"Fire! Open fire!"
BANG! BANG! BRRRRAAAKKKK! BOOOMMM!!!
The roar of explosions and rapid gunfire danced wildly through the night. Bursts of flame scorched the dark sky, like fireworks from hell. The ground shook. Screams and clouds of dust filled the air. Meleter Military Base was under brutal bombardment.
"Hold the line! Don't give up an inch!" a commanding officer bellowed from behind the shattered wall, blood dripping down his temple.
In the command tower, the force of the explosions rattled the walls. One by one, the monitors went dark, leaving only flashing red emergency lights.
"Report, General! Bases 1 through 7 have been destroyed. Only the main base is still holding... for now."
General Brama stood still, eyes locked on a half-shattered holographic map. His eyes burned red. His jaw clenched tightly.
"How... how could they breach us this fast...?"
"We've lost contact with all units, General. Most likely... they're all gone. The attack was coordinated. We were completely unprepared."
Brama turned sharply, grabbing the young soldier by the collar.
"Did you say we lost?" he growled, voice seething with fire. "Say that again—and I'll put a bullet in your head myself."
The soldier went pale.
"We haven't lost! Even if only I remain—if we are reduced to ashes—we! Will! Not! Lose!!"
BANG!! BOOM!! CRACK!! The ground outside shook again. Walls crumbled. A soldier burst in, face smeared with blood and dirt.
"General! The northern barricade is breached! They're entering the inner corridors!"
Brama stepped out through the smoke and rubble, facing the remaining troops. Some were wounded. Others trembled with fear.
He stood tall, chest heaving. His face was blackened with soot, but his eyes—his eyes blazed like living embers.
"Listen well!!" His voice thundered, louder than the explosions. "What are you thinking right now? That you're afraid to die? Want to surrender? ARE YOU SOLDIERS OF MELETER OR JUST COWARDS HIDING BEHIND A NAME?!"
Silence. All eyes fixed on him.
Brama raised his weapon high.
"You've trained! You've been forged in fire! Your blood is bound to this battlefield by oath! YOU ARE NOT HERE TO RUN!! You are the final shield of this nation! Even with one bullet—shoot! Even if your arms are broken—bite! Even if your legs are gone—drag your body and FIGHT!!!"
Another explosion shook the earth. But this time, it wasn't just thunder that echoed—it was roaring spirits reignited.
"FOR BRAMA!" "FOR THE NATION!!" "FOR THE ONES WE SWORE TO PROTECT!!"
The soldiers raised their weapons, not with fear, but with fire in their eyes.
Brama looked at them, and a faint smile crossed his face. A smile like dawn in the middle of devastation.
"If this is the end... then let history remember us not as victims—but as the guardians."
He looked to the red sky—and ran to the front line. His body became the shield. The symbol. In the storm of bullets, he didn't waver. In the blaze of fire, he still stood.
---
The next day…
National broadcasts reported the total destruction of Meleter Base. Not a single soul survived. But one audio recording went viral:
Brama's voice, echoing with fiery resolve. His words became a torch amid defeat's darkness.
That day, millions wept—not in despair, but because they had heard the voice of a true hero.
Brama's name was carved into legend as The Flame That Never Died. A symbol of courage, strength, and an unyielding fire.
---
Some time later…
Scorching sunlight burned Brama's face.
"Ugh… damn. My body... feels like I got hit by a tank."
He woke up lying in strange grass. The scent of damp earth and forest air filled his lungs. He sat up, breathing hard. His wounds—gone.
Brama looked around. No rubble. No gunfire. No base.
Only forest. Towering trees. Strange birds calling.
"What... is this? Where am I?"
He touched his chest—his military uniform was gone, replaced by rough brown robes like something out of a forgotten age.
"Was I captured...? No, this isn't an enemy camp. It's not even the same world."
He staggered forward, eyes drawn upward.
A purple sky. Three moons.
"Is this... hell? Or... have I been taken to another world?"
Suddenly, the bushes rustled. A creature the size of a buffalo—fur blue, horns glowing—emerged, staring at him.
Brama froze.
"WOAH!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
The beast rumbled like thunder and fled. Brama fell backward, panting.
"I'm still alive… But… this isn't the same world."
Then, a voice echoed in his mind.
> [Welcome to the New World. Welcome, Heir of the Ember.]
Brama's eyes widened.
"This world… wants to make me a hero again?"
He clenched his fist and stared at the sky.
"We'll see. But hear this, strange world—don't expect me to bow without a fight."
---
A gentle wind blew through the forest, but to Brama—raised on battlefields—it felt foreign. Calmer, yes. But calm that hid unseen threats.
"Heir of the Ember system...? What is that?" he muttered.
Ding.
> The Heir of the Ember system is an AI bound to the host's fighting spirit. It can analyze weaknesses in the environment and enhance host cognition in critical moments. 'Heir of the Ember' refers to those whose spirit burns endlessly, even when their body is broken and the world turns away.
Brama didn't answer right away. His face remained stoic. But his eyes—those eyes that once defied gunfire and explosions—gleamed with hidden surprise.
"Alright. What else can you do?" he asked, alert to the faint snap of a branch nearby.
Ding.
> Current system version: 1.0. Functions limited to weakness scan and thought acceleration. Advanced functions... unknown.
"What?? You don't even know how to upgrade yourself?"
He scoffed, but didn't despair. That fire in his chest still burned. To him, the system was a bonus. With or without it—he would survive.
"Fine. Can you scan for a safe location?"
Ding.
> Scan function for safe zones unavailable.
"Ugh…" Brama scanned the trees. "That blue beast from earlier—is it normal here? Are there more?"
Ding.
> Data insufficient. Basic world info indicates all humans here are spiritually bonded to a beast. They can transform with it. Dangerous beasts dominate.
"Transform... Do I have one of those bonded beasts too?"
Ding.
> Host has one bonded beast. Currently dormant.
Brama nodded slowly. "What is it, and how do I awaken it?"
Ding.
> Unknown species. The spirit beast exists outside the system's range. Two known awakening methods: (1) Visiting a Blessing Site; (2) Facing a life-and-death event.
"Hmph... Interesting. But first—let's find shelter."
He snapped a branch into a spear. His steps were light, but purposeful. This forest didn't offer time for hesitation.
Step one: survive.
He crouched under thick brush, eyes sharp. Every snapped twig. Every claw mark. Every hint of blood on the wind.
"Not the right path," he whispered, turning left around a root thicker than his leg.
Ding.
> Quick scan: Large reptile behind right bush. Respiratory strain on left neck. Weak point—upper spine. Threat Level: 5
Brama turned. A blackish-purple lizard the size of a bear crept through shadows, tongue flicking.
He gripped the spear. Not a panicked teen—he was a general.
With swift motion, he leapt onto a low branch. The creature spotted him. Charged.
Brama dropped into thick brush, scraping the spear tip with sticky sap.
Ding.
> Weakness confirmed: Sensitive cornea. Blindable with Sylca tree resin.
Brama smirked. "Just what I hoped."
As the beast lunged, he drove the sap-slick spear into its right eye. The monster roared, thrashed, crashing into trees.
Brama didn't finish it off. He retreated—his goal wasn't victory. It was survival.
---
An hour passed.
Brama panted under a rocky ledge forming a narrow cave.
It was dry. Warm. No claw marks. Safe—for now.
"This'll do," he muttered, inspecting a scrape on his arm.
He closed his eyes—not to sleep, but to think. About this world. About the dormant beast inside him. About the system—limited, yet bound to him. And about that voice that still echoed in his soul:
"Your fire hasn't died. The ember still burns."
Ding.
> Anomaly detected within 100 meters. Energy unstable. Spiritual resonance—high.
Brama's eyes opened. "What do you mean?"
Ding.
> Possibility: Minor Spirit Blessing Site nearby.
He stood. Legs trembling. Body exhausted. But something was calling.
Could this be... the place to awaken his beast?