The sky turned gold as the sun broke through the snow-laced clouds, casting an eerie glow over the jagged cliffs surrounding the Ruins of Kōryū.
Carved into the spine of the mountain, the ancient battlefield stretched across blood-soaked stone and fractured statues of long-forgotten dragons. Broken pillars jutted from the ground like dragon ribs, and black mist lingered like trapped breath.
Kaien stood at the edge, his cloak billowing, his heart heavy.
"This… is where your ancestors fell," Yuki said quietly, standing beside him. "The last Dragon King was sealed beneath this earth—his fire cursed, his roar silenced."
Kaien didn't speak.
But the fire inside him responded. He could feel it—tugging at his soul like a whisper, echoing from beneath the cracked soil.
A horn blared through the mountains.
Around them, portals shimmered open one by one as the other prodigies arrived—each representing one of the Five Great Clans. Lavish robes. Arcane weapons. Elemental auras. All eyes turned toward the Ryugami pair.
Whispers.
"That's the dragon boy…"
"He's alive?"
"And that must be the Himetsuru heiress…"
"They came together?"
Kaien ignored them. He kept his gaze on the massive stone gate ahead, where glowing script pulsed with life. In the center of the gate stood an ethereal figure—an old monk cloaked in white fire, holding a twisted staff of bone and gold.
He was the Keeper of the Trials.
The monk's voice boomed with unnatural strength. "Heirs of the Great Clans, welcome. You now stand where history ended… and where your legacy begins."
The wind howled. Magic thickened in the air.
"Only ten shall be chosen to proceed beyond the gate. You will earn your place… through survival."
With a wave of his staff, the gates split open.
CRACK—BOOM!
A wave of spiritual pressure exploded from within, throwing weaker cultivators to the ground.
Kaien stepped forward, unfazed.
Yuki followed.
The Trials had begun.
Inside the Trial Grounds — The Spiritfire Maze
The ruins within were not stone halls—they were a shifting maze of fire and illusion. The ground cracked underfoot, whispering voices echoed through the walls, and flickering spirits danced at the edge of their vision.
The first test: Awaken the Inner Flame.
Each entrant was separated by magical forcefields, pulled into their own spiritual realm.
Kaien's vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes again… he stood alone, in a burning field.
Above him, a red moon bled across the sky. Below, dragon bones littered the ground—skulls the size of houses, wings torn apart by ancient claws.
"You are not ready," a voice said behind him.
Kaien turned sharply.
There stood a figure cloaked in black and gold robes—tall, imposing, with horns curling from his head like a crown of obsidian flame.
Kaien gasped. "Y-you… you're—!"
"The last Dragon King," the figure said, eyes glowing. "Your blood is mine, boy."
Kaien's knees buckled. He could barely breathe under the weight of the king's presence.
"I was betrayed. Sealed by the very clans that once knelt before me. And now, they've sent you to carry my flame?"
Kaien growled, fists trembling. "I didn't come here to carry your revenge."
"No," the King said darkly. "But you will either burn… or ignite."
The world exploded.
A wall of flame surrounded Kaien. He was drowning in fire, visions of his childhood flashing—mockery, isolation, weakness. The fire clawed at his soul.
Die or evolve.
He roared in defiance.
"I AM KAIIIIEEEN—!"
The flames spiraled inward.
And then—everything went silent.
Outside the Realm — Meanwhile
Yuki sat cross-legged on a floating platform of ice, her trial entirely different.
She faced mirrors of herself—each version colder, more merciless. One wore the crown of the Himetsuru Matriarch. Another held Kaien's burning head in her palm.
"You must choose," the voice of the trial whispered. "Power without emotion… or weakness with compassion."
Yuki clenched her frostblade. "I choose neither."
She shattered the illusions with a burst of cryo-magic so sharp, the maze itself cracked.
Back Inside Kaien's Trial
Kaien stood in the center of the burning world, unscathed.
On his back, faint dragon sigils burned into his skin, glowing gold.
The Dragon King smiled. "You've awakened the First Seal. But beware… this fire comes with a price."
Before Kaien could ask more, the world shattered.
Return to the Real World
Kaien awoke with a gasp, body steaming, breath glowing. A golden scale had formed over his heart, pulsing in rhythm with his soul.
Yuki was waiting at the edge of the ruins, arms crossed.
"You passed," she said flatly, though her eyes lingered on the glowing sigil on his chest.
"You too?"
She nodded. "We're among the ten."
Kaien smiled weakly. "What now?"
She turned toward the deeper entrance beyond the ruins. "Now… we enter the second trial."
"And that is?"
She glanced at him. "Survival. In the Hollow Lands."