The cell door creaked open at dawn.
Kye was already awake.
He hadn't slept much—not after staring into that cursed mirror and seeing **Kael's face** sneering back at him. The memory fragment, the Empress's words, the pressure of a system that still glitched and whispered like a half-broken god… it all circled his mind like vultures.
The same two guards returned. But this time, they weren't alone.
A third figure entered behind them.
Slim. Elderly. Bald on top, but with a snow-white beard braided with copper rings. Long blue robes brushed the ground, the ends glowing faintly with enchanted stitching. A pair of thin spectacles rested on the edge of his nose, despite no books in sight.
He looked like a harmless librarian.
Which meant, in this world?
**Extremely dangerous.**
The man spoke first, voice calm and dry. "Subject shows no signs of physical degradation. Good. The Empress dislikes wasted projects."
Kye blinked. "You make it sound like I was grown in a lab."
The man adjusted his glasses. "You were reborn in one."
He turned to the guards. "Leave us."
The guards exchanged glances, then silently exited.
The old man stepped closer.
"I am **Velden**, third-tier master of rune theory, alchemy critic of the 5th Flame Circle, and most importantly—**your new evaluator**."
Kye raised an eyebrow. "Evaluator? What, I'm in school now?"
"In a manner of speaking," Velden said. "You've been granted limited conditional access to instruction. If you demonstrate talent, compliance, and minimal chaos—you may be recommended for full field exposure."
Kye squinted. "That sounds a lot like: *We're testing you before we send you into the fire.*"
Velden smiled faintly. "Close. We're seeing if you are the fire."
He walked to the center of the cell and tapped the stone floor with his staff. A soft rune flared beneath their feet—subtle, swirling gold, carved with ancient lines that pulsed once… then dimmed.
**A barrier.**
"Anti-eavesdropping rune," Velden explained. "We can speak freely. Even the Empress won't hear this."
Kye straightened.
"I was ordered to begin with theory," Velden said. "But I detest paperwork. So we'll begin with instinct."
He pulled something from his sleeve and tossed it gently.
Kye caught it by reflex—a small silver orb, smooth and cold to the touch. The moment his fingers closed around it, the orb flared **red**, then dimmed.
"Interesting," Velden murmured. "Not white. Not gold. Not black. But red."
"Is that… good?" Kye asked.
"It's rare," Velden said. "Red means flame affinity. But not elemental flame. **Will flame.** Your body reacts to magic not with raw energy, but intent."
"Sounds vague."
"It's dangerous," Velden corrected. "You don't cast spells. You trigger effects through conviction. Through choices. Through instinct."
Kye blinked. "So you're saying… I light things on fire by *meaning it really hard*?"
Velden didn't smile. "Yes."
Suddenly the orb in Kye's hand sparked again—just a faint flicker. No heat. But **a reaction**.
> **\[Ember Vein Interface Stable: Catalytic Touch Achieved]**
Kye felt the shift instantly.
His body **remembered** what it felt like to burn—not destructively, but deliberately. Like holding a blade in his hand instead of a torch.
"Now," Velden said. "Try this."
He drew a thin chalk line in the air—yes, *in the air*—and it **stayed**, glowing faint blue.
"Reach out. Focus. Tell the line to burn."
Kye stared at him. "You want me to *talk* to the line?"
"Not with words. With **will**."
Kye exhaled.
Reached out.
And thought: **burn.**
Nothing.
Then… he thought again. Not just the word—but the **feeling**.
He imagined that line as a thread pulled tight across his neck. A noose. A trap. Something that *needed to be destroyed*.
And it happened.
**Fwoom.**
The line burst into flame, then vanished in a wisp of smoke.
Velden's eyes gleamed behind the spectacles.
"Correct response time: 2.7 seconds. That's… remarkable."
Kye stepped back, heart pounding. "I… I didn't feel mana or anything."
"You didn't need to," Velden said. "Kael's body was conditioned for this magic. But his mind lacked control. You have the reverse. Together… it may be a weapon worth fearing."
Kye frowned. "So what now? I pass the test?"
"This was not the test," Velden said softly. "This was the **key**."
He reached into his robes and pulled out a small silver cube etched in runes.
"Three days from now, you will face the Witchfire Fragment. A sealed spell of Kael's—a dangerous relic stored inside his bloodline. You will be locked in a chamber alone with it. If you fail to synchronize…"
Kye stared at the cube. "What happens?"
Velden met his eyes.
"You burn."
---
**Later, alone in the cell…**
Kye sat cross-legged on the floor, the silver orb still in his palm.
He activated Ember Vein slowly—carefully—and stared at the flame dancing faintly between his fingers.
Not hot. Not wild.
Just **alive**.
> **\[Paradox System: Magic Progression Route Unlocked – Witchfire Fragment (Stage I)]**
> *Countdown to Fragment Trial: 72 Hours.*
Kye closed his eyes.
He'd come into this world a prisoner.
A fake prince.
A dead man walking.
But now?
He had a timer. A target. A challenge.
And if he survived…
He wouldn't just be a survivor.
He'd be **dangerous**.