Chapter 12 – The Captured Flame

The chapel ruins loomed at the northern edge of Veyrane, half-sunken into scorched earth. It was a broken skeleton of a once-grand structure: melted arches, blackened pews, and vines growing between collapsed stone pillars. No birds sang here. No wind stirred.

Just silence.

And heat.

Riku paused at the edge, one boot pressed against the ash-covered threshold. His eyes narrowed.

“…This place,” he murmured, “feels wrong.”

Selene hovered beside him, almost hesitant. “The magical residue is thick—older than the captain. Older than the town.”

Kaela drew one dagger, testing the air. “Smells like burned magic. Old fire.”

Riku’s system pulsed.

[Godhunter System – Divine Alert]
High-Temperature Containment Ward Detected
Relic Classification: B-Class Prison Seal
Energy Source: Flame Origin Signature… unstable.

He stepped forward. The ground beneath him cracked like thin glass, kicking up embers from beneath a layer of soot. They advanced in silence, every movement echoing against stone walls warped by heat.

Then they heard it.

A voice—barely audible. Hoarse. Furious.

“…filth… I’ll burn you all…”

It came from behind the altar.

Riku rounded the corner.

And there she was.

Suspended by four chains of glowing runes, a girl floated midair. Her crimson hair fell like a tattered banner around her face, wild with static. Her body was bruised, scorched, but still alight. Tiny embers danced at her fingertips even as her wrists bled from the cuffs.

When her eyes opened—those molten, fire-colored eyes—they locked onto him with unfiltered hatred.

"You."

Her voice was a growl, low and dangerous. “Another flame-licking pig here to stare at the witch?”

Riku held his ground. “We’re not with them.”

She laughed—loud and bitter.

“Sure. And I’m the Queen’s favorite pet.”

Kaela flinched as fire lashed out—only to crash harmlessly against an invisible barrier.

The girl thrashed against the restraints, teeth bared.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll burn this whole chapel down again!”

“Stop,” Riku said, calmly. “We’re here because I killed Captain Elgren.”

That shut her up.

Her head tilted slowly. The fire dimmed just enough for them to see her—pale skin kissed by ash, strong shoulders, a jagged scar over her right collarbone. Her eyes narrowed.

“Elgren. The Flame Queen’s butcher.”

Riku unsheathed the Ember-Brand Sword and laid it gently on the altar, its scorched hilt glowing faintly.

“He’s gone.”

A long silence.

Then she laughed again—but softer this time. There was something else in it now. Something broken.

“You really did it…” she whispered.

Selene floated closer, peering at the chains. “These aren’t just magic. They’re divine script—Flame God’s own signature.”

Kaela scowled. “Why would they seal her instead of killing her?”

The girl answered, voice bitter. “Because they were afraid. Afraid of what I might become.”

Riku’s system flashed again.

[Divine Seal Disruption Possible]
Key Required: Godhunter Rank – Active
Break Seal? WARNING: May trigger unstable magical backlash.

Riku stepped forward.

“What’s your name?”

The girl blinked. “Talia.”

“Do you want to be free, Talia?”

A pause. Then a slow nod.

Riku reached out.

The air around his palm warped. A pulse of dark crimson surged up his veins. The moment he touched the barrier, the chapel screamed—runic chains pulsed violently, resisting, fighting back.

Fire exploded outward in a shockwave.

Kaela was thrown back. Selene shielded them both. Riku gritted his teeth, pushing harder.

Then—shatter.

The chains cracked and crumbled, light bleeding out like dying coals.

Talia dropped, landing on her feet in a crouch. She looked up slowly, trembling.

Not from fear.

From rage.

From freedom.

She stood, breathing hard. Flames flickered across her shoulders.

“I thought I’d never… never get out…”

Kaela stepped forward, wary. “You gonna try to cook us now?”

Talia smirked. “Maybe later. For now—”

She turned to Riku.

“I owe you. But not just for saving me. For killing him. I want in.”

Selene tilted her head. “You’re serious?”

Talia grinned wide, fire dancing at her fingertips. “Deadly.”

Riku stared into her eyes. She didn’t flinch.

“Then join us. We’re not done burning down their lies.”

That night, they made camp just outside the chapel.

Selene tended to Kaela’s arm. Riku sat sharpening his blade. And Talia? She sat cross-legged, surrounded by flickering orbs of fire, laughing to herself as she hurled them at rocks and exploded them on command.

“She’s insane,” Kaela muttered.

Selene smirked. “She’s what we need.”

Riku watched them all.

One by one, they were coming together.

Not a band of heroes.

But something else.

Something stronger.

Something real.

[Godhunter System – Update]
New Ally Registered: Talia – Flameborn Outcast (Lv. 19)
Pact Candidate Status: Active
Next Trigger: Combat Synchronization or Emotional Threshold
Danger Level: Medium. Volatility: High. Loyalty: Unproven.

Riku closed his eyes, leaning back against a half-cracked wall.

Three allies now.

Each one broken.

Each one dangerous.

But in their eyes, he saw it—the same fire that burned in him.

They would tear down gods together.

Page by page.

Flame by flame.