The journey from Harkened Vale to Ashvault Library took them across scorched plains where nothing dared grow. Blackened trees stood like the husks of forgotten gods, and the wind spoke with the voices of the long-dead.
Kaelira rode beside Belarion in silence, the memory seed pulsing faintly in her hand. Every few miles, the sky shimmered unnaturally—remnants of temporal rifts left in the wake of the Watcher's defeat.
"We're being watched," Kaelira murmured.
Belarion nodded. "Let them. The system has marked me now. There's no hiding from those who guard the tomes."
System Alert:
Proximity Detected: Forbidden Archive — Ashvault Tier. Divine Access Protocols Required.
Quest Triggered: [Flame of Memory, Fire of Truth]
Objective: Enter Ashvault. Deliver the Memory Seed. Survive the Trial of Tomes.
The Library's Teeth
Ashvault Library was a mountain hollowed by design, a fortress of parchment and primordial will. The gates were not gates at all, but a mouth of volcanic glass etched with runes too old for language.
As Belarion approached, the structure noticed him.
The glass split open, revealing a librarian—not a person, but a figure wrapped in chains of glowing script, its face a blank scroll constantly rewriting.
"Name," it demanded.
"Belarion, Flamewalker Reawakened. Bearer of the Ninth Fragment."
It paused, recalibrated its form, and opened a corridor lined with floating tomes.
"Enter. Speak not unless spoken to. And mind the shelves—they bite."
Inside, they passed through a forest of knowledge. Books rustled without touch. Some hovered, flipping pages in anticipation. Others wept softly, bound in chains of unspoken guilt.
At the heart of it all was the Ashvault Flame—an eternal pyre burning not wood or coal, but memory.
System Interface Detected: [Primordial Archive Node]
New Interface: [Tome Binding Protocols] Unlocked
Allows user to bind skills, traits, or entire questlines into legacy tomes. Caution: Failure may result in memory loss or temporal distortion.
Kaelira approached the flame. "Is this it? The one who betrayed Heaven?"
The flame responded. A voice emerged—not speech, but memory made audible.
"I was the Flame. They called me heretic. But I only sought to unbind fate."
The fire twisted, forming an image—another Belarion. This one was older, scarred, wearing robes scorched by divine lightning.
"You must finish what I began. Find the Vault of Shards. Restore the Arcwheel."
Quest Updated: [Fire of Forbidden Tomes]
Sub-Quest: Locate the Vault of Shards. Unseal the Arcwheel.
Then came the Trial.
Trial of the Burning Ink
The flame expanded, forming a circle of ancient tomes. Each floated and cracked open, releasing spectral guardians of knowledge—the Inkbound.
Belarion stood his ground as pages swirled into sword shapes. Kaelira formed a dome of protective glyphs.
"Only truth can pierce lies," the flame whispered.
He stepped forward, hand outstretched, and declared: "I accept the burden."
The Inkbound charged.
They moved like riddles made flesh, each attacking with a question:
"What binds a soul to system?"
"What is stronger than prophecy?"
"Who writes the fate of the unwritten?"
Each time, Belarion answered—not with words, but with memory drawn from the seed.
Choice.
Will.
The one who refuses the script.
With every answer, the flames around him grew brighter, until even the guardians bowed and crumbled into parchment ash.
Trial Complete
Reward: Tome of Forgotten Sovereignty (Epic)
Skill Learned: [Flame Script Reversal] — Allows user to overwrite divine enchantments, seals, or written fate.
Title Earned: [Binder of Lost Tomes]
Kaelira stood in awe. "You're not just a walker of paths anymore. You're writing your own."
Belarion opened the Epic Tome. Inside was not text, but a mirror. And in that mirror, he saw a future he hadn't yet chosen.
It smiled at him.
Ash and Aftermath
The Librarian returned, bowing its scroll-wrapped head.
"You have passed. Few do. The Arcwheel awaits beyond the Tesseract Road."
"Then I go to break it," Belarion said.
"No," the Librarian replied. "You go to remake it."
As they exited the Ashvault, the mountains rumbled with approval. The books, once quiet, now sang his name.
System Update:
Your actions have altered the Domain of Knowledge.
Legacy Influence +15%
Divine Faction Notified: [The Scribes of Infinite Recall]
Kaelira turned. "What if the gods come for you now?"
Belarion's flame curled at his fingertips. "Then let them bring ink. I'll bring fire."
Next: Chapter 15 – The Arcwheel and the Silence of the Star-Forge