All Chapters of Heir Of The Fallen Flame : Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
33 chapters
Chapter 22: The Dark Underlord
The mountain shook once.Dust drifted from the ceiling in thin grey streams while iron chains hanging from the stone walls rattled softly against one another.Then silence returned.Far beneath the northern cliffs of Valdrake, where sunlight had not touched stone in centuries, dozens of figures immediately dropped to one knee.Nobody spoke. No one dared to even breathe too loudly. At the center of the enormous underground chamber stood a throne carved from black crystal and dragon bone. The bones twisted upward behind it like claws reaching toward the cavern roof.And seated upon it was Drecon, the rogue mage. His eyes remained closed as the tremor faded through the chamber. Pale silver markings pulsed faintly beneath the skin of his neck like veins filled with moonlight instead of blood.Another tremor ran through the floor again, a sign that the power was still very much alive. Slowly, Drecon smiled. “There you are,” he whispered.The voice echoed softly through the chamber. Belo
Chapter 23: Meadow City
Kael groaned softly as something sharp jabbed repeatedly into his ribs.“Move again and I shall leave you in the dirt.”His eyes opened slowly; grey sky stretched above him through swaying branches while cold wind brushed across his face. For a moment, he could not remember where he was.His eyes went wide open as he recalled the nymphs. They were just about to put a ring on Lyra's finger. “Goodness!” Kael jerked upright too quickly and instantly regretted it. His body protested, every inch of him aching terribly with pain. “By the light..” he hissed, clutching his chest.“You sure are loud as hell when you're awake!” Lyra muttered nearby.Kael blinked through blurred vision until he finally realized where they were.A wagon.He sat inside a small wooden cart covered by rough cloth tied over bent branches. Two thin horses pulled it slowly along a narrow road cutting through open fields.Kael frowned. “Where did this come from?”Lyra sat across from him sharpening her sword slowly.
Chapter 24: Master Liam Of The Meadow Mountain
The market square of Meadow City was loud enough to wake the dead.Voices crashed into one another beneath rows of hanging banners and crooked wooden stalls. Merchants shouted over livestock while carts rolled through dusty streets and children darted between crowds carrying baskets too large for their arms.Kael nearly got trampled three separate times before noon.“This city hates walking men,” he muttered after narrowly avoiding another wagon wheel.Lyra kept moving through the crowd without looking back. “The city hates slow men.”“That cart almost killed me.”Lyra rolled her eyes and ignored him. Ahead of them, Master Liam continued down the center road like the chaos parted for him out of fear alone.The old man carried two enormous sacks of potatoes over one shoulder while another bundle of onions hung from the crooked wooden plank resting across his back. He walked with the posture of someone decades younger, despite his grey hair and weathered face.Kael still could not under
Chapter 25: Here To Suffer. And Slice Vegetables
A wooden bucket of freezing water crashed directly into Kael’s face.He shot upright with a strangled gasp, sputtering as water soaked through the thin blanket beneath him.“What in the…”“Sunrise passed already.”Master Liam stood in the doorway holding the empty bucket. The old man looked fully awake. Worse, he looked energetic.Kael wiped water from his eyes furiously. “You threw water on me!”Liam snorted. “You complain loudly for a man who wished to become stronger.”Kael looked around wildly. The small room smelled faintly of old wood and herbs. Sometime during the night, Lyra had apparently vanished because her sleeping mat sat empty near the far wall.“Where’s Lyra?”“Awake.” The old man said, "Something that appears difficult for you.” Liam shook his head and walked out of the room with a lousy house escaping his lips as he clears his throat. Half-awake and deeply offended by existence itself, Kael dragged himself outdoors into the cold mountain air.Mist rolled heavily acr
Chapter 26: The Hunt
Rain hammered softly against the towering windows of Astra academy, covering the entire place in thick dark clouds. It might as well reflect Ronan’s foul mood that morning Inside the upper halls, Ronan sat alone at the long oak table in his workspace, shoulders stiff beneath dark ceremonial robes as stacks of decrees surrounded him.Not only is he the head of the Astra academy, he was the supreme mage of the realm; the ultimate power in the realm. Ronan signed another parchment without reading half of it, the quill moved sharply across paper.His eyes burned from exhaustion; he had not slept properly in days. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw blood on stone.His father collapsing and Kael standing there like he'd done nothing wrong. The room smelled faintly of old parchment and candle smoke. Only one lantern remained lit now, casting long shadows across the walls lined with ancient books and relics.A knock sounded at the door but Ronan did not look up.“Enter.”The heavy door
Chapter 27: First Practice
The air smelled of wet earth, chopped herbs, and smoke from the cooking fire outside Liam’s small home. And Kael was still cutting vegetables. Again.The knife struck the wooden board repeatedly, sounding like the beating of a drum with one stick. Carrots. Turnips. Onions. By the light, always onions. He’s been at it for days now! He might as well open his own shade in the market! Kael sat cross-legged beneath the shaded awning beside Liam’s hut, surrounded by baskets overflowing with vegetables. A mountain of chopped pieces already filled three wooden bowls near his knees.Sweat clung to the back of his neck and his fingers smelled permanently of onions now. Across the field, Lyra moved through combat drills with Liam. Or rather…she survived them.The old man stood barefoot in the grass holding nothing but his wooden plank while Lyra attacked him relentlessly with her sword.And somehow… He kept winning.“Too slow,” Liam barked.Lyra swung again. The plank cracked sharply against
Chapter 28: Gifted Hands
The grass still carried droplets of cold dew that soaked through Kael’s boots each time he ran past the training posts. His arms burned. His shoulders burned. Even his fingers ached.The two wooden buckets hanging from the pole across his shoulders sloshed dangerously as he jogged unevenly around the field.That alone felt like victory.A week ago he could barely take three steps without spilling half the water into the dirt. Now he could make almost two full laps before losing balance.Kael gritted his teeth as the buckets swayed again. “Steady… steady…”Water splashed over the rim anyway. From somewhere behind him, Liam’s voice thundered immediately.“I SAW THAT.”Kael nearly tripped. “It was one drop!”Liam tuts his teeth in disappointment. Kael muttered darkly beneath his breath and kept moving.The old man sat beneath the porch roof chewing loudly on dried fruit while sharpening a carving knife against his boot. Beside him rested the dreaded wooden plank he used for “instruction.
Chapter 29: The Silk Girl
Kael hated crowds.It was simply because the air smelled of roasted nuts, horse sweat, fresh bread, and too many people pressed together beneath narrow streets.Meadow’s market had all of that. Kael had never liked crowded places but now, he had a valid reason why he might hate them even more. What if someone recognises him? True he hasn't seen any picture of him being plastered anywhere in the small settlement but that doesn't mean travelers haven't.So he kept his cloth mask covering his nose and mouth. His hood stayed low as he followed behind Lyra through the busy marketplace, carrying two sacks of grain over his shoulder while trying not to stumble into merchants and wandering children.Lyra walked ahead of him. Her face remained hidden beneath the dark cloth mask wrapped around her mouth as well.“Why do we need grain?” he muttered beneath his breath.“Would you rather we starve?” Lyra had recently developed the habit of answering his questions with more questions. She realise
Chapter 29: Possibly Lyra's Worst Nightmare.
Kael's eyes opened slowly as his head throbbed. A dull ache pulsed behind his eyes while warmth from the fireplace flickered weakly against his face. For a moment, he simply stared upward at the wooden ceiling above him, blinking slowly as memory struggled to return.“Roset!” he muttered. Kael shot upright too quickly. He winces as pain explodes through his skull.“Ypure alive? I was starting to worry I would be forced to give you a burial.” Liam’s voice rumbled somewhere nearby.Kael ignored him completely. “Roset..”He remembered her being dragged off by the guards and Lyra knocking him out before he could do anything. “She is gone.”Lyra’s answer came from the far side of the room. Kael turned sharply toward her.She sat near the window sharpening her sword beneath the dim orange glow of lanternlight like nothing had happened. That somehow made him angrier. “What do you mean gone?” he snapped.Lyra did not look up. “I mean the men took her.”Kael shoved himself fully to his f
Chapter 30: The Rescue
Lyra pointed toward the western side of the compound first.“The oil barrels.”Kael nodded slowly.“Those wagons beside them carry supplies meant for Astra caravans. Dry cloth, lamp oil, grain.”Kael's eyes brightened at the thought, “We burn them?”“Goodness! No!” She snapped. What was his obsession with burning things anyway? His face fell.“We scare the horses,” Lyra corrected quietly. “The fire comes after.”Kael blinked. “Oh.”Lyra’s gaze moved toward the central yard where several drunken guards sat around a small fire laughing loudly.“When the horses panic, every guard will rush toward the western gate to stop the wagons from overturning.”“And while they do that…”“We free the prisoners.”She nods. “Okay.” He muttered, shutting his eyes as though trying to calm himself down. Lyra looked toward him carefully. “If things go wrong, you do exactly as I say.”Kael frowned beneath the mask as he adjusted the dagger hidden beneath his cloak nervously. As much as he wanted to sna