The Bloodflower Trap
Kael's boot sank into the black mud of the Grithmar road, his ribs still aching from the Eclipse Twins' warning. The Maw had been silent for three days—never a good sign.
Ahead, the bloodflowers grew unnaturally thick, their stems braided into the shape of a hangman's noose. Too deliberate. His Skill Analyzation flared:
[Environmental Trap Detected]
— [Composition: Sanctified Steel Filaments] —
— [Trigger: Weight Distribution > 170 lbs] —
He stepped around the noose—only for his shadow to yank him backward.
A blade screamed past his throat—the air itself tore open as Solmir Veilhart emerged, greatsword in hand, its blade carved from a dead king's spine.
"You walk like a man who thinks he'll live," Solmir said, his voice echoing from within hollow armor.
Kael noted three fatal details:
1. The nineteen scars on Solmir's armor pulsed in rhythm with his breath.
2. His sword's edge vibrated at B-flat—the Maw's resonance frequency.
3. The bloodflowers leaned away from the knight.
"He's drenched in void-taint," the Maw hissed. "That armor isn't holy—it's a cage."
The Fight: Kael's Calculated Loss
Round One: Testing Limits
• Kael ducked under the first swing, countering with a void-charged palm strike to the 19th scar.
• The armor screamed. Solmir staggered—but his 20th scar absorbed the void energy.
• Solmir retaliated with a pommel strike that shattered Kael's collarbone.
Round Two: Environmental Exploitation
• Kael rolled through a patch of bloodflowers, smearing sap on his dagger.
• He lunged—but Solmir's shadow detached, intercepting the blow.
• "He's like me," Kael realized, chilled.
Round Three: The Trap Springs
• Solmir whispered a forgotten king's name.
• The Hollow Crown shrieked.
• The noose snapped upward, wrapping around Kael's throat.
Kael's Mistake: The trap was never meant for him.
The noose yanked him into the mud as nineteen more Scourge Knights emerged, their armor singing the same dirge.
The Defeat
Solmir planted his sword in Kael's back, pinning him like a specimen.
"You're not the first Hollow King we've broken," he said, kneeling beside him.
"But you'll be the first to feed the Sleeper."
Kael's System Glitch Immunity flickered:
[Emergency Protocol Activated]
— [Maw Override: 57% Synchronization] —
His shadow ripped free, slashing toward Solmir's eyes—
But the knight caught it bare-handed.
"I ate my name to hunt you," Solmir growled, crushing the shadow into black dust.
"What have you sacrificed?"
The last thing Kael saw before blacking out: Solmir's armor peeling back to reveal his own face beneath the helm.
Aftermath: The White Flower
Kael awoke in a rusted cage, suspended over Grithmar's acid moat. His Hollow Crown was gone.
His shadow—missing.
But in his palm—clutched tight—was a single white bloodflower.
The Maw's voice was faint… smug.
"You lose battles. But the war? That's ours."