Chapter 20: Trial by Hellfire
Realizing that trying to reason with this madman Aghora was pointless, Tyler simply shook his head and dragged himself to his feet, forced once more to follow the blacksmith's lead. With Aghora's monstrous strength hemming him in, Tyler felt utterly helpless—no escape, no plan—just the bleak certainty that soon he'd be thrown into the flames and reduced to ashes. It hurt to know he was powerless even to defend himself.
He had tried to resist—even managed to make Aghora drag him the whole way rather than walking quietly—but it was futile. Soon, they stopped in front of the weapon-forging cauldron, and Aghora shoved Tyler inside.
Inside the cauldron, it was almost pitch dark. Even so, Tyler could make out burned scraps of old weaponry strewn about, and in the center, a table of cold, gray metal.
Coming in behind him, Aghora slammed his Hellblade onto the table. He flashed Tyler a merciless grin before turning to leave.
Then, halfway to the mouth of the cauldron, Aghora paused as if he'd forgotten something. Turning back, he lifted a hand and summoned a fistful of yellow powder, then cast it over Tyler.
As Tyler inadvertently inhaled a breath of the fragrant dust, he recognized something was wrong at once: though only a little entered his lungs, a profound weakness swept over him. He'd heard about this before—"Bone-Dissolving Powder!"—a loathsome poison that rendered a victim's muscles and bones limp and useless, robbing their limbs of all power.
Refusing to resign himself to burning alive, Tyler decided: If he got the slightest chance, he would steal the Hellblade and smash the cauldron. He would do anything to bring Aghora down.
Damn it! My plan failed before I could even start! Tyler fumed, realizing that the powder had already undone him. His limbs felt soft and powerless, his life force drained until even moving a finger was an ordeal.
Is this really my end? Is my story going to finish here?
He ground his teeth, despair writ large across his face. As these thoughts tormented him, a plume of fiery light sprang up in the center of the cauldron.
Brilliant, golden-yellow flames reminded Tyler of a raging, radiant lotus—the famous spiritual fire of Aghora himself.
The fire spread almost instantly, engulfing the entire forging cauldron in hungry tongues. Tyler felt the heat licking at his skin, and soon he was enveloped by the flames.
He heard his clothing start to burn, the fabric gone to ash in seconds.
As the flames closed in, Tyler braced himself for agony—but even after a long wait, the pain never came. What's happening? Why isn't this fire burning me?
It was astonishing! He felt a bit of heat, yes, but not enough to even trouble him.
Completely confused, Tyler opened his eyes to check his body. He was entirely naked—his clothes long vanished—but his skin remained unburned, his hair untouched! He was left dumbfounded by the sight.
Is this why the fire isn't harming me? he murmured, half in awe.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. He had thought he would die, and despair had nearly claimed him, but now his heart was suddenly overrun with euphoria.
He couldn't be certain, but it all seemed connected to that miraculous day in the palace cellar. After that, nothing about his body had ever been the same. Was it because his flesh had grown as tough as a true Mortal weapon—too resilient for any fire to destroy?
The golden flames spread faster, reaching out to grab him like massive invisible hands. All around, the fire lashed at both Tyler and the Hellblade resting on the table. The hotter it grew, the more Tyler's body radiated warmth—yet it was never enough to burn, only to sting slightly.
But the Hellblade was affected quite differently. As the fire swelled and the metal heated, a strange light shimmered along its black-and-white blade, as if it were greedily absorbing the energy.
To forge a great weapon, choosing the right moment to temper it in the fire is everything—letting it soak in the heat's power. This was a uniquely twisted way to do it, Tyler thought as he watched, amazed that even while he was inside the cauldron himself, half-naked and surrounded by flames, he was still observing the forging process with fascination rather than fear.
As Tyler stood amid the inferno, a shocked shout rang out from outside the cauldron—Aghora's.
The process of refining the Hellblade should have already consumed Tyler. By now, only ashes should be left. But when Aghora looked within, Tyler was still alive, still unburned.
How is this possible? He's… still standing in there?
This boy may look human, but the scent he gives off—could his body really be as strong as the essence of a Mortal weapon?
Aghora's excitement burst forth at this strange possibility. He never used "proper" smithing methods, always prided himself on forbidden forgecraft. The fact that even his spiritual fire—ten times hotter than ordinary flames—couldn't harm this youth sent his mind racing.
What to do, now that this living treasure stood unharmed before him?
Aghora deliberated for a moment, then reached into his pocket and produced a pill etched with patterns like flickering fire itself.
"Fire-Dissolving Pellet!" he muttered. This was a third-grade pill, worth a whole city by itself, said to amplify any fire for a short while. He had traded a supreme Mortal weapon for this, and had guarded it for years.
Now, holding the pill, Aghora hesitated—should he really waste it here?
But his ambition burned brighter. Every time I've gambled big, I've succeeded in making a supreme Mortal weapon. And if I win this time… maybe I'll finally forge a Spiritual Weapon at last.
The thought set his heart pounding. Without another moment's hesitation, Aghora swallowed the Fire-Dissolving Pellet.
Instantly, his throat ignited with heat. Fire burst from his mouth, nose, ears—real flames surging from within! The blaze pouring out of him channeled straight into the forging cauldron.
Under the pellet's power, Aghora's fire became an inferno. The entire cave swelled with savage heat; prisoners in many cages began to burn alive, and the air filled with the stench of roasting flesh and their anguished cries.
What happens next? Can Tyler's body survive the rising hellfire? Or will he finally succumb to the blacksmith's cruel ritual?
Read on in the coming chapters…