The sigil still glowed faintly on Zhu Yan's chest, like a breath that hadn't been fully exhaled.
But the Warden of Flame was gone.
No exit.
No instruction.
Only the path ahead—wreathed not in flame, but in embers.
They drifted lazily across a cavern lit by a dusky red light, as if the world was pausing just long enough for him to decide who he wanted to be next.
> "You carry Ember Command," a new voice spoke—this time, soft, familiar.
Zhu Yan's steps froze.
From the embers rose… his former master.
But this time, no shadow of betrayal lingered in the man's eyes. No resentment. No smug superiority.
Only… acceptance.
"You are not here to remember me," the image said. "You are here to make a pact."
Zhu Yan didn't speak. He waited.
The image continued, "The Emberborn Pact is not a contract of servitude… but of symmetry."
Suddenly, the chamber cracked open—dozens of flames sprang to life, each taking the shape of a figure. Some monstrous. Some noble. All made from fire.
> "These are echoes of those who wielded flame before you," the image said.
"To master wrath, you must earn their allegiance—or silence them."
Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes. "So this is the test."
> "No," the voice replied. "This is the invitation."
---
Each flame stepped forward.
One spoke in a gravel tone. "I scorched kingdoms for vengeance. What will you burn?"
Another, calm and cold. "I froze oceans in fireless wrath. What will you spare?"
A third, serpentine and mocking. "I devoured myself to understand the hunger. Will you feed, or be fed?"
Zhu Yan's heart beat once.
Twice.
And then—he knelt.
Not in surrender.
In invitation.
"I do not need to silence you," he said.
"I am your continuation."
---
The flames paused.
Then, one by one, they stepped forward. Entered him.
They didn't possess.
They merged.
Like kindred sparks returning to a shared core.
---
> 「You have formed the Emberborn Pact」
Flame-wielders of the past now lend you fragments of their will.
Soul resonance increased.
New Technique Unlocked: Ashborne Mantle
A cloak of scorched emberlight coiled over Zhu Yan's shoulders. Not armor. Not decoration.
A warning.
---
As he rose, the Manual's voice returned—not in whisper, but proclamation.
> "You no longer borrow flame.
You carry its legacy."
The cavern dissolved.
Ahead: the next path.
Not darker.
But heavier.
Because now the flame no longer tested him.
It followed him.