The fire inside Rivan hadn't gone out—it had only grown hungrier.
After the battle at the Sky Temple, silence clung to the ruins like smoke. Survivors whispered of gods walking among mortals again. Some feared him. Others looked at him like a savior. But Rivan? He felt like a weapon... still waiting to be forged.
Creak. Creak.
The old cart wheels moaned beneath them as they traveled north through the Crimson Path—a desolate stretch of burnt trees and scorched sand.
Kael stared at the horizon, one foot resting lazily on a barrel. "So... what exactly is the Ember Core? You've been vague."
Seris glanced at Rivan, who sat at the edge of the cart, staring silently into the wind.
"It's the heart of the Fire Kingdom," Seris explained. "Buried beneath the Fire Spire. They say the flame spirits forged it from the first sunrise, and the gods locked it away when the kingdom fell. It's the only source that can unlock Rivan's full power."
Kael frowned. "So, basically, if we don't get it, the Ash King barbecues the whole continent?"
Rivan exhaled slowly. "Worse. If the Ash King gets there first, he can corrupt the Ember Core and turn it into a Void Flame."
Kael blinked. "...That sounds real bad."
"It's death. Rewritten. Eternal night," Seris said coldly. "Nothing survives the Void Flame. Not even hope."
"Great. Love that. Very uplifting," Kael muttered.
Fwwwoooom!
A blast of wind swept across the land. A distant rumble echoed beneath the earth.
Rivan stood. His flame mark burned on his chest.
"It's waking up," he whispered. "The Core knows I'm coming."
The Fire Spire
The Fire Spire rose like a fang from the earth—tall, jagged, glowing faintly red from within. Lava rivers weaved around its base like molten veins.
As they approached the obsidian gates, the very air began to shimmer with heat.
Kael coughed. "Is it me, or does it feel like someone's breathing fire down my neck?"
Seris wiped sweat from her brow. "The Core's presence warps the atmosphere. Stay sharp."
The gates were carved with runes in ancient Pyric tongue. Rivan stepped forward and pressed his hand to the center.
Thrum...
The stone pulsed beneath his touch.
CLUNK. CLUNK.
The gates unsealed, revealing a spiral descent lined with flame torches that lit themselves as they passed.
Rivan took the lead, his hand gripping the Emberfang.
"Let's finish what they started."
They entered the darkness.
Trial by Flame
The descent into the heart of the Spire felt eternal. The deeper they went, the hotter it grew. Stone turned to molten rock. Walls shimmered with echoes of trapped spirits.
Suddenly, the corridor widened into a grand chamber filled with floating platforms above rivers of lava.
Seris stepped back. "It's the Trial of Flame."
Rivan frowned. "What?"
Kael pointed ahead. "We have to cross… on those?"
Clank. Clank.
Chains stirred above. A voice, ancient and echoing, rumbled around them.
"Heir of Fire... your blood is untested... your flame unproven…"
"Who's there?" Rivan shouted.
"Only one worthy of the Ember Core may pass. Prove your will... or be consumed."
BOOOOM!
A fire golem burst from the lava—ten feet tall, made of magma and obsidian, with molten fists.
Kael's jaw dropped. "Nope. Nuh-uh. That's not normal fire."
Rivan stepped forward. "Stay back. This is my trial."
He leapt to the first platform, the heat burning even his boots.
The golem roared.
RAAAAAHHH!!!
Clash!
Rivan blocked its fist with both swords, skidding back. Heat washed over him like a wave.
"Hahaha… you burn bright… but you're still just a child," the golem growled.
"Tsk tsk," Rivan smirked. "Let's see if you still think that after I melt your face."
He rolled, slashed the golem's leg—magma splattered.
THWOOOM!
The creature retaliated, smashing the platform in half. Rivan jumped to the next one mid-air.
Seris shouted from the ledge. "Focus, Rivan! Channel your center!"
Rivan closed his eyes for one second—then roared and unleashed a vertical blast of fire from his chest.
FOOOOOSH!!!
It hit the golem square in the torso, cracking its molten chest.
Kael whooped. "Yes! Roast him!"
But the golem smiled.
"Still not enough!"
It summoned two more golems—smaller, faster.
Rivan's mind raced. I can't beat them all head-on… Think like fire…
He stabbed both swords into the ground.
"Let's turn up the heat."
His body burst into a fiery aura—he jumped from platform to platform, drawing the creatures toward the center.
Then, with a shout:
"Inferno Spiral!"
He spun mid-air, becoming a cyclone of flame.
BOOOOOOOMMM!
The entire chamber lit up.
The golems screamed and melted into slag.
Silence.
Rivan landed on the final platform—breathing hard, flames flickering around him.
The voice returned.
"You are worthy… the Core awaits."
The Ember Core
A final gate opened, revealing a vast cavern lit with red light.
In the center floated the Ember Core—a burning crystal the size of a boulder, suspended mid-air by fiery chains, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Rivan stepped forward, awe in his eyes.
"It's beautiful…"
Seris whispered. "Careful… it's sentient. If it doesn't accept you—"
"I know," Rivan said.
He walked up and touched the Core.
FWWWWUUUUUMMMM!!!
Flames exploded outward, engulfing him.
"RIVAN!" Seris screamed.
Kael raised his bow.
But Rivan didn't scream.
Inside the flame, he floated—his body glowing, memories rushing through him like fire.
His mother's face.
His kingdom burning.
The Ash King laughing.
A voice whispered in his mind.
"Are you the Flame... or the Ash?"
Rivan clenched his fists.
"I am fire. I am life. I am vengeance."
The Core pulsed brighter.
"Then rise… as the Phoenix King."
BOOOOOM!!!
The fire imploded—then vanished.
Rivan knelt in the center, his eyes glowing pure gold, a crown of ember floating above his head.
Kael's mouth dropped open. "You… you're glowing."
Seris gasped. "The Core accepted you."
Rivan stood. His voice was calm, but powerful.
"No… it chose me."
The Shadow Stirs
Far away, in the Fortress of Cinders, the Ash King stood.
He looked east.
He felt it.
"The Ember Core has awakened…"
His skeletal mouth smiled.
"Good."
He turned to his army—thousands of Ashborn, beasts, and warlocks.
"Prepare the Void Gate."
A hooded figure beside him bowed. "It shall be done, my king."
The Ash King whispered, "Let the war begin."
To be continued...