Smoke curled like memory through the hollow chamber.
The remains of Velmira—Queen of the Crimson Hive, corrupted consort of the Deep—lay cracked and steaming at the center of the arena. Kael stood at the edge of the impact crater, Solar embers still flickering across the runes of his armor. His breathing was slow, each inhale sharp, as if he were drawing fire into his lungs instead of air.
Mina hovered nearby, arms crossed, scuffed and silent. Her helmet hung loose on her belt, sweat-slick hair sticking to her brow. Seraya lingered farther back, quiet, composed—but her fingers tapped unconsciously against her leg, psionic tension still rolling off her like static.
No one spoke yet.
Not after what they'd seen.
Not after what Kael had become.
---
The Light had brought him back.
But something else had looked at him first.
---
He finally took a step, boots grinding against blackened Hive bone. Starflame Whisper hovered beside him like a ghostly flame, her golden radiance pulsing faintly—changed.
Kael knelt beside what was left of Velmira's form.
The body hadn't entirely vaporized. Her crown lay fractured near the pit's center. Her chest cavity—split open in the blast—still pulsed with inert Void energy. Strange sigils glowed across her ribs in irregular rhythms, and her cloak had crystallized into a brittle carapace of crimson glass.
He reached out carefully.
> [Analysis: Hive Nightmare Core Residue Present]
Corpse Value: Unique – Nightmare Classification
Potential Uses: Relic Study | Material Extraction | Bounty Exchange | Strategic Contact Opportunity
System Suggestion: Store for future use (special inventory recommended)
Kael nodded to himself. "Yeah… you're not going to waste."
---
He opened his hand, and with a flick of will and a shimmer of Light, Velmira's remains dissolved into radiant threads and vanished into his dimensional storage.
> [Item Stored – Velmira's Core Remains]
Classification: Nightmare Hive Trophy
Note: Can be studied, harvested, or bartered.
Potential Contact: Eris Morn – Tower Relic Authority
Connection Thread Unlocked: Shadownet Tier I
Kael exhaled and sat on a fractured Hive platform nearby, his arms resting on his knees.
---
Mina approached. "So, what happens now?"
Kael blinked once.
"Now?"
He smirked. "Now I figure out how bad I'm broken."
---
"Ghost," he said, glancing upward. "Give me a brief overview. I don't need the full essay. Just status and system level."
Ghost materialized above his shoulder, eye flickering like a thoughtful cursor.
> [System Overview – Summary View Enabled]
Name: Kael Solas
Level: 26
Light Affinity: Solar (Phoenix Protocol) | Void | Arc
Core Attributes:
– Strength: 3.5
– Mobility: 3
– Intellect: 3 (Peak Humanity)
– Resilience: 2.5
– Recovery: 2
Title: The Burning Vow
Subclass Fusion: Enabled
Traits:
– Ember of Conviction
– Gift of the Survivor
– Solar Affinity Boost
Catalysts:
– Starflame Whisper: Stage 2
– Soulbrand Core Applied
Passives:
– +10% Solar ability regen
– 30% Light regen at low HP (1-min cooldown)
Status: Stable | Reforged
Kael whistled low. "Not bad for someone who technically died five minutes ago."
---
Seraya stepped closer. "You're still radiating Solar burn. I can feel it from here."
Mina nudged him lightly. "Yeah, try not to explode again without warning next time?"
Kael gave her a half-smile. "No promises."
---
He stood, dusted himself off, and then raised his hand once more.
"Alright, let's see what the gacha gods left me."
---
> [Gacha Pulls: 2x Destiny-Class Draws – Initiating...]
---
> First Pull – Exotic Sidearm: Eriana's Vow
Description: A Solar-imbued, high-powered, anti-barrier sidearm. Delivers precision death from long range. Pierces shields. Burns through arrogance.
Bonus Perk Unlocked: Kindled Oath – Critical hits restore a sliver of shield when Solar-affinity is active.
"Nice," Kael muttered, catching the weapon as it materialized midair. "I've read about this one."
---
> Second Pull – Exotic Armor: Phoenix Fang Cloak
Type: Hunter-Class Cloak (Modifiable for Fusion)
Effect:
– Reduces cooldown on Phoenix Protocol resurrection
– Adds 10% Solar burn resistance
– Boosts Charisma stat in social or seduction-based dialogue
Description: 'Let the fire remind them who you were, and who you still might become.'
Kael slid the cloak around his shoulders, feeling it sync to his armor.
It shimmered with a light golden hue, the inside lined with red sigils that pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Mina raised a brow. "Looks good on you."
Kael smirked. "Everything does."
Seraya rolled her eyes.
---
With looting finished, they finally moved toward the far tunnel—dim, cracked, but still leading upward.
"I think this is our path out," Mina said, tapping her scanner.
Kael nodded. "Then we leave."
---
[POV – Mina]
As they walked, Mina watched Kael from behind.
He didn't walk like someone who'd just died.
He walked like someone reborn.
Like fire waiting to be used.
And that scared her.
And thrilled her.
---
[POV – Seraya]
The Phoenix energy clung to him like a second skin. Seraya could see it with her mind—threads of golden flame coiling through his spirit.
He wasn't just Light-bearer anymore.
He was becoming something more.
Something dangerous.
---
As the corridor narrowed and daylight broke through a long-sealed fissure above, Kael looked back one last time.
The Hollow Womb burned behind them.
And without looking back, he smiled.
---
[Remade Ending – Chapter 12: Ashes of the Womb]
The Hive corridor slowly gave way to broken stone and stale mountain air. They climbed for nearly twenty minutes before the path cracked open—revealing a narrow pass leading to the outside.
When they stepped out, they were greeted not by sunlight, but by the soft, luminous distant glow of the Voyager high in the sky.
It hovered high above the world, pale and distant like a silent moon.
Kael stood in silence, staring up at it.
Not just in reverence.
In memory.
---
> He shouldn't know this yet.
---
The thought crawled into his mind like a quiet echo.
He hadn't met her yet. Not here. Not in this version of the world.
Eris Morn.
The Hive expert. The obsessed one. The survivor. A woman whose knowledge of Hive rituals had always made her invaluable in the game.
But this wasn't a game anymore.
And he'd just stored a corrupted Hive queen's remains in his inventory like a future quest item.
He smirked quietly.
"If she exists in this timeline… that'll be an interesting conversation."
But he said nothing aloud. Not to Mina. Not to Seraya.
Not yet.
---
Mina dropped her gear with a grunt and collapsed against a rock. "I want a bath. A bed. And maybe five hours of sleep."
Seraya sat beside her without a word, gaze tilted skyward.
Kael stepped to the cliff's edge, letting the light of the Voyager paint golden lines across his armor and new cloak.
He burned.
Quietly.
Steadily.
But now, it was no longer uncontrolled.
---
He would carry the flame.
And soon, the world would see it in all its splendor.
---
To Be Continued Chapter 13 – Path to the Skyline
---