[The Flame Caverns – Outer Ring]
The heat hit like a wall.
Molten rivers snaked through obsidian cliffs. The very air shimmered with ancient magic, thick with the scent of sulfur and ash. As Akarshan, Shiv, Monish, Anuj, and Shivam stepped into the Flame Caverns, divine wards activated around them, shielding them from the burning death below.
But the caverns weren't just hot—they were alive.
And watching.
> "This place…" Shivam murmured, his seer's eyes flickering silver. "It remembers us."
> "No," Akarshan corrected. "It remembers him."
And it tested all who followed him.
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[First Trial – Path of Guilt]
They entered a circular chamber. Illusions sprang to life—each hero faced their own failure.
Shiv saw the day he let a village fall while choosing to save only one child.
Monish relived the battle where he failed to protect his younger brother.
Anuj saw himself leaving behind a friend who died saving him.
Shivam faced the visions he never shared, the pain he could have prevented.
Akarshan… saw Ash, weeping in silence, abandoned by all… including him.
> "This is a prison of guilt," Shiv said through gritted teeth. "How do we pass?"
> "We face it," Akarshan answered.
They stepped through the illusions—one by one refusing to turn away from their pain.
And the chamber shattered.
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[Meanwhile – Deeper Within]
Ash and Reyansh's battle shook the foundation of the world.
Ash summoned a storm of creation-light, rewriting the laws of flame itself.
Reyansh answered with the Roar of Vaikraas, turning willpower into explosive reality.
Vaikraas watched with curiosity—and fear.
> "He is not yet complete," the dragon whispered. "But already… beyond even me."
Reyansh struck again—but Ash caught his blade with bare hands.
> "This is not about betrayal anymore," Ash said quietly. "This is about what I left broken."
> "And I will make it whole."
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