The next morning, the air smelled of sandalwood and fire.
Veer stood at the edge of the ruined Marma Shrine, the black fragment pulsing faintly in his hand. The Trial of Listening had not just earned him a piece of the divine—it had changed him. Inside, something had awakened. Not just strength… but a deeper purpose.
> [System Note: Echo Step Skill Ready for Use]
[Memory Link Available – Marma Shrine Grounds]
[Would you like to enter the memory of this place?]
He hesitated—then chose "Yes."
The world around him shimmered.
Suddenly, he stood in the past.
The temple was whole again—bells rang, smoke curled upward from incense pots, and dozens of monks moved in perfect silence. But this peace was short-lived.
A scream.
A clash of steel.
The vision twisted, and now Veer saw soldiers—dark-armored, masked, and merciless—burning the outer gates. A lone warrior stood at the center, holding off a dozen attackers with a blade shining like the sun.
She was young—barely older than Veer—with long hair tied back, her forehead marked with ash and saffron. Her strikes were not brutal but precise, like poetry written in blood.
Then she turned—her eyes locking with Veer's in the echo of the past.
And she saw him.
> [System Glitch: Temporal Echo Interference]
[Warning: Subject within memory is spiritually aware]
[Possible Cross-Memory Contact Initiated]
The girl's mouth moved. "You're not from now… are you?"
And before Veer could respond—the vision shattered.
He gasped back into the present.
The forest was still, the shrine quiet—but the memory lingered like fire on his skin.
> [New Character Registered: Unknown Warrior – Soul Signature Linked]
[Tag: "The Flameborn" | Fate Intertwined]
[System Quest Updated: Find the Flameborn Before the Next Eclipse]
Veer knew what this meant. Somewhere in this world, that girl was still alive—maybe fighting, maybe hiding, maybe searching like him. And the system had connected them for a reason.
He couldn't delay.
Two days later, Veer arrived at the outskirts of a desert village—Suranagar, known for its ancient weapon-forgers and camel-borne scouts. Dust hung in the air like ghosts.
As he entered, murmurs spread:
"Did you see his ash band?"
"He wears the rudraksha…"
"Is that the boy the winds spoke of?"
He paid them no mind. His focus was drawn to the center of the town, where a circle of warriors were training—swords clashing, spears spinning, and in the middle…
Her.
The girl from the vision.
She moved with the same grace, but now… there was sorrow in her strikes.
Veer approached the training ground. As she turned, her eyes met his—sharper than any weapon around her.
"You," she said. "You stepped into my memory."
Veer nodded. "And you… left a mark on mine."
The warriors around her tensed, hands going to hilts.
She raised a hand, stopping them.
"Who are you?"
"I am Veer," he said. "I seek the fragments. And I think… our paths are tied."
She looked him over, gaze lingering on the black shard at his belt.
"I don't trust easily," she said. "But I know what that is. And if you carry it… the storm will follow."
"I'm not running," Veer said quietly.
Her expression softened. Just a little.
"My name is Agniya," she said. "Daughter of a fallen line. Guardian of lost fire."
She extended her hand.
"Then let's see how well you fight, Word-Speaker."
And with the sun blazing above, Veer drew his stance—no longer just a listener, but now a warrior beside another flame.
> [New Ally Registered: Agniya – The Flameborn]
[Bond Level: 1% | Trust In Progress]
[Next Objective: Suranagar Arena Trial – Prove Your Strength Together]