The Assembly's great arena loomed like a beast of stone—circular, tiered, lined with torchfire that burned without wind. Above, clouds stirred ominously, thick with pressure. Sect leaders, disciples, and envoys sat in rows, hushed but tense.
Sun-Ho stood in the center of the field.
He wore no mask.
Only his name, and the storm brewing in his qi.
Today was no ordinary duel. This was the final Trial of Flame and Sky—a symbolic rite created to test not just skill, but worth. The sect leaders had revived it for the first time in forty years. Only one candidate would be allowed to attempt it: the one whom every faction feared might truly win.
Baek Sun-Ho.
---
On the high dais, Sect Leader Hwan stepped forward. "This is not a match for honor. Not even for pride. This is for leadership. And leadership is forged in adversity."
He raised his staff.
Ruuummmmbllle—
The arena shifted. Stone tiles moved. Pillars rose from the earth in a pattern older than the sects themselves.
A giant formation activated, its sigils flaring blue across the arena floor.
Hwan's voice boomed. "This trial will test body, soul, and mind. Only by enduring threefold judgment will the candidate be recognized."
So-Ri gripped the railing above. "They're trying to break him."
Master Jang sipped his tea, unbothered. "That's the idea. Let's see if the boy breaks."
---
Phase One – Flame
The temperature spiked.
FWOOSH—
Flames erupted from the floor, twisting into shapes—bladed constructs of pure fire, each one a mimic of Sun-Ho's old techniques. He recognized them. They were shadows of himself.
Ji-Mun blinked. "They're making him fight… himself?"
Yul-Rin watched closely. "His past. His instinct. That's cruel."
Sun-Ho didn't hesitate. As the flame-doubles attacked, he pivoted between them, swish—clang—shhhrrt, countering their strikes with precise footwork. But he didn't just destroy them.
He absorbed them.
His flames grew more focused. Sharper. Controlled.
In one fluid motion, he spun, drew a sigil with his palm, and unleashed—
BOOM—
The remaining constructs disintegrated into harmless ash.
First phase: passed.
---
Phase Two – Sky
Wind screamed suddenly as the sky formation activated. Storm clouds coiled into a vortex overhead. Thunder cracked. Lightning danced like blades searching for flesh.
Sun-Ho's aura flared as lightning qi answered.
So-Ri gripped the railing tighter. "Here it comes."
The storm struck.
KRRAAAKKK—!!
A bolt arced down, but Sun-Ho didn't dodge. He stepped into it, drawing it through his core. Lightning danced across his arms, surged into his spine.
His breath hitched—but he remained standing.
Another bolt came. Then another. He welcomed them.
And then he raised his hand.
The sky paused.
KZZZRRMMMP—
Lightning curved toward his palm.
Controlled.
Owned.
He formed a blade of pure thunderlight—and slashed through the storm.
Silence followed.
Second phase: passed.
---
Interlude – The Whisper Beneath
As the arena settled, a strange pulse reverberated beneath the formation. Subtle. But dark.
Yeon's head snapped toward the arena floor. He began sketching rapidly.
Ma-Rok frowned. "What's wrong, kid?"
Yeon pointed to the edge of the formation and held up a sign:
Hidden Seal—Dark Intent—Poisoned Trial?
Master Jang's brow furrowed. "Those bastards."
---
Phase Three – Soul
Without warning, black mist flooded the arena floor. It didn't rise from the formation.
It seeped from the ground itself.
The trial was compromised.
Inside the mist, Sun-Ho blinked—then winced.
He was… back. In his old life.
His blade was broken. His allies dead.
The girl who had once shared his fire lay crumpled in a crimson field. His enemies laughed from the shadows.
"No matter what you do," said a familiar voice, "you will always be alone."
Sun-Ho dropped to one knee.
---
Above – Real World
So-Ri gasped. "What's happening?!"
"They tampered with it," Ji-Mun growled. "They turned the final trial into a soul trap."
"Should we break the formation?" Yul-Rin asked.
Master Jang's eyes gleamed. "No. Let's see what he really is."
---
Within the Mist
Sun-Ho's past life screamed at him. All his failures. Every wrong turn.
But another voice came through.
Small.
Gentle.
"You're not alone anymore," said So-Ri's voice, inside his mind. "This time, we fight together."
He clutched his chest—and felt his fire surge in response.
But also lightning.
Not one element.
Not even two.
A third pulse joined them.
Soft. Stable.
Earth.
It rose from beneath his feet, giving balance. Stillness.
The storm calmed. The fire settled.
And the mist shattered.
Sun-Ho rose from the center of the arena, encased in a tri-colored aura.
Fire. Lightning. Earth.
The crowd stood.
The elders watched in silence.
Sun-Ho bowed slightly.
"I am Baek Sun-Ho," he said, voice like thunder over calm seas. "I don't seek the crown. I seek a future where no child walks alone through fire."
---
That Evening – After the Trial
Back at camp, the group gathered around the fire.
Ji-Mun handed him a cup. "You passed. Again."
Yul-Rin leaned against a tree. "And now they're more afraid of you than ever."
So-Ri sat beside him. "Third element, huh?"
"Earth chose me during the worst of it," Sun-Ho said. "It didn't burn. Didn't spark. It just… stayed. It held me steady."
"You'll need that," Master Jang said, stepping in. "Especially when the real storm hits."
"Bigger than today?"
"Much bigger," the master said. "A faction has declared war. Not openly… not yet. But this trial? It was their move."
Sun-Ho looked to the sky.
Lightning flickered in the clouds again.
He welcomed it.
---
End of Chapter 96 – The Trial of Flame and Sky