The ruins faded. The skies cooled from molten gold to pale crimson, and the trial realm collapsed into embers behind Vill Long Feng. As the flames receded, so too did the overwhelming divine pressure. His feet touched solid earth again—charred and cracked, but real. He was back.
Back in Ashfall.
It was the same sun-scorched wilderness where his story had begun—where he'd once scavenged for scraps, dodging venomous beasts and starvation with little more than his wits and a fire that hadn't yet awakened.
But now, the world felt different beneath his steps. The air bent subtly around him, as if reluctant to touch a being born of flame. His breath carried heat. The wild spirit beasts hiding in the crags and canyons slithered away in silence, instinctively terrified of the predator who had returned.
Vill stood still for a long moment.
Then, slowly, he looked toward the horizon. The sun was dipping low, casting shadows over the charred rock and dry cliffs. His black hair now bore streaks of deep ember-red, glowing faintly under the dying light. His bare chest pulsed with heat marks—brands of the Eternal Sovereign's inheritance now carved across his flesh like divine tattoos.
He clenched his fist. The fire responded immediately, wreathing his arm in golden blaze. It was no longer just fire. It was his flame. His will. His vengeance.
And vengeance still burned hot.
He had changed—reforged in a crucible of ancient power—but one truth remained the same: the world was still unjust, and the people who had hurt him and his mother were still alive. His bastard father may be dead, but the legacy of those who had scorned and stepped on them lived on. The clans. The corrupt sects. The so-called righteous families that had watched and done nothing.
They would all pay.
But first, he needed to see her.
His footsteps carried him through winding paths he once treaded barefoot. Days ago, it had taken him hours to navigate these lands. Now, he moved like fire over dry grass—fast, uncatchable.
Within minutes, he reached the remote, crumbling shack. The roof had half-collapsed. The door hung from a single hinge. He remembered building it with trembling hands when he was younger, using scavenged wood and bones. He had sworn then that it would keep her safe.
He stepped inside.
"Vill?" came a voice, weary but soft.
Lilly Long Feng emerged from the back room, her robe threadbare but clean. Her silver hair, once a mess of exhaustion, was neatly tied back now. Her face, though weathered, lit up the moment she saw him.
"Mother," he said, stepping forward.
He dropped to one knee before her.
She looked down at him in surprise. "What happened to you?" she whispered, cupping his face. Her hands trembled. "You… you're burning, yet I can touch you."
Vill leaned into her hand, eyes closed.
"I've awakened," he said. "I've inherited the flames. I've taken the first step. And soon, no one will ever hurt you again."
Her breath hitched. She tried to speak, but the words died on her lips.
He opened his eyes. "You don't have to hide anymore. I'll build us something greater. We won't just survive. We'll reign."
"But…" she faltered. "The world doesn't let people like us rise."
Vill stood. "Then I'll burn the world and make a new one."
They stood in silence.
Outside, the wind howled across the Ashfall Wastes. But the air around the shack was warm now. Comfortable.
Safe.
Later That Night
Vill sat outside beneath the stars, shirtless, legs crossed as he cultivated. The power in his dantian was surging uncontrollably. The awakening had pushed him to the peak of Qi Condensation. He could feel the Foundation Establishment realm within reach.
But he didn't want to rush.
His power wasn't borrowed or stolen. He would build it himself. Brick by brick. Flame by flame.
Behind him, the door creaked open.
Lilly stepped out, her eyes still watching him as if he might vanish. "You're really back," she said quietly.
He turned. "I never left you."
She sat beside him. For a while, they watched the stars.
Then, she rested her head against his shoulder.
"You feel like a sun," she said.
"I am the sun now," he whispered back, eyes glowing faintly. "And I'll never let the darkness touch you again."