Kieran rose upon gaining the name Valdu and accepting his vows as an Unspoken.
Without seeking its presence, aspects of the Flame surged through his veins, prompting Kieran to open and close his hand in examination. The muscles in his arms rippled, and the pronounced veins writhed like serpents slithering beneath a thin surface.
His skin had thinned until it resembled film, but it exuded greatly increased resilience. Compelled to test out the strength of his physical body, Kieran encased a finger in razor-sharp blood until it gave off the impression of a sinister blade.
Then, he sliced.
A shrill screech made by metal striking against metal rang out in the sanctuary. A line had been left of his skin, but he did not bleed, and the surface hadn't been broken.
The followers that bore witness to this marveled at the sight.
"He has become a true follower of the Flame! Only with its power can he become that powerful."
"Glory be to the Flame. It has cultivated a matchless Unspoken. He will bring boundless honor to all."
"Valdu… a name to be written in history!"
Cardinal Weiss' eyes glinted with pride, fanaticism, and anticipation for the future.
"I reckon you'd be a Master's match with your current vigor. What you lack in meaning and realization, you make up for in might. I can feel it. Inside your body is a dormant and teeming power, laying in wait to burst free."
Kieran gave a subtle nod before dropping his hands. Now that the Order of War and Flame had accepted him, he wondered what else awaited him.
What was his next step?
He could perhaps deepen his connection to the other Followers and learn what he could from them. There were still fundamental pieces of the Flame's plans missing from his knowledge.
And unlike the rest, his mind was intact. It wasn't a false sense of clarity provided by the Flame. Kieran had a cognizant understanding of what he must do and who he was.
The others… they knew only what the Flame allowed them to know. And that undoubtedly favored its plans. All other useless thoughts were burned and expelled from their minds.
That was why they were zealous. All they knew was the Flame cause that's what it had instilled in their minds after breaking them.
It had likely grown tired of the effortless breaking. It did nothing to help advance its skill and cunning, which is why it needed a whetstone of greater proportions, firmer will, and steadier mind.
The Flame needed Kieran.
And Kieran understood that grim realization.
Not because he had put the information he wove together… but because of what the Flame said moments after he rose from the Pit of Culling, bearing the resentments of all… but remaining sane and unshaken.
"Steel sharpens steel, but the Flame forges steel first! You were mine before you were theirs, but now you're all mine! The Anchor alerted me of you, but your resilience fascinated me and cultivated my need. That's right, my Fiend, I need you. I always have. For what I will give you… the others can not bear."
As those words shook Kieran at his core, the Flame manifested in reality. Smaller than normal, but in greater detail. It seemed to ruin the space that it occupied, attempting to bring death and destruction along with it but failing miserably.
"We are not yet ready. But we soon will be. The pieces on the board are moving, shifting into place with seamless grace and perfect timing. They are coming — we… are coming. In the end, only one War will triumph. The greater one. Valdu, open your mind to me. Let me prime it, advance it, awaken it, and finally fortify it with all that I am."
Kieran did not respond. Not yet.
Instead, Kieran closed his eyes before the altar and appeared within the Realm of Self seconds later. He stood before the Flame with a cold, inquisitive gaze.
Here, he could speak. And here… he sounded like his voice itself was made to wrought destruction.
"...Those words. You're trying to forcibly move me up the ladder when I'm unprepared?"
"Unprepared? Silly child, you needn't worry because I have already begun. Those followers were wrong about everything. You will win no glory as my Unspoken? Wrong, you will bear all the glory that you can withstand."
Inside his mind, the Flame erupted with frenetic glee. There were countless layers to the Flame's plan, and Kieran felt that when he learned of one, two more sprouted in its place.
Was this no longer just a simple summoning, then?
After some idle maniacal laughter that shook the Realm with its might, the Flame continued.
"You are unlike them or any Unspoken before you. Whereas they were unfit to wield my glory, you are a prime specimen. That which I have ensured not to break. And even in my outrage, you were not broken. Who could resist my ire? Only someone worthy of my glory! You bear that privilege."
Kieran didn't seem too moved by this "privilege" the Flame spoke of. But he responded nonetheless.
"And what is this glory?"
"My Significance! I have slowly fed it to you like a child. Ah, speaking of that matter — yes, I think I have come to accept you as my child. You are deserving… just as Death was. I believe you may even rival him. Unlike him, you are a vessel of vengeance without a chosen path. The elements to decide are present, but if we introduce more and allow you greater preparation, perhaps you may walk a Unique Path."
There was a lot of information to unpack from the Flame's words.
Firstly, it viewed Kieran as its child now, as disturbing as that sounded. But Kieran didn't mind that too much. He suspected building a bond with the Flame was inevitable.
Secondly, the Flame had been sacrificing its Significance while feigning its reluctance towards transferal, all for the sake of its grand scheme. Mention of a Path gave Kieran pause, but his interest was barely readable from an outward point of view.
"You were a Warrior first and then a Slayer after claiming many lives. But your road has only just begun. You are full of youthful defiance. Defiance I do not wish to break because it will be needed."
As the Flame continued to speak, Kieran grew unnerved.
Who was the Flame speaking to… Valdu or Kieran? It was staring right at him, but it felt like the Flame was looking beyond into something grim and ravaged by ruin.
The Flame drifted closer because of that lack of response, and its sinister treachery was distinctively felt.
"My Unspoken, walk that road with me, and you shall find that you've created a Path in the end. I have awoken your body, making you a Fiend, but your mind must be greater to receive my glory. I wouldn't mislead you. You can trust your dear Father."
Kieran frowned.
He stepped back, too, keeping vigil over the Flame's malevolent grin. What about that emphasized trustworthy quality?
'There is not an ounce of the Flame that deserves trust. It must be rejected!'
But… Kieran couldn't ignore the gravity of this situation. The Flame had done subtle things to him.
Now, he needed to understand just what those things were.
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