The Promise of Flame
The morning sun rose slow and deep in the Pink Village, painting the sky in soft coral flames. The glowing trees whispered with warmth as light touched their leaves, and petals drifted like dying embers in the air. For a moment, it felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Inside the quiet stone house, Yuji sat on the floor cross-legged, watching the way steam rose from a cup of red tea. Aika leaned against the window frame, arms folded, her sword propped beside her. Ryen stood as always, unmoved near the door, silent and ready.
The calm wouldn't last.
Yumi entered the room.
She wore the same black robe as the day before, though this time the red flame embroidery on her sleeves shimmered like it had just been painted. Her long hair was still damp from a morning wash, and her aura—unlike before—felt more serious.
> "You're awake. Good," she said. "It's time you learned why I brought you here."
Yuji's eyes narrowed. "The mission?"
Yumi gave a small nod and placed a rolled scroll on the center table.
> "Kingdom Xina is hosting something called the Grand Treasure Hunt. A ten-day trial. Open to cultivators across the Flame World. Only the brave go in... and most don't come back out."
Ryen raised a brow. "And you want us to join?"
Yumi smiled faintly.
> "You're not just joining. You're competing. With five hundred others."
Aika's eyes flared. "Five hundred!?"
> "Yes," Yumi said calmly. "And the rules are simple. You enter the Portal of Treasures. Once inside, you'll spawn in a random location across a vast forbidden zone—jungles, deserts, cursed temples, monster graves, you name it. Your task is to collect as many treasures as you can within ten days."
She walked to the window, then turned.
> "And when the portal opens again... only ten of you will be allowed to leave."
Yuji nearly dropped his tea. "Ten out of five hundred?!"
> "The rest either die, get trapped, or fail."
Aika hissed under her breath.
Yumi continued, now pacing. "There are many types of treasures. Some are skill scrolls. Others are martial art techniques, long forgotten. Some are elemental enhancements, lost weapons, beast soul remnants. They're categorized into four types—Common, Rare, Powerful… and Mythical."
Ryen's gaze darkened. "And if we bring these back, what then?"
> "You give me half," Yumi said, without flinching. "In return, I pay you in Crimstones. And more importantly… I give you FE—Flame Energy. You need it to survive here."
Yuji glanced down at his crystal card. FE: 1.
He barely had enough to last another thirty days.
He looked up slowly. "But… we're weak. Our cultivation is still Realm 1, Level 1, Stage 1. How can we compete?"
Yumi stared at him for a long moment, then said:
> "In this world… most don't master ADM Rings. They rely only on their inner flame. You three are different. You still have your rings. That means you have an edge."
She pointed at Aika's ★★★ ring. "Your control is higher than you realize. And control… matters more than brute force in the early stages."
Aika exhaled and sat down slowly.
Ryen crossed his arms. "And where exactly is this 'portal'?"
Yumi smirked. "In central Xina. The capital. You'll head there by noon. I've already registered your names under my sponsor mark."
She leaned closer, tone sharp now.
> "Once you enter that portal, you'll be alone. Everyone will spawn in a different zone. You'll have to survive, hunt, collect, and—if possible—reunite. But don't depend on it. Not everyone makes it out."
The room fell quiet.
Even the petals outside had stopped drifting.
Aika finally broke the silence. "You're really sending us into that?"
> "Yes. But if you make it out… you'll rise. This hunt isn't just about treasure. It's about recognition. The Flame World notices winners."
Yuji clenched his fists.
He remembered the Forest of Vernakar. The poison spider. The torture chamber beneath Zeyrus. The pink forest. The words still haunted him:
> "Wind is a weak element…"
He would prove them wrong.
Even if it meant walking into death's door.
> "Fine," he said. "We'll do it."
Ryen nodded once. Aika, after a long breath, stood up.
Yumi smiled, turning to the door.
> "Good. You leave in two hours. Gear up."
As she vanished through the hallway, the sunlight darkened slightly—as if the village itself was holding its breath for what came next.
And in the distance, far beyond the pink trees, the Portal of Treasures pulsed once… as if calling them forward.
---
Into the Portal
The sun in Xina burned red.
Not warm. Not gentle. But furious—like a sky set ablaze with purpose. The capital's stone ground shimmered underfoot, and waves of heat rose from the horizon like smoke off a forge. On the edge of the city, thousands had gathered in a massive open coliseum—no roof, no seats. Just open flame towers and scorched marble, surrounding the thing that drew them all in.
The Portal of Treasures.
It stood like a crack in the world—thirty meters tall, jagged at the edges, swirling violently with shifting colors of flame, lightning, and shadow. It screamed without sound. Pulsed like a living scar. Flames coiled around it like serpents chained by rules no mortal understood.
Yuji stood at the base of the stairs leading to it, his cloak soaked in sweat, heart pounding.
To his left was Aika, her silver blade sheathed but humming slightly with chill. Her hair was pulled tight behind her head now, no longer loose and playful. She was focused. Silent.
To his right, Ryen stood like a wall of still ice—expression blank, arms crossed.
Around them…
Chaos.
Over five hundred cultivators packed the square. Some were laughing, sizing each other up. Others meditated, eyes closed, flames wrapping around their limbs. A few were already arguing, nearly coming to blows. All wore different robes, different badges, different nations.
Yuji saw a giant man with volcanic skin sharpening an axe three times his size.
A woman with green tattoos across her forehead floated five inches off the ground, whispering to her staff.
One group of ten wore blood-red cloaks and didn't speak at all—just stared at everyone else.
> "So this… is the competition," Yuji murmured.
> "No," Ryen replied, eyes forward. "This is the war before the war."
The crowd silenced as a figure emerged above the platform—high above the portal.
A wide circular stage floated mid-air, and a man stood atop it wearing pure white robes etched in black flame. His voice exploded into the air, amplified by some kind of sonic spell.
> "CULTIVATORS OF THE FLAME WORLD!"
> "Today begins your trial. The hunt. The war. The chance at greatness."
His hands spread wide.
> "Welcome… to the Grand Treasure Hunt!"
The crowd roared.
Flames burst into the sky from each of the towers as cannons of sound exploded in every direction. But Yuji didn't flinch. His eyes locked on the man as he continued.
> "For the next ten days, you will be dropped into the Forbidden Zone—an unstable realm of storms, monsters, fallen temples, ancient ruins, and the remains of gods."
> "Your goal? Simple. Survive. Hunt. Collect. Return."
> "Treasure awaits. From Common to Rare… to Powerful… and even Mythical. But know this—nothing in there will come easy."
The portal behind him sparked wildly, as if trying to tear the sky apart.
> "And before you enter…" His voice lowered. "A reminder."
He leaned forward, smiling darkly.
> "Inside that portal… you are free to kill each other."
> "It's allowed."
Silence.
Yuji felt the entire atmosphere change. Half the cultivators looked at each other with new eyes. Hungry eyes. Strategic eyes.
Aika whispered under her breath, "No allies…"
Ryen's fingers twitched, his gaze scanning the crowd. "We find each other. Fast."
The host raised his arms one final time.
> "The portal is now open. Destiny waits. Ten days begin… now."
> "ENTER!"
The world split open.
The swirling chaos behind him roared outward as the Portal of Treasures expanded—its size doubling, flames flaring out, pulling energy from the surroundings. One by one, cultivators ran forward—sprinting, shouting, leaping, vanishing into the portal.
Dozens at once. Then hundreds.
Yuji looked at Aika. "No turning back?"
She gave him a crooked smile. "When did we ever turn back?"
Ryen didn't speak. He was already running.
> "Let's go!" Yuji shouted.
They sprinted forward together—and just before reaching the edge—
Yuji felt a shock in his chest. Like something inside him woke up.
Then—
> FLASH.
Everything went white.
---
The Desert of Fangs
The heat was suffocating.
Yuji dropped onto burning sand, coughing hard. He stood quickly, brushing himself off, eyes wide.
The portal was gone.
Nothing but a crimson desert around him now—vast dunes stretching endlessly in every direction. Giant rock mountains clawed at the sky in the far distance, cracked and blackened like shattered bones. The sky above was orange, but a storm of black clouds swirled far away.
The Forbidden Zone.
> "Damn… I'm alone," he muttered.
His ring buzzed faintly. EB: 10 left. But No map. No allies.
He scanned the mountains.
> "Ryen… Aika…"
His heart beat faster.
He had to find them. Fast.
But before he could move—
The sand under his foot shifted.
A massive trail of dust slithered across the dune ahead. Something big moved beneath the surface. He froze.
> "Something's hunting already…?"
He readied his stance, ring glowing.
> "Alright. No running."
> "Let's survive this hell first…"
Above him, the desert sky darkened.
And in the clouds… something watched.
---
The Sky With Darkness
Above the red desert, beyond the dunes where sand whispered secrets of ancient monsters, the sky had begun to turn black—not from the sun setting, but from something deeper.
From the air itself… twisting with shadow.
Two figures floated high above the mountains—silent, unseen by the hundreds of cultivators below.
One stood still, as if the wind bowed to him. Long black coat swaying, arms folded behind his back. Silas Reign. His presence was like a pressure in the air—a heaviness that bent the clouds around him.
Two massive wings made of pure black aura extended from his back, feathered not with feathers—but smoke. Mist. Shadow.
His voice cut through the silence like a blade of frost.
> "His aura is unstable…"
> "This isn't just wind."
He stared downward—his eyes glowing faintly behind his cracked mask. Below, hidden among rocks and dunes, a boy struggled to stand tall in a place meant to kill him.
Yuji Kazehaya.
The target… or perhaps, the heir.
Beside Silas hovered a second figure—Mina. Dressed in pale robes, her expression unreadable. Her long blue hair danced behind her, glowing faintly with energy. Two wide, angelic wings of light blue aura beat behind her back, almost divine in contrast to Silas' darkness.
She looked down with narrowed eyes.
> "Yes, Master," she said quietly. "It's him."
> "The boy from Zeyrus."
Silas didn't turn to her.
> "You're sure?"
Mina hesitated for only a second.
> "I… I injected him with the Red Poison myself."
> "During the experiments… he survived longer than anyone else."
The wind between them pulsed with silence.
Silas finally spoke again—lower now. Calculating.
> "So the Council lied. He wasn't erased. He was discarded… and forgotten."
He tilted his head slightly, watching Yuji ignite his ring.
> "Foolish of them."
Mina glanced sideways. "He doesn't know, does he?"
> "That his wind is only the mask… and the dark is his truth?"
Silas didn't answer. He simply drifted higher—above even the clouds.
> "Let him struggle," he whispered. "Let him crawl through fire… reach for power… fail."
> "When he breaks… he will come to me."
> "And then… the darkness will awaken."
Far below, Yuji stood alone, unaware of the gods watching him.
The hunt had begun.
But the real game… had just started.
---
END OF CHAPTER 16
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