The wind howled like an ancient spirit clawing through the forgotten valleys of the northern range. Ice-laced gusts curled around the jagged rocks that guarded the mouth of the Celestial Tomb like vigilant sentinels. Jinhyuk stood before the gaping chasm, his robes fluttering behind him like torn banners from a battlefield, his expression unreadable as the weight of a thousand secrets loomed before him.
Behind him, the harem—each woman bearing her own unique aura—stood ready. Seo Yura, ever calm and sharp-eyed, rested her hand on the hilt of her blade, her breath misting in the cold air. Ara, her crimson Qi shimmering subtly like embers under snow, glanced sideways at the entrance, her senses on high alert. Even the normally playful Hayeon stood solemnly, the tips of her fingers glowing faintly with divine energy. The others stood behind, forming a silent arc of loyalty and power.
"It's deeper than it looks," muttered Jinhyuk, kneeling near the ledge. "And old. I can feel the energy of dragons... and something else. Something wrong."
Yura approached him slowly, her boots crunching softly on frost. "This is where it begins, isn't it? The real trial."
"No," Jinhyuk whispered. "This is where the old world ends."
A rumble echoed from within the tomb, not just through stone, but through their bones and blood. It was not merely a tremor. It was a heartbeat. A pulse of something that refused to stay buried.
They descended carefully. The walls of the tomb were etched with luminous runes, glowing faintly in a language long forgotten by mortals. The air grew warmer as they moved deeper, strangely alive, like the tomb itself recognized them.
Jinhyuk halted before a split in the path.
"The left leads to the Dragon Soul Vault," he said, eyes narrowing. "The right... is uncertain."
"Then we split up," Ara said firmly.
"No," Jinhyuk cut in. "Too dangerous. I go right. You all go left—find the vault and secure the soul fragment. I have a feeling what lies to the right... is waiting for me alone."
There was hesitation in their eyes. But they trusted him. Ara handed him a small silver talisman—a fragment of her Qi wrapped in an anchor spell.
"In case you lose your way," she said.
He nodded and turned toward the darkened path. With each step, the shadows grew thicker. The walls here bled with an old residue—dark celestial energy, warped and angry. Torches lit themselves as he passed, reacting to the legacy within his blood.
Then he saw it.
A chamber shaped like a circle, with a floating stone monolith hovering in the center. Atop it stood a figure draped in black robes, arms crossed behind his back.
"You're late," said the figure. His voice was calm, deep, and familiar in a way that made Jinhyuk's skin crawl.
Jinhyuk stepped into the chamber, every instinct screaming.
"I didn't know I had an appointment," he said.
The figure turned, revealing a face that mirrored Jinhyuk's own—only older, sharper, and far more jaded.
"No," the figure said. "But I've been waiting regardless. Jinhyuk of the Scarlet Moon Sect. Or rather, Jinhyuk... son of Bael the Dragon Tyrant."
The words slammed into Jinhyuk like a hammer.
"What did you say?"
The man stepped forward, his aura flaring like a tidal wave. "You think your past life ended with your reincarnation. You think the celestial forces merely tossed your soul into a new body by accident?"
He pointed a finger at Jinhyuk's chest. "No. This was planned. Engineered. Because you were too dangerous to be allowed to live unchecked."
"I don't know who you are," Jinhyuk growled, "but say that name again and I'll rip your tongue out."
"You don't remember... yet your soul does. The Dragon Bone Ruins responded to your presence, didn't they? They sang to your blood. Because deep inside, you are not just a cultivator. You are a relic. A ghost of war given flesh once more."
Jinhyuk's fists clenched. "Who are you?"
The man smirked. "I am what you could've become. I am your rival, your balance. When the heavens reincarnated you, they reincarnated me too—to stop you. To make sure the world doesn't fall under your shadow again."
"I don't care about the heavens," Jinhyuk spat. "And I don't care about you."
"You will," the man said softly, and in a flash, he vanished.
Jinhyuk barely raised his arm in time to block the blow that came from behind. The force sent him flying across the chamber, slamming into the wall.
He coughed blood, but stood.
"You'll have to try harder than that," he said, cracking his neck.
"I expected no less," the man said, hovering in the air. "Now, let's test if the heir of the Dragon Tyrant is worthy of his legend."
The two clashed, fists colliding like thunderbolts. Jinhyuk summoned crimson energy from his core, weaving it into a serpent of pure Qi, while the rival summoned a lance of obsidian flame.
Their battle lit up the tomb. Symbols along the walls awakened, reacting violently to the clash of reincarnated souls.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group stood before a colossal door within the Dragon Soul Vault. Hayeon's hands trembled as she traced the celestial inscription.
"This isn't just a vault," she said. "It's a prison."
Seo Yura stepped forward. "Prison? For what?"
"A part of the dragon god's consciousness," Hayeon replied. "If we open it... it might awaken."
Ara stared at the lock. "Then we'll keep it sealed until Jinhyuk returns."
But as she spoke, the door began to pulse.
"He's fighting," Yura said, sensing the surge of spiritual chaos. "And the tomb is responding."
Ara drew her blade.
"Then we'd better be ready. Because whatever he's fighting... is waking up more than just memories."
Back in the chamber, Jinhyuk landed a clean blow on the rival's ribs, sending him staggering. But the man only smiled, wiping blood from his mouth.
"I forgot how strong you were," he said. "But strength alone won't save you."
He raised both arms, and the chamber shuddered.
From the monolith behind him, black tendrils of celestial corruption surged forward, wrapping around his body, feeding him power.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened.
"You're... binding with the Tomb's soul?"
"It's not a tomb," the man said, voice distorted. "It's a cocoon."
He exploded forward, faster and stronger, hammering Jinhyuk into the floor. Bones cracked. Blood pooled.
Jinhyuk coughed, teeth gritted.
"You think... I'll fall here?"
The man knelt beside him.
"I think... you'll awaken here."
Jinhyuk's vision blurred. But something inside him surged. Not just anger. Not just pride. But memory.
He saw flashes—wars fought under crimson skies, dragons roaring, a crown of horns, a throne carved from scale and bone.
And one word echoed in his mind:
"Rise."
The ground split open as a pulse of golden-red Qi burst from Jinhyuk's chest, sending the rival flying back. Flames ignited around him, shaped like wings.
His eyes glowed with slitted pupils.
"I remember now," he whispered. "And you were never my equal."
The winds howled through the hollow chambers of the Celestial Tomb as Jinhyuk and his group ventured deeper into the ancient ruin. Dim blue flames flickered along the carved walls, casting ghostly shadows over the faces of the companions. The ethereal atmosphere was dense with memories—echoes of war, death, and divine ascension.
Jinhyuk paused before a mural depicting a battle between heaven and earth, where dragons wreathed in lightning clashed against celestial warriors. He traced the edge of the stone, recognizing the sigil etched into the armor of a long-dead figure.
"That's the mark of the Celestial Vanguard," he murmured.
Yura moved beside him, her voice low. "My grandmother once spoke of them. They were the protectors of the divine artifacts—the last bastion before the heavens sealed themselves away."
"Then this place," Eunchae added, eyes wide with realization, "might be the resting place of one of the Twelve Divine Relics."
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed. He could feel it—faint but pulsing. A heartbeat buried in stone and time.
"Get ready," he said. "We're not alone."
The group moved in silence, blades half-drawn, senses alert. At the center of the tomb, they found it—a massive obsidian altar, surrounded by twelve stone pillars. Atop the altar rested a small chest of star-metal, humming with divine energy.
Before they could approach, a presence descended. A ripple in the air.
Out from the shadows stepped Baek Horyun.
The rival's cloak fluttered like black wings. His eyes gleamed with anticipation—and fury. "You've come far, Jinhyuk. But this relic—this tomb—it was always meant to be mine."
Jinhyuk's expression didn't waver. "This again, Baek? Fighting over power like a child clawing at crumbs?"
Baek's smirk twisted into something darker. "Spare me your righteousness. You of all people should understand—those who walk with dragons cannot crawl among mortals."
Yura and Eunchae moved to flank Jinhyuk, but he raised a hand. "Let me."
The tension between the two warriors snapped like a drawn bowstring.
Baek Horyun charged, drawing a blade forged of heavenly steel, its edge crying through the air. Jinhyuk met him with his crimson saber, and the chamber exploded into light and sound.
Their strikes rang with fury, blade on blade, will against will. Baek's movements were calculated—no longer wild, but cold and deliberate. His growth was undeniable.
"You've improved," Jinhyuk admitted mid-swing.
"I've learned from the best," Baek spat. "From you."
Jinhyuk faltered, then grinned. "Then I should have killed you sooner."
Their blades clashed again. This time, the force shattered one of the stone pillars. The divine chest trembled on its altar.
Behind them, the walls of the tomb pulsed. Runes flared to life, one by one. The spirit of the tomb had awakened.
Baek roared, driving Jinhyuk back. "This power… it's mine!" He rushed the chest, slamming his palm atop it.
The room froze.
For a breath, all light vanished.
Then came a blinding surge—divine, ancient, angry. Baek was flung across the chamber, slamming into the far wall. The chest opened slowly on its own.
Jinhyuk stepped forward. Out from the box floated a scroll of pure golden fire, inscribed in a language lost to all but the stars. It hovered before him, trembling, before sinking gently into his outstretched hand.
The moment his fingers touched it, a voice echoed across realms.
Bearer of fate… the dragon's heart calls you.
Jinhyuk's vision swam with images—of skies torn open by celestial war, of a heart forged from dragon flame, and of a throne in the heavens surrounded by screaming souls.
When he opened his eyes, he understood.
The next piece had been found—the Heart of the Celestial Flame.
Yura looked at him, breathless. "What now?"
"We move," he said, eyes still glowing faintly. "The tomb has awakened more than just relics. The gods are watching again."
Eunchae helped Baek to his feet. The rival glared, blood trickling from his mouth, but said nothing.
"Rest," Jinhyuk told him. "We'll finish this later."
And with that, the group exited the Celestial Tomb, the relic pulsing softly in Jinhyuk's hand.
But in the heavens far above, twelve silhouettes stirred in their slumber, eyes slowly opening.
And the war they feared… had only just begun.