Within the Dreamfire
Jiwoon floated in darkness — not the cold kind, but one filled with warmth and glowing embers.
Flames curled gently around him, yet did not burn.
Instead, they remembered.
A Voice from the Flame
"Your flame was never lost…"
A figure emerged — a silhouette of Jiwoon himself, cloaked in crimson smoke.
"…it was waiting."
Flashback — The First Burn
For a fleeting second, Jiwoon saw himself as a boy again — standing in a ruined temple, cradling a wounded Qilin, and screaming at the sky.
He had forgotten that moment.
The moment he first hated sin.
System Syncing…
Tear of the Forgotten Flame — Stabilized
Relic Memory Integration: 27%
Unlocking Secondary Trait…
Jiwoon Awakens
His eyes snapped open.
Not silver. Not black. But deep scarlet — like a fire long buried.
Kaelya gasped from beside him. "What… what just happened?"
Kravein drew his blade instinctively. "That's not the same kid."
Vera, however, just smiled softly. "It is."
New Power Awakens
Jiwoon stood slowly. The mist around him coalesced into a long ember blade — curved like a crescent moon.
He didn't remember how he summoned it.
He just… knew.
System Alert
Skill Unlocked: Ember Echo
Effect: Reflects a fragment of stored divine flame onto incoming sin-based attacks
Duration: 10 seconds
Cooldown: 6 hours
A New Threat Approaches
Before they could process his change, a tremor shook the ground.
From the south, dark clouds twisted unnaturally, forming a spiral.
Kaelya narrowed her eyes. "That's not weather…"
Kravein growled. "That's a storm of corrupted Qi. We've got company."
Jiwoon Tightens His Grip
"No more running."
The flame behind him erupted like wings.
He stepped forward — not as a child, not as a god.
But something… in between.