> [Location: Lavafold Expanse – Obsidian Trail, 700m above magma basin]
Party: Tian Xue (Team Leader), Lin Suyin, Phoenix Hatchling (Phase II), Nightflame Lynx
Objective: Reach Emberfanged Perch – Hidden base of the Crimson Moth Sect
Environmental Threat: High-Pressure Magma Vents + Flameblind Mist
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The Moth's Last Trail
Tian Xue pressed her palm to the cracked obsidian ledge, the heat biting even through her flame-resistant gear. Sweat ran down her back, not from the fire—but the pressure of being the one in charge.
Lin Suyin scanned ahead, eyes flicking.
> "The mist's hiding movement. I counted six flickers in the last minute."
> "Crimson Moth scouts?" Tian Xue asked.
> "Or lava drakes. Either way, something's watching us."
The Phoenix Hatchling perched atop a broken stone lantern and let out a short, warning chirp—its own senses confirming the danger.
Then, suddenly—
A burst of black flame erupted from the rocks ahead.
---
Ambush in the Ash
Blades cut through the mist—short, curved, and wrapped in soulcloth. Three figures leapt from the higher ledges, clad in black and crimson flameweave.
> "Trespassers. You were warned not to return."
Tian Xue leapt backward, drawing her soulblade just in time to deflect a descending strike.
Lin Suyin vanished in a flash—reappearing behind one attacker, flame thread already looped around their ankle.
> "We're not enemies!" Tian Xue shouted, locking blades with the lead assassin.
"We bring word from Emberveil!"
The moment she said the name, the lead attacker staggered, then hissed low.
> "Emberveil still lives?"
> "More than that," Tian Xue growled. "It remembers you."
The blade-point dipped.
---
Parley on the Edge
The attackers led them higher, into the shadows of an obsidian cliff-face. A narrow staircase carved into the rock disappeared into smoke.
There, at the top—Emberfanged Perch stood. A fortress disguised as ruin, protected by soul-burning wards and a scentless flame field.
Inside, a woman waited.
Her presence was regal, her robes layered in crimson and ash. Tattoos curled down her arms in moth-winged patterns. Her gaze was knife-sharp.
> "I am Sect Mistress Yan Qirou. Speak before I silence you."
Tian Xue stepped forward, lowering her hood.
> "My name is Tian Xue. I stand with Jiang Han—the bearer of Free Flame and the Shard of the Monolith."
> "We are not here to rule you. We are here to awaken what the Sovereigns tried to kill."
There was a pause.
And then a whisper spread among the onlookers: "Free Flame…?"
---
Flame Dance of Judgment
Mistress Yan clapped her hands once.
> "We do not bend to names, Tian Xue. We bow only to flame that dances."
She gestured to a long stone platform overlooking a pool of magma.
> "You will face my champion in a Flame Dance Duel. Survive one hundred breaths. If you do… we will listen."
Tian Xue stepped onto the platform without hesitation.
Across from her: a slender man, robes coiled like silk moth wings, dual daggers already aflame.
> "Begin."
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The Duel – Flame Breath by Breath
Tian Xue moved like wind—elegant, reactive, fierce.
The champion struck in bursts—twists of flame-dagger and shadowstep, each move designed to pierce rather than crush.
Thirty breaths in—Tian Xue had two cuts on her arms, a scorched boot, and a soul-pulse dropping from the strain.
Fifty—she parried a triple-flame fan strike, responded with a rising spiral of icefire from her left hand.
Eighty-five—the dagger brushed her cheek.
She retaliated.
And at breath ninety-eight, she disarmed him.
Both stood panting.
> "Enough," Mistress Yan said, standing.
---
A Pact in Smoke
Mistress Yan stepped forward and pressed a palm to Tian Xue's chest—just over her heart.
> "Your fire does not obey. It dances."
> "That is enough."
She turned to her gathered sect.
> "The Crimson Moth flies again. And we fly with the Free Flame."