Voltar's house was small but tidy — shelves lined with books and old, worn tools ran along the walls, and the air carried the scent of smoke and dried herbs. The old man seated his guests around a cracked wooden table, then took a seat himself, carefully setting Mystic Phoenix down in front of him.
"So," he began, his gaze fixed on Kael, "you're claiming to be a Heir trying to master his power before it consumes him."
"Yes."
"And you think I can help with that."
"Orion told us about the six legendary Heirs. If you're one of them…"
Voltar laughed, but there wasn't much joy in it.
"I was 'one of them,' yes. But years don't pass without a trace, boy. What I once was, and what I am now, are two different people."
"Then teach me what you once knew."
"Why would I?" Voltar's voice sharpened now. "The last time I interfered with this world, I nearly lost everything. My friends. My home. Do you think I'll just return to that life because a young boy knocks on my door?"
Kael clenched his jaw.
"We don't have another choice. If we don't learn to master ourselves, we'll be lost — the way the other three were lost."
Voltar's gaze hardened for a moment at the unnamed reference, but he said nothing.
"Prove it," he finally said. "If you're truly worthy of my teaching, show me."
He headed out of the house, Kael and the others following. At the edge of the village, in a wide, stone-paved square, Voltar stopped and slowly raised Mystic Phoenix.
"If you can defeat me, I'll teach you. If not… you go back where you came from."
Kael knew this was a trap — Voltar wasn't fighting to win the match, but to see how much he had truly grown. But he had no other choice.
The two tops flew into the air at the same moment.
From the very first moments, it was clear this wouldn't be as easy as the battles before. Voltar's movements seemed slow, almost tired — yet every single strike landed exactly where it hurt Iron Blaze most. Mystic Phoenix, though worn, still glided gracefully across the stones, as if the old man's decades of experience flowed through it.
"Iron Blaze! Flame Rush!"
The fire titan burst forth, its strike crashing down on Phoenix with terrifying force — but Voltar dodged with a single small movement, and the blow struck nothing but empty air.
"Power alone isn't enough," the old man said calmly, as Phoenix struck back, reaching Iron Blaze from an unexpected angle.
Kael dropped to his knees from the force of the blow.
"Kael!" Akira shouted in worry, but she didn't step in. She knew this battle had to play out alone.
Kael got back up, panting. Iron Blaze trembled in his palm, the fire titan waiting impatiently behind him — but now he knew how to handle it.
He closed his eyes for a moment, the way Orion had taught him.
When he opened them, something had changed in his movements. He no longer tried to answer with raw force — instead he watched, waited, searching for the right moment.
When it came, he didn't hesitate.
"Now!"
Iron Blaze struck from exactly the right angle, and though it didn't manage to defeat Phoenix, it brought the fight to an even standing. The two tops spun apart from each other, both trembling, but still standing.
Voltar looked at the boy for a long moment before speaking.
"You didn't win."
"I know."
"But you showed that you're learning." The old man nodded slowly and picked up Mystic Phoenix. "That's more than most ever achieved against me."
That evening, at the small camp set up at the edge of the village, Kael told Voltar everything — Aurelion and Reizen's plan, their intent to awaken the Destruction, the tournament that was actually a trap.
Voltar was silent for a long time, his face unreadable.
"That's absurd," he finally said. "The Destruction… if what you're saying is true, that's far more dangerous than anything we've ever faced."
"So you don't believe me?"
"I didn't say that." Voltar looked into the fire, his gaze deepening. "But if it's true… we need to prepare for everything. You need to know, Kael: if the Destruction truly wants to awaken, all eight Heirs need to activate. Not just you and your friends — everyone."
"That won't be easy," Shiro remarked quietly.
"No," Voltar agreed. "Reizen already stands on the wrong side. Ryujiro owes loyalty to no one but himself. And Ren… who knows where he wanders these days. Out of eight Heirs, some may not be willing to come together when the need is greatest."
Kael looked into the fire, the weight of the words slowly settling in him.
"Then I have to convince them."
"Or you have to learn to fight without them," Voltar replied quietly.
Far from there, deep within the ancient ruin, Reizen and Aurelion's projected form stood facing each other once again.
"The gathering of samples is going well," Aurelion said. "We already have enough data on five Heirs. Kael, Shiro, Ren, Orion, Zerath."
"And the other three?"
"Ryujiro is stubborn, but we'll draw him into the tournament in time. Virex is still young, easy to control. Akira… she was a surprise, but we already have data on what she showed at the stadium too."
Reizen nodded, his gaze remaining thoughtful.
"And if someone figures out the truth before we're ready?"
"Then we'll make sure it doesn't matter," Aurelion replied, and for the first time, something cold rang faintly in his voice.
At the lava lake, Ryujiro was still training, Dragon Vortex spinning faster and faster around him, trailing streaks of fire with every movement. Virex sat at the edge of the rock, watching as his brother pushed himself further and further, almost obsessively.
"Ryujiro, that's enough for today," he finally spoke up.
"Not yet."
"Your hand is bleeding."
Ryujiro looked down at his palm, as though only now noticing the fresh wounds left by the ripcord.
"Doesn't matter."
Virex stood, and for the first time there was fear in his voice, not just concern.
"Sometimes… sometimes I don't recognize you when you look like this. Like you're not even you."
Ryujiro didn't answer for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the lava.
"Maybe I'm not," he finally said, so quietly that Virex barely heard it.
The fiery vortex kept burning around them as night fell over the mountains.
To be continued in Chapter 20…