Ruler of Heat: One Man, A Thousand Thirsts
Chapter 42: The Flame That Remembers

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Flame That Remembers

The night was quiet again.

Too quiet.

Even the forest seemed to hold its breath after Dorian’s departure.

Rivan stood with his back to the ruined wall, hand pressed over his chest. His system core pulsed steadily beneath his skin, the residual energy from the Core Flare still humming like a quiet storm.

Selina didn’t speak. She stayed close, one hand on his shoulder—not to comfort, but to remind him he wasn’t alone.

Kael was pacing, his expression darker than usual. "That wasn’t just a visit," he said. "That was a warning."

Rivan nodded. "A test. He wanted to see if I’d bend."

"And you didn’t," Selina added.

"I almost did," he whispered.

[System Diagnostic Running... Flame Stability 86%. Emotional Sync Holding.]

[New Memory Trigger Detected – Vault 17 Residual Data Sync Incomplete]

Rivan’s brows furrowed. "I’m getting a system ping... tied to Vault 17. Something hidden."

Kael turned sharply. "That facility was scrubbed. Wiped of all archives."

"Not all," Rivan muttered.

He sat cross-legged on the stone floor and let the system pulse take over. A wash of light enveloped his vision as the LustCore dove deep.

[Accessing Internal Data Core... Memory Vault Fragment Unlocked]

The world around him shifted.

He was back.

The sterile white walls. The cold. The clink of restraints.

But this time, he wasn’t just a subject. He was watching—from outside his body. A flash of a figure entered the room, not a doctor... not a stranger...

Rivan’s breath caught.

"Selina... that’s you."

She turned sharply. "What?"

"In the memory. You were in Vault 17... before we met."

Selina blinked, stunned. "That’s impossible. I was never—"

[Memory Convergence Detected. Bonded Flame Signature Overlap: 21%.]

Kael stepped closer. "You two weren’t just connected by fate. Someone engineered this."

Rivan stood slowly, eyes glowing.

"They put us in the same orbit long before we were ready."

Selina whispered, "Then who was pulling the strings?"

The memory fragment flashed one last time—an image of a woman in a dark coat, violet eyes, standing over both their young bodies.

[Unknown Identifier – Codename: Whisperflame]

Rivan and Selina exchanged a look.

Kael was already drawing his blade. "Looks like we’re not done with Vault 17 just yet."

The fire had long died in their makeshift camp, but a new heat burned beneath the surface of Rivan’s skin — not lust, not rage.

Memory.

Selina sat across from him, brows furrowed. "I don’t remember ever being in that place. But if the system shows it... it happened."

Kael was already unpacking a sealed scroll from his inner cloak — something with crimson seals and etchings in High Glyph. "This codename—Whisperflame. I’ve heard it before."

Rivan raised a brow. "Where?"

Kael opened the scroll. A detailed report appeared, half-burned, with only fragments readable.

’...Subject S-03 shows unusually high compatibility with LustCore Echo type. Transfer protocol initiated. Overseen by Project Head: W.FLAME...’

Selina inhaled sharply. "S-03. That’s the code they used on my intake sheet."

Kael nodded. "She wasn’t just a researcher. She orchestrated bond experiments. She might’ve fused your paths."

[System Log: Bond Timeline Recalibrating... Core Origin Reassessment In Progress.]

Rivan’s heart thudded. "Why would she do that? What’s the point of forcing a connection before it forms naturally?"

Kael’s voice was grim. "Power. Paired LustCore users amplify exponentially when bonded through trauma."

Rivan clenched his fists. "So we were made for this."

Selina looked away. "Then who am I without it?"

Rivan crossed the space between them, kneeling beside her. "You’re still you. The system might’ve connected us—but what we’ve built? That’s ours."

[Shared Flame Sync: +5% – Stabilization Enhanced. Passive Skill Strengthened: Echo Shield]

A sudden pulse hit the system.

[External Trace Detected – Signal Matching Whisperflame Beacon Signature – Distance: 112 km West]

Kael’s eyes narrowed. "She’s still alive."

Rivan rose. "Then we’re going to find her."

The journey west was silent at first.

Rivan, Selina, and Kael moved across uneven hills and through dew-soaked fields, following the faint trace of the beacon signal—buried deep under system layers, almost like it didn’t want to be found.

The closer they got, the more the environment changed.

Forests turned to fog. Trees leaned unnaturally, bent by winds that never came. Birds were silent. Even the system interface dimmed slightly, as if afraid to shine too brightly here.

[LustCore Environmental Status: Disruption Detected – Passive Skill Response Reduced by 20%]

Kael muttered, "This whole place is under a suppression field."

Selina rubbed her arms. "It feels... familiar."

Rivan didn’t speak. He couldn’t shake the pressure in his chest, the sense that this place remembered him in ways he didn’t.

After hours of trekking, they found it: a crumbled observatory nestled in a shallow ravine, its dome cracked open like an egg. Ivy covered most of the ruins, but inside, the beacon still pulsed faintly from beneath a shattered table.

Selina stepped forward. "Same signal as before."

Kael crouched beside her. "Encoded. Deep trace. Almost like it’s calling only to specific systems."

[Signal Sync: 87% — Identifier: W.FLAME | Authorization Code Required to Proceed]

Rivan approached the console. "Can we bypass it?"

Kael shook his head. "Not unless you’re carrying a legacy code."

Selina paused.

Then held out her hand.

She placed her palm on the glass.

It glowed.

[Override Accepted. Welcome, S-03.]

[Memory Archive – Whisperflame: Entry 01 Loaded.]

The room darkened.

A projection flickered to life.

A woman appeared. Tall, elegant, wrapped in a coat of layered red-gold. Her eyes glowed violet. Her voice? Calm. Measured.

"If you’re seeing this, it means the bond has survived. It means the system didn’t break you."

Selina gasped.

"That’s her."

Whisperflame.

"Rivan. Selina. You were never meant to meet the way you did. But it was the only way to keep you alive."

Rivan leaned forward. "She knows our names?"

Whisperflame’s projection continued.

"You’ve inherited the last functioning Core. And they’ll come for it. You need to burn faster than they can chase."

Whisperflame’s projection pulsed like a heartbeat, glowing brighter as her words continued.

"You will be hunted," she said, her voice steady. "By Collectors, by corrupted hosts, and by the systems themselves. Because the LustCore is not just a tool. It’s a beacon. A flare in the dark that calls to every forgotten god and buried hunger."

Rivan felt the words settle like ash inside him.

Selina remained frozen, her eyes fixed on the figure.

Whisperflame turned toward the projection’s edge — toward them.

"You were both chosen. Not for strength. But for compatibility. Your bond is rare. Unstable. And potentially world-ending."

Kael muttered, "Reassuring."

"But," Whisperflame added, "that same instability makes you impossible to predict. That is your advantage."

The projection shifted, showing images — vaults collapsing, experiments exploding, hosts consumed by raw energy.

"Every legacy Core before yours either failed... or went mad. Yours survived because it was linked to feeling."

Selina whispered, "Flame through emotion."

Whisperflame nodded. "Your Core grows by connection. By pleasure, pain, trust... and betrayal. But too much of any one can fracture it."

[System Sync: Core Resonance Increasing – Potential Skill Branch Unlocked Pending Mental Stability]

Whisperflame raised one hand in the projection.

"This will be my last message. The rest you must find yourself. But know this—"

Her violet eyes flared.

"Someone within the Silver Crown was one of us. One of the original designers. They still walk the world. And they are watching you."

The projection fizzled.

Silence.

Then a final message blinked across the console:

[Next Signal Location Embedded – Southern Reaches, Flamegrave Pass. Estimated Threat Level: Red]

Rivan stepped back. "They always knew we’d come here."

Selina turned to him. "Then we stop running."

Kael cracked his knuckles. "Time to find out who built this world... and what they’re hiding in its ashes."

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Coming Next: Chapter 43 – Flamegrave Pass

Danger rises, trust gets tested, and the Core gets pushed past its limit...

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