A crimson sun rose over the wastelands of Sharvagni, the forsaken lands where the first trial awaited. Ash's friends—Akarshan, Shiv, Anuj, Shivam, Monish, and Sarina—stood at the edge of the cursed dunes, accompanied by the goddess Vidyarani.
Before them loomed a colossal gate carved from scorched obsidian, its surface lined with etchings of battles long forgotten. At its center: a sigil of the Supreme Being, glowing faintly with divine heat.
Sarina stepped forward. "This is it. The Trial of Flame."
Vidyarani nodded solemnly. "This test was created by the Supreme Being himself to challenge the will and resolve of those who claimed to love life. It will not test your strength, but your conviction."
The gates creaked open.
Inside, they were swallowed by a blinding red glow. The air burned with every breath. The trial had begun.
---
They found themselves on floating platforms suspended above a sea of molten lava. A voice—not Ash's, but his past self's—boomed across the flaming abyss.
> "To protect the world, one must be willing to burn. Show me your will. Sacrifice what you fear losing most."
One by one, each hero faced a vision of their greatest fear.
Shiv was separated from his family, trapped in a cycle of eternal loneliness.
Anuj relived the moment he failed to save his younger sibling during an accident—except now, the scene played endlessly.
Monish saw himself betrayed by everyone he trusted, isolated and mocked, his faith shattered.
Shivam was forced to choose between saving the world or killing the one person who believed in him when no one else did.
And Akarshan… he stood in a throne room of fire, face-to-face with Ash. But not the calm, composed friend he knew—this Ash was cold, merciless, his eyes devoid of empathy.
"You can't save me," the vision hissed. "I was never yours to understand."
Akarshan gritted his teeth, fists shaking. "Then I'll burn with you."
He stepped into the flames—willingly.
The visions faded.
Each hero, in their own way, accepted pain and sacrifice… and the platform beneath them began to glow.
They had passed.
---
But Sarina's trial was still ongoing.
She stood before a child—young, innocent, and crying.
It was Ash.
But not the god. Not the destroyer.
Just a boy.
Afraid.
Abandoned.
He reached for her, but the trial asked her to walk away.
"If you leave, you succeed," the voice said. "You are not bound to him."
Sarina stepped forward anyway, tears in her eyes.
"I was never trying to pass your trial," she said. "I came to bring him home."
She hugged the vision of Ash—and flame erupted around her.
But she stood firm.
The fire recognized her love and let her pass.
---
The group emerged from the gates of Sharvagni, bruised but whole.
Vidyarani awaited them.
"You have passed the Trial of Flame. The next awaits—the Trial of Memory. But be warned… that one may break you."
In the skies above, the divine mirror shimmered again.
And in his tower of stars, Ash opened his eyes suddenly.
"Someone stepped into my fire… and didn't scream."
---