The forest west of Bramblehold was different than the one Joren had known.

  Here, the trees grew taller, older—bark like split stone and canopies so thick that sunlight filtered down only in thin, shifting blades. The air itself held weight, not of moisture or heat, but of memory. Joren felt it with every step. This forest was not dead, but it had *forgotten* something. Forgotten itself, maybe. Forgotten fire.

  He moved carefully, the satchel Talla had given him slung across one shoulder, the Mask of Cindersight tucked against his belt. He hadn’t worn it since the ruins; the mask altered more than just his vision—it reshaped his *awareness*, and the experience was… overwhelming. Useful, yes, but not something he wanted to live inside all the time.

  Instead, he let the emberbrand guide him.

  It pulsed beneath his collarbone like a slow heartbeat, syncing with the warmth of the Ember Core deep in his chest. Ever since the trial at the forgotten pyre, something had *shifted* in that Core. Not just heat, but structure. Like it was beginning to shape itself around his intent.

  Every footfall on the moss-laden ground echoed slightly in his mind, as if the flame within him reached out to touch the land itself. Ember Sense—the system had called it. A passive perk, but it was more than that. It made him *aware* of heat in the world, yes, but also of imbalance. And here, in these woods, something was wrong.

  The imbalance grew stronger the farther he walked.

  He passed ancient stones, half-swallowed by tree roots. Symbols chiseled into their faces—none matching the flame sigils he was starting to recognize. These were older. Deeper. Worn not just by time, but by something hungry.

  A soft crack drew his attention.

  He froze.

  Not a branch breaking—*bone.*

  Joren knelt quickly, pressing a palm against the earth. The heat signature was faint but recent: small, hunched, limping. Not a beast. A person.

  He rose and followed.

  The trail was erratic. Loops and swerves, as if the one who left it was trying to confuse pursuit. But they hadn’t counted on someone using Cindersight.

  Joren paused only long enough to slide the mask over his face.

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  The world changed.

  Color bled away. Everything became hues of charcoal and emberlight. The trail lit up—glowing footsteps, smoldering handprints against tree trunks. Panic in their shape. Someone was running from something.

  Then—another trail. Larger. Heavy. Soot-blackened. It followed the first.

  Joren’s pulse quickened.

  He moved faster.

  The forest thinned into a ravine—narrow, rock-walled, with a dried creekbed snaking through it like a scar. The glowing tracks ended at a low overhang of stone, partially hidden by brush.

  He ducked inside.

  At first, silence.

  Then—a faint sob.

  A girl. Maybe twelve. Dirt-smudged face, ragged clothes. Holding her side like something inside her had cracked.

  She looked up, eyes wide.

  “Don’t—don’t bring it here,” she whispered.

  Joren held up both hands. “I’m not with it. I saw your trail. I can help.”

  “No one can help,” she said bitterly. “It burns.”

  Before he could speak again, a roar echoed through the ravine.

  Low. Rumbling. Wet.

  The girl’s eyes widened with terror.

  “It *followed* me.”

  Joren stepped forward, placing himself between her and the cave mouth.

  The mask’s vision pulsed with growing heat.

  And then it emerged.

  It crawled over the ridge like an insect made of smoke—limbs too long, body stretched and twitching. Fire burned where its heart should be. Not natural fire. Sick. Green-tinged and flickering, like it didn’t belong.

  A corrupted flame.

  Joren’s Core surged in response.

  **Hostile Entity Detected: Emberrot Spawn (Lesser)**

  *Status: Aberrant | Incomplete Form | Tier 1 Threat*

  **Suggested Action: Purge with Aligned Flame**

  He didn’t wait.

  Drawing from his Core, Joren focused the heat into his palm. The air shimmered. A flicker of fire coiled to life above his hand—not a burst, not a blaze, but a steady flame, shaped like a dagger of light.

  The Spawn lunged.

  Joren met it halfway.

  Their clash wasn’t elegant. It was raw. The creature moved with jerks and lunges, spitting globs of corrupted flame that hissed as they struck the stone. Joren ducked one, then two, driving his ember-dagger into its side.

  It shrieked.

  Blackened steam erupted from the wound.

  Joren twisted, igniting a second blade and severing one of its legs. The Spawn collapsed with a shriek that set the trees above to trembling.

  **Enemy Purged**

  *Ashbound Affinity +1*

  *Flame Purity Restored: Local Corruption 7% → 3%*

  He panted, lowering the weapons.

  The Core within him pulsed, stronger now, feeding on the purified flame.

  He turned back to the girl.

  She was staring, wide-eyed. “You’re… one of *them*, aren’t you?”

  Joren nodded slowly. “Ashbound.”

  She blinked, and a tear slid down her cheek.

  “My village… It’s gone. One of those *things* came out of the well. The fire we used—it turned on us.”

  Joren crouched beside her, offering a hand.

  “Then we’ll make sure that fire serves us. Not the other way around.”

  She hesitated, then took his hand.

  Together, they stepped out into the ravine’s fading shadows.

  ---

  **New Objective Unlocked: Cleanse the Emberrot (Region: Bramblehold Wilds)**

  *Progress: 1/12 Spawn Purged*

  *Reward: Tier I Core Advancement / Legacy Trait Selection*

  **Companion Added: Aelira (Unawakened)**

  *Potential: Emberbound / Unknown Affinity*

  *Status: Injured, Trauma-Bound*

  ---

  The path of the Ashbound was not one of solitude, Joren realized.

  Flame spread.

  And in its light, others would follow.