The world shimmered with quiet power as the Origin Thread settled into Rei's system. Above him, constellations reformed into intricate spirals, threading into each other like a loom of forgotten gods. The throne behind him no longer bore The Architect's weight—only his final echo.
> [System Notification: Origin Forge Access Unlocked. Realm Anchor Required. Flamebound Core Ready. Entry Recommended.]
Noira tightened her gloves. "So what, we walk into the birthplace of laws and start rewriting them?"
Velka, now radiating a richer aura of primordial fire, nodded. "That's exactly what we do."
Mireille scrolled through the reconfigured leyline map. "There's only one path in. The Flamebound Core must be stabilized first. We'll need to visit the three Pillars of Sovereignty."
Rei arched an eyebrow. "Let me guess—each is guarded?"
"Not guarded," Velka said. "Reflected. Each Pillar shows who you could have been, if one part of you had changed."
---
First Pillar: Dominion of the Unborn Flame
Within hours, the group traversed into the Domain of the First Pillar. It existed between breath and decision—a realm shaped by hesitations never acted upon.
Here, the air burned softly, like guilt. Rei stood at the entrance alone, the others left outside.
A voice greeted him.
"I'm who you would've been if you stayed afraid."
From the fire stepped a figure clad in black—no Spirit System, no Sovereign Flame. Just an ordinary man: Kazenari Rei, the Coward.
He held no weapon. Yet, he radiated despair.
"I watched others die. Hid from battles. Never saved anyone."
Rei stared. "And yet here you are."
"I didn't want this path," the Coward said. "But you should know—power isn't always salvation."
They fought—not with weapons, but words.
"You think pain made you strong. I think strength came when you chose not to stop."
The flame between them pulsed. Rei reached out.
> [Trait Reconciled: Fearwalker — Grants resistance to mental despair-based illusions. Flame stabilization increased.]
The Coward smiled before fading. "Then walk boldly, even for both of us."
The flame behind Rei turned gold.
One Pillar down.
---
Meanwhile — The Lattice Citadel
Sovereign Alpha paced.
His projections flickered. Each Sovereign now bore scars from Rei's resistance. The Codex Core had been breached in four layers.
> "Enact the Backup Protocol. Activate Sovereign Zerah."
A chamber opened. Mist bled outward.
Within stood a woman—her hair woven from constellations, her eyes made of mourning.
Sovereign Zerah: The Testament of Silence.
Alpha whispered, "Bring down the forger of flame. Burn not his body—but his hope."
Zerah bowed. "And what if hope burns hotter than silence?"
Alpha's mask cracked.
"Then erase his name."
---
Second Pillar: Bastion of the Forgotten Victory
In a realm lit with the light of battles never fought, Rei stood before a golden version of himself—resplendent, regal, untouched by loss.
"I'm you," the Sovereign Rei said, "if you'd accepted their offer back then—if you'd joined the first Sovereigns instead of rebelling."
This Rei was loved by all. A hero. But not true.
"You traded freedom for admiration," Rei said.
"And you traded peace for scars."
They clashed—flame against flame. Mirror against truth.
Rei whispered his allies' names mid-battle.
One by one, their memories fueled his strikes.
> [Trait Reconciled: Flame of Humble Triumph — Increases resilience to legacy manipulation and false exaltation. Core efficiency enhanced.]
The golden version vanished in sparks.
Two Pillars down.
---
Elsewhere — Eirenne's Internal Conflict
Eirenne stood alone beneath the Moonlit Grove. Her spirit stirred. The Eighth Flame inside Rei had awoken her own latent path. A sword of compassion, drawn from pain.
She whispered, "I don't want to be a follower. I want to fight beside him."
A faint light flared in her chest.
> [System Notice: Spirit Awakening Seed Formed — Classification: Guardian Flamebound. Synchronization Pending.]
Karasu appeared behind her.
"You're changing."
"I know," she said. "Let me carry some of his burden."
---
Third Pillar: Threshold of the Broken Flame
The last trial lay within darkness—a pit of betrayal.
Rei saw himself surrounded by corpses.
Friends. Spirits. Allies.
A broken version of himself wept in the center, laughing between sobs.
"I tried too hard. Burned too long. Lost everyone."
Rei didn't speak. He knelt.
"I've already felt that. And I still chose to continue."
The broken version looked up.
"Then carry my guilt too."
They embraced.
> [Trait Reconciled: Bearer of Ash — Empathic threshold exceeded. Spirit resonance at maximum harmonization.]
The flames turned into a key—pure white.
---
Final Sequence — The Sovereign Forge Opens
Three keys combined.
The Sovereign Forge erupted from the sky, descending like a meteor made of flame and song.
A temple floated in the void—burning, singing, beckoning.
Rei turned to his allies.
"Time to learn how gods were made."