Trial Nine: The Skyfall Crucible

Thane stood at the center of a glowing platform suspended in darkness.

No walls.

No ceiling.

No horizon.

Just an endless black void stretching out in all directions—and a single spotlight of heat pouring down onto the obsidian beneath his feet.

The platform trembled.

Then cracked.

And the Archive whispered.

"Trial Nine: Cast Before Impact."

"Objective: Command elemental control while airborne."

"Condition: Zero footing."

"Failure to land safely results in termination."

No timer. No countdown.

The trial began the moment he blinked.

The floor vanished beneath him.

And Thane fell.

There was no scream.

Only wind.

No walls.

Only light—glowing trails of molten crust floating like burning islands below.

As he plummeted, the air around him shimmered with veins of red and orange.

Not sky.

Not clouds.

Rivers of suspended lava, mid-ignition, drifting as if held in place by memory alone.

They pulsed as he passed.

And then, for the first time, they responded.

He wasn't just falling through fire.

He was falling through his element.

He summoned his screen mid-fall.

Not out of panic.

Out of clarity.

[STATUS SCREEN]

🧍 Name: Thane

🧬 Race: Human

🌍 Origin: Unknown Plane

❤️ Vitality: 4

💪 Strength: 3

⚡ Agility: 5

🧠 Intelligence: 6

🔥 Mana: 3 (30/30)

📈 Level: 1

🧪 EXP: 30 / 100

[PASSIVE SKILLS]

• Law of Absolute Repetition (Active)

• Quiet Casting

• Flow Casting

• Fire Affinity

• Magma Affinity

• Poison Resistance – Lv. 2 — EXP: 4 / 25

[ACTIVE SKILLS]

• Firebolt – Lv. 1 — EXP: 22 / 100 — Mana Cost: 10

• Flame Arc – Lv. 1 — EXP: 6 / 100 — Mana Cost: 12

• Burning Chain – Lv. 1 — EXP: 4 / 100 — Mana Cost: 14

• Flame Ward – Lv. 1 — EXP: 0 / 100 — Mana Cost: 8

• Flameblade – Lv. 1 — EXP: 3 / 100 — Mana Cost: 10

• Magma Sword – Lv. 1 — EXP: 0 / 100 — Mana Cost: 16

• Lava Geyser – Lv. 1 — EXP: 5 / 100 — Mana Cost: 18

The air screamed past him.

He could make out the target below now—an obsidian platform surrounded by a dozen lava vents, each primed to erupt the moment he touched down.

If he landed wrong, he'd be launched back into the sky... or burned alive.

But the Archive wasn't asking for a dodge.

It was asking for dominion.

He had to cast before landing. Shape the ground before touching it.

He gritted his teeth.

And acted.

Lava Geyser.

He cast it to the far left, just above one of the erupting vents.

The spell burst mid-air, redirecting one of the jets—stalling it—and opening a safer gap between two others.

His body rotated with the force of the cast, but he used it.

Momentum is a tool.

He flipped midair, tucked his legs, and reached for something new.

Not Flameblade.

Not Geyser.

Something wider.

Something that could reshape terrain—even for a moment.

He reached out with both hands, palms flat.

Closed his eyes.

And thought:

Scorch Zone.

The mana moved like magma through his spine.

Not sharp.

Heavy.

Like opening a gate too early.

He felt it ripple outward before he saw it.

The platform below flashed red. Then orange.

The vents cooled.

The cracks sealed.

A circle of stone ignited in a burst of red light, scorching the landing zone in advance—claiming it.

He crashed down into the middle of it, knees bent, braced hard—

And landed clean.

No impact burst.

No aftershock.

Just fire curling around his boots, obeying the circle.

[New Skill Acquired: Scorch Zone – Lv. 1]  

• Claims a 5-meter radius of terrain for 10 seconds  

• Nullifies enemy fire magic and redirects lava hazards  

• Enhances fire and magma spells cast within the zone  

• Mana Cost: 20  

• EXP: 0 / 100

The lava vents flared beyond the zone's edge.

The Archive didn't attack again.

It didn't have to.

It simply spoke.

"Trial Nine Complete."

"Candidate has demonstrated vertical casting, elemental reshaping, and predictive zone control."

"You now stand one step from Flame Sovereignty."

The light dimmed.

The ground held steady beneath him.

But the fire... the fire in his core was boiling now.

He had shaped fire.

Wielded lava.

Commanded terrain.

And now, the Archive was preparing to offer him the one spell it had never taught anyone else who fell this far—

The spell that broke worlds.

Meteor.