"To be called Sovereign is not to rule.It is to stand against the tide when no one else remains."
It began as a tremor. A shift in the breath of the world.
A moment so small most would mistake it for weather.
But those who once burned with the Pillars themselves—they knew.
A lost signature had awakened.
Ashen Resonance.
Maerok blood.
Kaien's name returned to the echo of the world.
❖ The Verdant Sovereign – Seyara of Blooming Light
Greenspire Court, Upper Realm of Solfern
She sat upon a throne grown from her own soul-seed, vines blooming from her spine.
As she drank from the dew of a thousand-year flower, her eyes snapped open.
"Ash awakens?"
Her flame, once still, curled toward the sky in mourning.
"Alvar's blood still burns?"
She touched the root-vault hidden beneath her court.
"Then the Pact is undone."
❖ Sovereign Karuun – Lord of Torrent Pyre
Citadel of Sky-Cracked Storms
Lightning walked beside him like an old pet.
He stood in silence, listening to the thunder argue with itself.
When Kaien's signature struck the air, the storm knelt.
Karuun exhaled once.
"So the one who sealed the Tenth has returned..."
"Will he do as his ancestor did—burn himself?"
He turned to his war-advisors.
"Send rain. Wherever the Hollow is."
"If he is Maerok... he will not hide from storm."
❖ Sovereign Velrith – Keeper of the Crownfire Flame
Flame Court Imperium, Seat of Absolute Law
His mask was iron. His voice law.
Every word he spoke was written into the Flame Registry instantly.
The moment Kaien's name appeared on the Echo Tapestry, he paused mid-sentence.
"Unsealed lineage. Unauthorized Sovereign-class awakening."
"Bloodline: Maerok."
"Category: World-Renegade Tier."
An attendant spoke.
"Shall we issue a judgment?"
Velrith raised a hand.
"No."
"We wait."
"For now... the world shall judge him first."
❖ The Wildflame Queen – Aerris of the Seventh Bloom
Wandering—Realm Unknown
She wandered barefoot over the bones of a dying forest.
She laughed when she felt the signature.
"He's alive. The little flame that remembers."
"And he carries the wound of the Tenth. How precious."
She plucked a blossom from the earth, blew on it.
It floated.
Toward the Hollow.
❖ And Beyond Flame... in Realms Thought Lost ✦ The Glass Flame Priest, Sovereign of Hollowbrand (Sealed)
Still Entombed beneath the Rift
He stirred.
Not with waking.
But with recognition.
In the deep, where time no longer walked, he whispered—
"Maerok."
"He who sealed me... has sent another."
And the chains trembled.
Back in the Hollow
Kaien stood upon the Veilbranch, staring at the sky.
He didn't know their names.
But he felt them.
One by one.
They had turned to face him.
Seren came to his side.
"Something's changed."
Kaien didn't answer.
He closed his eyes.
"The thrones are burning again."
"And I'm standing where no flame should."
[System Notice: Global Sovereign Response – Tier I]
Flame Thrones Reactivated: 5Old Laws StirringAncient Pact: Maerok's Legacy may not be struck without collective judgment
The disciples trained below, still laughing, still burning, still dreaming.
But above them?
The Sovereigns watched.
Not to crush.
But to decide.