Chapter 6: The Trial of Flame and Iron
The morning mist inside Ember Sanctum curled across the ground like living smoke, wrapping around the black stone tiles and the open training fields. In the distance, spiritual forges roared, sending sparks into the sky like blazing fireflies. Giant hammer strikes echoed from the mountains beyond, where Spirit Smiths crafted weapons for the Emperor's elite.
Rael stood barefoot on the cold floor of a side courtyard, his eyes closed. Steam rose from his skin. His body trembled slightly, not from weakness, but from the pressure of what surrounded him.
Above him floated four red stones, each one pulsing with rhythmic heat. They moved in slow orbit, radiating a low humming sound—flame-resistance cores, designed to press heat directly against a cultivator's core without causing external damage.
He had stood like this for two hours.
Across from him, Instructor Vei watched with her arms folded.
"Not bad," she muttered. "Most collapse in thirty minutes."
Rael's breath came slow and deep. His golden flame spun steadily within his dantian, resisting the external pressure and absorbing what it could.
He wasn't just enduring the heat.
He was learning from it.
Letting his own fire mirror the behavior of the pressure, expanding and contracting, resisting and yielding.
Instructor Vei snapped her fingers.
The stones stopped spinning and fell to the ground with a low clink.
Rael opened his eyes and exhaled.
"Good," she said. "Rest for one hour. Then report to the Trial Tower."
Rael blinked. "Already?"
"You've shown control, reaction speed, and decent flame comprehension. Now we see what happens under real pressure."
---
The Trial Tower of Ember Sanctum was a dark, five-story obelisk carved into a cliff wall. No windows. No visible doors. Just a glowing arch at the base, flanked by two statues of kneeling flame warriors.
Rael stood before it with fifteen other cultivators from Unit Ember-Five. Among them were Narra, the twin-bloom user he had previously sparred with, and two others he hadn't spoken to yet—Korin, a tall, muscular youth whose flame took the form of molten rock, and Selene, a silver-haired girl whose flames froze instead of burned.
Instructor Vei addressed them.
"The Trial Tower doesn't test strength alone," she said. "It tests mind, will, and adaptability. You will enter one by one. Inside are three levels."
She held up three fingers.
"One: Combat trial. Two: Mental trial. Three: Flame resonance."
"If you pass all three, you'll be elevated to inner rotation, and gain access to the Ember Library and advanced cultivation resources."
She turned to Rael.
"You're first."
Rael stepped forward without hesitation.
The arch shimmered, and he passed through it.
The moment he entered, the light vanished behind him.
Darkness.
And then—
Boom!
He was standing in a wide stone chamber, ringed by torches. Opposite him stood a creature formed entirely of blackened flame and iron plates. It had no eyes, no mouth—only a glowing core in its chest.
A voice echoed from above.
"Trial One: Defeat the Flame Warden."
Rael dropped into a stance, golden flame already pulsing around his legs.
The creature charged without warning.
It moved fast—surprisingly fast. Each step left cracks in the stone. It swung an arm like a mace, aiming straight for Rael's ribs.
Rael pivoted to the side, flames gathering in his palms.
"Ashen Sweep!"
The ground burst with a horizontal wave of fire, but the creature didn't even flinch—it stomped forward through the blast, its core glowing brighter.
Rael narrowed his eyes.
It absorbs fire?
Then he had to dodge again.
The Warden's arms spun in wide arcs, each strike heavy and deliberate. Rael jumped back, spun, and raised his arm.
"Rising Veil!"
The spiral of golden fire wrapped around him, blocking a direct punch.
But the impact still knocked him off his feet.
He tumbled backward, rolled, and came up with a wince.
No good. It doesn't fear fire… but what about silence?
He drew energy into his chest, focused everything on a small point.
"Third Flame—Hollow Burn."
The shimmering dome of heat formed in front of him. The Warden charged again—then staggered as its body began to melt slightly under the pressure of silent, concentrated heat.
Rael moved.
He darted forward, sliding under one of the Warden's arms and drove his fist into the creature's core.
"Radiant Embers—Focus Point."
A single mote of fire entered the core.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the Warden exploded outward in a flash of golden flame and smoke.
Rael landed on one knee, panting.
The voice spoke again.
"Trial One—Passed."
A doorway opened on the far side of the room, made entirely of flame. Rael stepped through it.
And into the dark once more.
---
The second trial chamber was completely silent.
No torches. No flame.
Only a narrow path of floating stones suspended in endless black.
Rael walked forward.
Then the whisper began.
"You are alone."
"You are weak."
"You survived by luck."
"You should never have been chosen."
The voices came from within.
Illusions. Projections of doubt.
Rael kept walking.
His steps were slow at first. Hesitant.
Then firmer.
The whispers grew louder, deeper. He felt invisible fingers pulling at his memories.
His father's death.
The burning of the City of Ash.
The six years he had spent unconscious, useless, forgotten.
"You failed everyone."
"You were a mistake."
"You carry a fire that will consume you."
He staggered.
One foot slipped.
But he did not fall.
He stood straight and clenched his fists.
"I carry a fire," he said aloud. "But it doesn't burn me."
He raised his head.
"It burns for me."
Light exploded beneath his feet.
The illusions shattered.
And the third door opened.
---
The final chamber was… calm.
A white space, endless in every direction.
And at the center floated a single golden ember.
It pulsed softly. No heat. No sound.
The voice returned.
"Trial Three: Flame Resonance."
"Connect. Or fail."
Rael stepped forward slowly.
He could feel the ember calling—not in words, but in feeling. Warmth. Sorrow. Memory.
He sat cross-legged before it and reached inside himself.
The golden flame in his core pulsed.
He extended a strand of his spirit toward the ember.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
Boom.
A vision exploded behind his eyes.
He was standing on a battlefield beneath two moons. The sky was black with warships. Fire fell from orbit like rain. Across the cracked land, human cultivators fought against silver-skinned warriors with spears of light.
Rael saw himself—older, stronger—leading a group of ten. They burned like stars.
The ember pulsed again.
Another vision.
He stood in space, facing a massive ship the size of a mountain. Inside, an alien God-like being roared, its energy pressing down like a storm. Rael raised his hand—and the golden fire from his chest formed a spear that pierced the void.
The vision faded.
Rael gasped, falling back onto the floor.
But he was smiling.
Because now he understood.
This fire… it wasn't just his own.
It was ancient. Passed down from the last era. Waiting.
Waiting for a time when it would be needed again.
The ember entered his chest.
His flame blazed.
The white space dissolved—
—and Rael stepped out into the sunlight of the Ember Sanctum courtyard, his robes fluttering, his eyes glowing faintly with golden light.
Commander Aelric stood nearby, watching.
"You passed," he said.
Rael nodded.
Aelric smirked.
"Then prepare. Because now… the real training begins."
Rael stood still, the golden light in his eyes slowly fading as he breathed in the thick spiritual air of Ember Sanctum once again. But something within him had changed.
The cultivators nearby, who had been waiting for their own turns in the Trial Tower, turned to look. Most had only passed one or two trials. Only a handful passed all three. And none of them stepped out with that aura—deep, steady, ancient.
Instructor Vei approached, her steps deliberate. Her sharp eyes scanned him up and down, then paused briefly on his chest, where the ember had vanished.
She didn't speak right away.
Instead, she nodded once.
"You resonated with the True Ember."
Rael gave a short nod. "I saw… something."
"That's not unusual," she replied, arms crossed. "But most see illusions. Memories. Past lives. You, however… you carry the scent of vision. The kind of fire that looks forward."
Rael frowned slightly. "I saw war."
"So did the rest of us," she muttered. "That fire didn't appear to you by accident. It's watching."
Commander Aelric joined them, placing a firm hand on Rael's shoulder.
"You are now ranked among the Ember Core, the inner force of this sanctum. From now on, you'll have access to elite scrolls, restricted areas of the Ember Library, and the combat zones on the Second Sky Platform."
Rael blinked. "Second Sky?"
Aelric smirked. "You'll see."
He waved his hand, and a glowing token appeared in the air—a flame-shaped medallion, gold-rimmed, with the mark of Ember Sanctum carved at its heart. It floated into Rael's palm.
"Your pass. Do not lose it. Without it, you cannot access any of the core facilities."
Rael bowed. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Aelric said. "You'll earn your place fully after tomorrow."
Rael straightened. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes. Every core member must undergo one final step—a live battle trial."
Instructor Vei added, "Not a simulation. Not a duel. A real battle… against an outsider."
Rael's eyes narrowed. "An outsider?"
Aelric nodded grimly. "Tomorrow morning, you will fight one of the voidborn scouts that breached Lunar Orbit two days ago."
Rael's heart skipped.
The voidborn—creatures twisted by cosmic energy, mutated scouts from alien forces that had been watching Earth's growing power from afar. They didn't come often. And when they did, it was usually for one reason: to test humanity's readiness for war.
And now… Rael would face one.
---
That night, Rael sat alone in his quarters. The golden ember from the trial still pulsed within him faintly, a rhythm he could feel in every breath, every heartbeat.
He reviewed what he had learned.
His current cultivation was Spiritual Beginner, level 9. One step away from the Spiritual Warrior stage.
He had four main techniques:
Ashen Sweep – crowd control, area flame surge
Rising Veil – defensive flame spiral
Hollow Burn – silent heat barrier, non-lethal disruption
Radiant Embers – energy-draining fire motes
And now… fragments of something else.
The Heart of Ash.
Not yet a complete technique, but forming.
I'll need more than what I have now, he thought.
He stood and walked to his shelf, pulling out one of the scrolls he'd received after passing the trials.
It read:
> Flame Manifestation: The Path to Elemental Resonance (Intermediate, Spiritual Warrior Stage).
He opened the scroll and began to read.
The hours passed quickly. He traced symbols. Practiced hand seals. Internalized the flow patterns. He didn't attempt to use the technique—he knew his current level wasn't sufficient—but he let it settle in his memory, for when he would reach the threshold.
Finally, he meditated, letting the spiritual mist of the sanctum fill his lungs, slowly refining it into his dantian. The golden flame inside him spun faster now, tighter, denser.
He was close.
He knew it.
Tomorrow's battle might just push him over.
---
At dawn, the training bell rang once. A piercing sound that echoed across all Ember Sanctum.
Core members gathered at the Sky Arena—an open platform at the top of the sanctum's tallest mountain, surrounded by ancient flaming banners that waved in the wind.
Above them, the red sun hovered near the horizon, casting long shadows over the crowd.
Rael stood in the center of the ring.
Across from him, a portal of shadow twisted open.
Out stepped the voidborn.
It was tall—nearly twice his height—with charcoal-black skin cracked with lines of white light. Its eyes were empty sockets, glowing with soft blue flames. Long claws tipped its fingers. Its chest bore a symbol unfamiliar to any human—a circle within a triangle, pulsing faintly.
Gasps rippled through the spectators.
Commander Aelric raised his voice. "This voidborn scout was captured near our orbital ring three days ago. It is at the peak of Spiritual Beginner, Level 10. A perfect challenge."
He looked at Rael. "Begin when ready."
Rael stepped forward.
The voidborn hissed.
Then vanished.
Rael's eyes widened.
Fast!
He ducked just as claws sliced through the air above his head. He spun backward and released a burst of flame.
"Ashen Sweep!"
The fire surged outward—but the voidborn leapt high, flipping midair, and launched a spear of condensed energy at him.
Rael raised both arms.
"Hollow Burn!"
The silent heat dome absorbed the blow—but cracked slightly.
Rael gritted his teeth.
The voidborn descended, claws aimed for his chest.
"Rising Veil!"
Flames spiraled upward, catching the creature mid-dive and pushing it back, but it used the force to flip again, landing like a cat.
Rael rushed forward.
He called energy into his palm.
"Radiant Embers—Scatterfall!"
Dozens of fire motes burst from his hand, surrounding the voidborn.
The creature hissed again—then each ember exploded with focused intensity.
When the smoke cleared, the voidborn was kneeling.
Its left arm was gone, its core exposed and flickering.
Rael didn't hesitate.
He drew every ounce of power into his core, compressed it, and let it flow into one final strike.
"Heart of Ash—Pulse One!"
A beam of golden fire, almost silent, shot from his hand like a spear.
It pierced the voidborn's chest—
—and the creature disintegrated into ash.
Silence.
Then—
Cheers.
Commander Aelric raised his fist. "The trial is complete. Rael of the Flameheart Line… is now a full member of the Ember Core."
Rael lowered his hand, panting.
His flame was low.
But inside his dantian, something shifted.
The golden flame compressed one final time—then expanded.
Spiritual Warrior, Level 1.
He had advanced.
And the war had only just begun.