The night after the trial, Ryan could still feel the Spire's fire clinging to his skin. Every muscle ached as though he'd been hammered on an anvil, and yet… his aura hummed inside him like a living flame. He'd walked into the Spire untested, uncertain. He'd walked out carrying something new: strength, hard-earned and undeniable.
He sat outside the small camp hut they'd claimed near the jungle's edge, staring into the crackling fire. The flames licked upward, orange and gold, but to him they were more now. They were memory, echoing the beast he had fought, the illusions he had shattered, the voice that had called him "no longer iron."
Blue aura shimmered faintly around his hands as he turned them over in the firelight. It felt different. Stronger. Sharper. The resonance he'd gained in the Spire thrummed through every nerve. And beneath it, the shard in his chest pulsed with quiet warmth, fused now with the flame crystal he'd claimed.
"You're quiet tonight."
Kaelin's voice came soft from behind him. The ranger moved like mist; Ryan hadn't even heard her approach. She crouched by the fire, silver eyes catching the light. She studied him the way a hawk studied prey — not cruelly, but with sharp interest.
"Thinking," Ryan said, brushing ash from his palms. "About what I saw in there. About… my father."
Kaelin tilted her head, the braids of her hair shifting like silver threads. "The Spire shows what you fear most. You're not the first to see ghosts of family."
Ryan swallowed. The memory of his father's accusing voice still stung. "It felt real. Like he was really there, disappointed in me."
Kaelin's lips quirked, not quite a smile. "Maybe he was. Or maybe it was only fire given shape. Either way, you faced him. That's what matters."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Don't waste time on guilt. Fire doesn't care who you used to be. It only cares if you burn brighter tomorrow."
Ryan nodded slowly. Her words cut through the ache in his chest like a whetstone. He wasn't sure if she was right — but he wanted her to be.
---
By morning, his trial had become the talk of their little camp.
Theron was the loudest about it, of course. He clapped Ryan on the back hard enough to nearly knock him into the dirt. "Didn't think you'd make it past the first chamber," the giant boomed. "But you surprised me. Stubborn as hell. Like a wolf with its jaws locked."
Ryan rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder, managing a crooked grin. "Thanks… I think."
Lyra, on the other hand, said nothing at first. She simply placed a cup of steaming broth in his hands and studied him, her dark eyes narrowing with thought. When he'd finished half the bowl, she finally spoke.
"You unlocked something in there. I can feel it radiating off you. Stronger aura. Cleaner flow." She tilted her head. "Show me."
Ryan hesitated. He'd only had one night to feel the new resonance. But at her urging, he set the cup aside and stood. He drew in a breath, focusing, and let his aura flow outward.
Blue flames rippled from his hands, but they weren't wild like before. They burned steady, sharp-edged, their heat laced with something deeper — a pulse, a heartbeat, as if the aura itself was alive.
Lyra's lips parted slightly. "Emberheart Resonance," she murmured. "So the Spire favored you after all."
"Is that… good?" Ryan asked.
Lyra's gaze softened. "It's more than good. It means your aura answers to your resolve. The stronger your will, the brighter your power."
Theron chuckled. "So basically, if you're too stubborn to quit, you hit harder. Fitting."
Ryan exhaled, letting the aura flicker out. For the first time, he didn't feel drained by using it. He felt… whole.
---
The following days blurred into training. Kaelin pressed him on precision, forcing him to split arrows mid-flight with bursts of aura. Theron sparred him until his body screamed, teaching him to channel Emberheart into his fists without burning himself out. Lyra guided his control, making him weave aura through the shard, learning to synchronize its pulse with his own.
It wasn't easy. His body still lagged behind his will. More than once he collapsed, chest heaving, aura sputtering into smoke. But each time he dragged himself up again. Each time, he burned brighter.
And with each dawn, he felt it: the world around him noticing. The jungle beasts that once stalked the edges of their camp now lingered farther back. Even the air seemed to part around his steps, as if acknowledging the resonance blooming inside him.
Yet beneath the pride, there was unease. The shard pulsed differently now, not just warm but… restless. At night, Ryan sometimes dreamed of wings of fire and claws of shadow, of voices whispering in languages he didn't know. The shard wanted something. But he couldn't yet tell what.
---
It was on the sixth night after the Spire that the whispers came.
Ryan was on watch, sitting by the fire, when the air shifted. The flames bent sideways, drawn toward the jungle. A cold ripple crawled over his skin.
Then he heard it — faint, like wind through broken glass.
"Child of twin blood…"
Ryan froze. His hand went instinctively to the shard. It pulsed against his chest, harder, like a heartbeat out of sync.
The whisper came again, sharper.
"The Spire was not your forge. It was your warning."
The jungle stirred. Shadows deepened between the trees, twisting unnaturally. Ryan's aura flared on instinct, blue light pushing against the dark. The fire snapped back upright, but the voice lingered.
"Ash spreads. And soon, it will devour all flame."
Ryan stood, heart racing. "Who are you?"
No answer. Only silence. The jungle returned to stillness.
Kaelin appeared moments later, bow half-drawn. "I felt something," she hissed, scanning the trees. "What happened?"
Ryan swallowed, his hand still on the shard. "A voice. It spoke to me. Said the Spire was a warning."
Kaelin's eyes narrowed. "Void resonance." She spat the words like venom. "The enemy knows you now."
"Enemy?" Ryan asked, but his chest tightened with dread. Deep down, he already knew.
Kaelin lowered her bow, her expression grim. "The Shade Beasts we fought at the ridge weren't strays. They were scouts. Something darker moves in this land. And if it's whispering to you…" She paused, then fixed him with a sharp gaze. "You've just become part of its plans."
---
The next morning, the mentors gathered, tension thick in the air. Lyra traced runes into the dirt, circles overlapping like ripples. "Void resonance grows stronger each year, but this—this is different. It seeks him." She glanced at Ryan. "The shard is drawing attention. Or perhaps it's the other way around."
Theron slammed a fist into his palm, scowling. "Then we move first. Hunt it down before it hunts us."
Kaelin shook her head. "Not yet. Charging blind into shadow is suicide. We need more knowledge."
The three argued, voices rising, until Ryan spoke quietly.
"What if… it's not after me. What if it's after all of us?"
Silence fell. They looked at him, and in their eyes he saw something new — not just a student, but a comrade. Someone who had stood in fire and returned.
Lyra finally spoke. "Either way, the path ahead just changed. The Spire was your trial, Ryan. Now comes ours."
Ryan felt the shard pulse again, restless, hungry. He met their eyes, his voice steady.
"Then let's face it. Together."
---
That night, as the jungle whispered with distant howls, Ryan lay awake, staring at the stars. The shard burned faintly against his chest, and deep in his bones, he knew this was only the beginning.
The Spire had forged him. But now, the shadows were moving.
And somewhere in the distance, beyond the jungle and the ridge, something vast and ancient stirred — waiting for him.
Author's note.
Wow, Chapter 10 was a big one! 🔥
Ryan finally stepped beyond training and into his first true quest, facing real danger alongside Kaelin, Lyra, and Theron. The Shade Beasts were brutal, but Ryan pushed through and even proved his shard was connected to something far greater with that mysterious scroll.
I'd love to hear what you think:
How did you feel about Ryan's growth during this quest?
Do you trust Theron as part of the group, or do you think he might cause problems later?
And what do you think the scroll is hiding — is it a clue to Ryan's shard, or something darker?
Your thoughts and theories mean the world to me! 💬 Every like ⭐ and comment helps me know you're enjoying this journey and motivates me to keep writing faster.
The next chapters are going to dive deeper into the shard's connection to the Obelisks — and trust me, the battles are only going to get more intense. ⚔️