The Forgotten Relics

Roy's footsteps echoed through the dimly lit cavern as he moved deeper inside. The air grew thick with heat, pressing against his skin like an unseen force. A faint, red-orange glow pulsed further ahead, illuminating the cavern's walls in flickering shadows.

Mimi, usually chatty, remained eerily quiet. Even she could sense it—something was waiting here.

The heat intensified with every step, but there was no visible fire. No torches. No flames.

Just the steady, rhythmic glow…

Then, he saw it.

A sword.

Partially buried in the hardened ground, the blade jutted out at an angle, its dark metal gleaming under the shifting light. A slow, steady stream of magma leaked from beneath it, forming a molten pool around its base. The magma pulsed, as if alive—thick and sluggish, yet refusing to cool.

Roy's breath hitched.

This wasn't just any pool of lava.

This was where the Fire Lion trained.

His mind raced back to the fragmented memories he'd absorbed from the Fire Lion's core. The intense heat, the ferocious roars, the image of flames coiling around a massive body—this was the very place. The beast had honed its strength here.

And at the center of it all…

The sword remained, untouched by time.

His gaze flickered to the side, where something else caught his eye.

A ring.

Simple, unassuming, yet strangely out of place. It lay on a smooth, blackened stone, as if someone had carefully placed it there long ago, waiting for the right hands to claim it.

Roy clenched his fists.

Why were these here?

Had the Fire Lion guarded them? Or had it left them behind, knowing someone would come?

He exhaled, steadying himself. The voice had led him here.

But now, standing before these relics, with the heat of molten rock licking at his boots…

He wasn't sure if he was ready to claim them.

"So, you've come at last."

Roy's body tensed, his hand instinctively moving toward his weapon. But this voice—it wasn't hostile. It wasn't even entirely human.

Mimi, who had been unusually silent, finally spoke.

"Pi Pi! User, did you hear that?! A ghost?! No, no, no! Mimi does not like ghosts!" She fluttered around anxiously, her small form glowing slightly.

Roy kept his eyes on the sword, his heart pounding. "Who are you?"

There was a brief silence before the voice responded, this time clearer, deeper, and carrying an ancient weight.

"I am the blade before you… or at least, what remains of me."

Roy's breath caught in his throat. "You're the sword?"

"Yes. My name is Ignis Fang, a soul weapon. Not of this world."

A low hum filled the cave, and the sword vibrated slightly, releasing a faint aura of heat.

"I fell to this land when a meteor collided with your world. My master perished long ago, leaving me behind. Since then, I have waited. It has been… far too long."

Roy frowned. "You're saying you came from another world?"

"Indeed. And now, so have you… in a way."

Roy didn't understand what the sword meant by that last part, but before he could question it, his eyes drifted to the ring. There was something about it—something that felt just as out of place as the sword.

"You are curious about the ring, aren't you?" Ignis Fang spoke again, its voice steady. "That is no ordinary spatial ring. That is a World Ring."

Roy blinked. "World Ring?"

Mimi gasped. "Pi Pi?! A real World Ring?!"

Roy turned to her. "You know what that is?"

Mimi bobbed up and down, her tone unusually serious. "Pi Pi! User, normal space rings can only store items. They hold space, but they can't support living things. But a World Ring… it's an entire realm! A world of its own!"

Roy's mind reeled. A separate world… inside a ring? That didn't seem possible.

Ignis Fang chuckled, sensing his doubt.

"Your understanding of space is still shallow. But this ring, unlike common spatial rings, can sustain life. The world inside it is a fire realm, filled with energy meant for someone who walks the path of flames."

Roy stared at the ring, realization dawning on him. "And because I have fire power…"

"You are one of the few who can claim its inheritance."

A shiver ran through Roy's spine, despite the overwhelming heat. He had stumbled upon something beyond his wildest expectations.

But before he could celebrate, Ignis Fang's tone grew firm.

"Do not be arrogant, boy. You may be suited for the inheritance, but you are far from worthy."

Roy stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"The power within these relics is not freely given. To truly inherit them, you must prove yourself. Strength alone is not enough. There is a trial you must face, and if you fail…"

The cave seemed to grow darker.

"You will not leave this place alive."

Silence followed, heavy and unshakable.

Mimi, for once, had nothing to say.

Roy clenched his fists. His heart pounded, not with fear, but with something else.

Determination.

He had come this far. He would not back down now.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.

"Then tell me… what must I do?"