The sanctum's silence was deceptive. It pressed in on the bones of the world, a sacred hush born not of peace—but reverence. The moment Belarion stepped closer, reality itself strained around him. The figure on the altar unfurled, rising with motion as fluid as mist and as commanding as time.
"You wield the Genesis Flame. I smell its infancy," the prisoner whispered, his voice echoing across dimensions. "But power without memory is still weakness."
Belarion's eyes narrowed. "Then teach me. Or test me."
The figure's smile was both amused and grim.
"Let the trial begin."
The chains around the scroll erupted in blue flame. The runes on the floor shimmered as the entire sanctum became a battlefield—reality bent to the laws of celestial dueling.
[Trial Initiated: Duel of the Forgotten Flame.] [Opponent: Astral Remnant – Seraphion the Bound Flame.] [Restrictions: No external system interference. Core abilities only. Time flow altered. Escape: Impossible.]
Belarion drew in a breath. Without the System's support, he felt the limits of his raw potential. But the Genesis Flame responded, awakening deeper layers as if eager for a worthy foe.
Flames burst from his palms—silver and red, dancing with impossible heat.
Seraphion stepped forward, a sword of voidlight forming in his hand. "Prove yourself, mortal."
They clashed.
Each blow from Seraphion sang with eons of martial wisdom, ancient flame laws embedded in every arc and feint. Belarion's body screamed under the pressure, but the system within him—though silent—burned like a heart of stars. He adapted. Grew. His strikes became cleaner, faster.
He caught a downward slash and redirected the force.
His flame wrapped around Seraphion's arm.
[Passive Skill Activated: Genesis Wrath.]
The celestial being faltered, surprise flickering in those stellar eyes. "You're... evolving mid-battle?"
Belarion grinned, blood running down his brow. "It's what I do."
The battle intensified. Spells collided, reality fractured. The sanctum's glyphs shattered one by one as their clash ascended past mortal comprehension. Every flame Belarion conjured carried new echoes—now tinged with starlight.
Seraphion released his limiters.
A second pair of wings flared open behind him.
[True Form: Astral Flame Seraph. Threat Level: Cataclysmic.]
Belarion faltered—but only for a breath.
He reached deep into the Genesis Flame.
And then deeper still.
His core ignited. The scroll pulsed behind them, the iron chains weakening.
Then, for a split second, time shattered.
Belarion stood in a memory.
A war. Suns dying. Stars screaming. Divine beings clashing across galaxies.
And a man—his face not unlike Belarion's—bearing the same flame.
The First Flamebearer.
"You are the last chance," the vision whispered. "Become more than power. Become the Law."
Belarion returned to the present, flames wreathed in golden starlight.
He unleashed his full strength.
[Skill Evolution: Genesis Flame → Dominion Fire.] [New Passive Unlocked: Flame of Command – All lesser flames bend to your will.]
Seraphion was pushed back, forced to kneel.
"You… bear the Law of Ascension. I yield."
The trial ended.
[Trial Completed. Reward: Scroll of Starfire Unsealed. Skill Gained: Stellar Incantation.]
Belarion approached the scroll. The chains dissolved at his touch.
He unfurled it.
And knowledge poured into his mind.