond matures."
> "And I… am hungry."
It began to move.
The world grew colder as it did.
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To Be Continued…