The air above Ashspire hung heavy with reverence.
Kai had passed the Trial of Soulfire—the only one to emerge whole. Of the twelve who entered, seven were still unconscious. Two had lost cultivation. One had vanished entirely.
And Kai had returned with the Emberfire Crest glowing on his chest.
A grand ceremony was held atop the Skyflame Pavilion.
Elders from every sect stood in a circle. Disciples, once competitors, now bowed in respect.
"Kai of Emberheart," said Elder Ragan, his voice solemn, "you stand as the Flamebearer. Chosen by the flame, tested by the past, and risen by your will."
He extended a scroll—a decree marked with the sect's ancient sigil.
"Will you accept the mantle of the Phoenix Disciple and lead Emberheart into a new era?"
Silence.
Then Kai nodded.
"I accept. But not to lead from above."
He looked around.
"I will walk beside those still climbing. The fire I bear is not a throne—it's a path."
Applause roared. Even Linya smiled, her eyes glimmering with pride.
But far beneath the cheers and banners, something stirred beneath the mountain.
In the depths below Ashspire, a chamber sealed for centuries began to crack.
Ancient chains trembled.
Dark ash bled upward from the roots of the Spirit-Blood Tree, seeping like ink through the stone.
A figure knelt in a circle of rusted flame symbols—his robes tattered, his aura broken, yet pulsing with a corrupted form of fire.
Vaelorn.
Once the last Phoenix Heir.
Once the strongest fire cultivator in history.
Now a forgotten prisoner of his own ambition.
He opened one eye as the chains snapped one by one.
"A new Flamebearer…" he whispered.
"Then the fire has chosen again."
His mouth twisted into a grin.
"Let's see if he burns brighter than me."
Meanwhile, Kai stood at the edge of Emberheart Peak, watching the horizon.
Linya joined him.
"You did it," she said quietly.
"No," Kai replied. "I started it."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Started what?"
He turned to her, the wind rustling his robe, the Crest glowing faintly on his chest.
"A fire that won't burn for conquest or pride."
"It'll burn for change."
"And for the war that's coming."