Chapter 5: “An Unquenchable Flame”

The wind was hot… not like the usual winds of Kravin, but as if it were warning of an imminent explosion.

Jyn stood on a rocky hill near the village he had saved, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the charred black mountains loomed. His sword, coated in ash, hung at his side.

The same sword… Elthan.

But it was no longer what it once was.

When he used the "Flame of the Sword's Will" in the last battle, he felt the mana within him wasn't just bursting anymore… it was taking shape, as if trying to express itself in a language he hadn't yet learned.

He slowly sheathed the sword and sighed as he descended the hill.

The ground beneath his feet hummed with a soft heat, as if it burned slightly with every step.

Jyn struck a charred trunk with a swift blow.

The sword glowed in two tones—red flame and a faint white gleam.

He whispered:

"Flame of the Sword's Will…"

Then continued the drill — a step forward, explosion, barrier, reflection… like he was dancing with an invisible foe.

At one point, focusing harder…

He unleashed a blazing strike that pierced through three trunks at once, scattering ash around him like a storm.

But his body trembled, and his knee hit the ground.

"Mana… drains too fast."

A girl sat near the well, her eyes calmly following Jyn's steps.

Her short hair and confident gaze were anything but ordinary.

"You know you're the talk of the region now?"

She said, playing with a stone in her hand.

Jyn looked at her without stopping, and replied coolly:

"And you? Who are you?"

She smiled. "Lia. I know Kravin better than its own people. And I have information you'll want."

She stepped closer and whispered:

"Garoud. One of the Three Great Commanders. He's coming… to erase you from the map."

Jyn lured his new opponent into a valley filled with dormant lava and searing flames.

But Garoud was no ordinary warrior…

A double-headed axe, a body clad in black armor pulsing with fiery sigils, and a voice heavy—like a volcano itself was speaking.

Garoud spoke with disdain:

"You sons of Valmire… you die well, but fight with sorrow."

Jyn tightened his grip on his sword:

"We inherited death. But we choose how to burn."

In a moment of silence, their eyes locked—and the first spark of their battle ignited.

But suddenly, Garoud paused, and a bitter grin crept onto his face:

"This isn't your time yet… I was only testing you. The real fight… is soon, son of the fallen king."

Then he vanished into the tongues of fire.

Jyn stood alone, as his sword flickered on its own…

A faint white glimmer—as if something deep within was awakening.

He whispered to himself:

"No… I won't keep running. Kravin will ignite a fire in me that nothing will ever put out."