C18

Scarlet Dragon King – Chapter 19: The Sun That Longed to Be Touched

The Trial Gate pulsed with impossible light.

Eric stood at its edge, his body still chilled from Death's embrace. But the cold was already giving way to something overwhelming—

Heat. Light. Radiance.

And at its core…

Loneliness.

The next sigil emerged in golden fire, blinding even to a god's gaze. The air itself sang as the fifth trial began.

—

The Trial Plane: Solar Heartscape

The world was aflame.

But not with destruction—no, this was creation fire, the first breath of the cosmos. A golden sky stretched endlessly above a sea of light. Mountains floated like embers. Rivers pulsed with solar blood.

At its center, floating alone, was Her.

The Primordial Sun.

She wasn't just radiant—she was radiance.

Skin of molten gold, hair like solar flares caught in a constant cascade, and eyes that held galaxies being born.

She looked down as Eric entered.

"You are flesh," she said, her voice echoing like sunrise over eternity. "And yet you do not burn."

"I've already faced ice, shadow, storm, and silence," Eric answered, shielding his eyes. "But I've never seen something so beautiful that it hurts to look at."

She frowned.

"You came to love me?"

"I came to see you," he said. "And if love grows from that… it'll be real."

Her light flickered.

For the first time in eons… she dimmed.

"You don't worship me?" she asked quietly.

"No," Eric replied. "I'd rather hold you."

The stars paused.

All her life, the Sun had watched lovers, families, and hearts from above—but never been touched. Never embraced. Always revered. Never loved.

And now…

Here stood a man who reached for her not as a goddess, but as a woman.

Tears formed in her golden eyes.

They evaporated before they fell.

But her heart burned warmer.

She descended—light becoming solid, heat becoming warmth. Her feet touched the ground for the first time since time began.

Eric held out his hand.

And the Sun—the eternal, nurturing mother of stars—took it.

No flame flared.

No explosion came.

Only a soft, golden sunrise that washed over the trial.

Her sigil ignited in radiant light.

—

Outside the Trial

Eric emerged slowly, his eyes reflecting pure gold.

In his arms walked a glowing figure—gentle, divine, still unsure how to smile… but trying.

Shiva raised an eyebrow. "You're collecting primordials now?"

Eric just chuckled. "I didn't collect her. I just… gave her permission to shine where someone could see her."

The Sun looked at him, whispering, "You saw me."

"I always will," he promised.

Five sigils now burned.

And still, the Creation Goddess stirred—watching from her own mirror, her power humming.Five sigils glowed behind him.

Rias.

Grayfia.

Shiva.

Death.

And now, the Sun.

Each of them—powerful in ways that defied logic—rested near him now, not as titles or trials, but as women. Each of them changed by the bond they now shared.

But Eric?

Eric sat quietly beneath the silver-leafed tree that grew in the center of the Trial Plane. Its roots were forged from dreamlight. Its branches held stars.

He exhaled.

The air shimmered.

The burden of strength, of myth, of expectation—it pressed on his shoulders now more than ever.

Not because he doubted himself…

But because he knew what was coming.

The next sigil in the Gate glowed with a creation pulse—soft, infinite, and waiting.

The Goddess of Creation herself.

The first woman. The mother of realms.

And if he failed her trial, everything he had built—everything he had bonded with—would unravel.

The tree rustled.

And a soft hand rested on his shoulder.

It was the Sun.

Her light was gentle now. Soft gold.

"You don't have to carry them all alone," she said quietly.

Eric looked up. The other four were nearby—Rias and Grayfia talking softly, Shiva meditating, Death standing with her arms crossed, watching him with eyes that no longer felt hollow.

"I know," he said. "But I want to. Not because they need it. But because they've earned it."

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm not a god. I'm not some perfect hero. But if I can be a place where their power feels safe… then I'll burn as long as it takes."

The Sun's hand moved to his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

"You already are," she whispered.

And the Gate pulsed again.

This time—not in fire, nor in shadow, nor in light.

But in pure genesis.

The Creation Goddess had awakened.