The furnace burned, not just around him but within him.
Vemy staggered forward, Prismarine fire roaring like a living beast, wings stretched to their limits. Across from him, his reflection—older, sharper, untamed—spun its blazing blade, arcs of molten crystal slicing the air.
"You cling to control," it hissed, voice echoing in his bones. "But control is a lie. Fire is chaos, and you are weak."
Vemy clenched his fists, the gauntlets of Prismarine blaze snapping like lightning. "Weak? I'll show you what happens when you try to own me."
They collided. Prismarine fist met Prismarine blade, and the furnace world exploded. Rivers of molten glass cracked, shards raining like falling stars. Sparks of fire and crystal whipped the air into a storm, each impact sending shockwaves across reality.
The reflection grinned, stepping forward as if floating. "Good. Feel your limits. Feel them break."
With every strike, the Prismarine fire inside Vemy pulsed violently, a tide rising against the pull of his unshackled self. The furnace trembled, glowing brighter with the pressure of their duel. Each swing carved trails of molten light into the void, arcs that sang with heat and fury.
"You think you forged this flame alone?" the reflection spat. "I am every fear, every chain, every doubt you ignored. I am the fire that remembers its origin!"
Vemy's teeth ground together. Sweat and blood mixed as his Prismarine wings flared in defiance. "Then I'll reshape it! I'll take that fire and make it mine. Not yours. Not anyone's."
He struck, fist blazing like a comet, aiming straight for the heart of the reflection. The clone responded in kind, meeting him blow for blow. The impact split the molten glass beneath them, a thunderclap of fire echoing into the abyss.
Flashes of memory surged through Vemy's mind: every Guardian he'd faced, every Ring he'd claimed, every lesson from his master—the taste of each victory, the burn of each failure. Each fragment of experience coalesced into a single, burning resolve.
"Every chain I broke… every lesson I earned… fuels me!" he roared. Prismarine fire spiraled around him like a tornado of crystal flames, melting the reflection's blade for a moment.
The clone staggered but didn't fall. Its smirk widened. "Clever. But power without understanding is just destruction."
Vemy's wings beat furiously. Prismarine wings and fire surged outward, breaking the reflection's stance. He pushed forward, driving into the clone with every ounce of strength he had. Sparks and shards of molten crystal flew in every direction, a kaleidoscope of battle.
Then, a voice echoed—not from the clone, not even from the Prismarine fire, but from the core of the furnace itself:
"Burn… but remember… the fire is a crucible. It will forge, but it will also consume."
The words pierced Vemy's mind, and for a heartbeat, he felt the fire inside him fight back, threatening to overwhelm him entirely. His vision blurred, the furnace world bending and twisting, threatening to collapse.
He gritted his teeth and roared, Prismarine wings folding inward, fire condensing into a single, jagged spear of blazing crystal. He lunged, hurling the spear at his reflection with a scream that split the air itself.
The clone met it midair. Prismarine collided against Prismarine, the impact fracturing light into shards. For a heartbeat, time froze.
And then—
Vemy's spear shattered the clone's blade, sending fragments of crystal fire cascading through the furnace. The reflection stumbled backward, flames flickering in unstable bursts, eyes wide with something akin to surprise.
"Impressive…" it murmured, voice lower now, edged with respect. "You might… survive this crucible."
The furnace shuddered. The chains of fire surrounding them pulsed violently, responding to the surge of Prismarine within Vemy. Each beat of his heart seemed to echo across the abyss, every breath feeding the blaze further.
Vemy stood, chest heaving, wings spread wide. He could feel it now—the fire inside him, alive but no longer shackled. The reflection took a step back, its form beginning to shimmer, blur, almost as if recognizing defeat… or a new purpose.
"You've only begun," it said softly. "But remember, flame child… every fire has its price."
With that, it dissolved, shattering into a thousand shards of Prismarine light that swirled around Vemy, sinking into his body. Each shard hummed with power, each one a lesson, a memory, a fragment of himself he had yet to master.
Vemy's body ached, but he felt… stronger.
Not just in body, but in mind, in soul. The furnace was still blazing, still alive—but now, he was no longer just a vessel. He was the flame.
And somewhere in the distant abyss, the Ring God watched, silent, calculating, intrigued.
Because this trial wasn't over.
It had only begun.
🔥 Cliffhanger : Vemy has integrated part of his unshackled self—but the Ring God now knows exactly what he's capable of. The next chapter can show the outer-world clash with Akiar, the Ring God, and the fully powered Vemy, with the possibility of unlocking even more dangerous "Ring Powers" or Senso-like power-ups.