(Opening cut: The crimson dawn stretches over the palace of Ignara. Lava rivers beneath the citadel glow like veins of light. A training gong resounds through the air.)
"All bonded knights must face a Trial of Proof.
One flame cannot exist without its forge." — Edict of the Flame Sovereign.
Scene 1
Ren woke before sunrise.
The warmth from the Ignis sigil beneath his collarbone pulsed faintly — like a heartbeat echoing inside his chest. Every time it did, he felt her presence: the rhythm of courage, the weight of something larger than himself.
He dressed quietly, fastening the dark uniform of a palace initiate. It still didn't feel right on him. The others wore theirs like banners of honor; he wore his like borrowed armor.
(Camera tilt: his reflection in the window — tired eyes, faint ember flicker inside his pupils.)
The door opened with a hiss. Captain Rael stood there, helmet tucked beneath one arm.
"Arclight. Her Highness awaits you in the Hall of Embers. Trial briefing."
Ren nodded. "Understood."
"Good. And… try not to die today."
Ren blinked. "That's your pep talk?"
Rael grinned, the kind only soldiers use before chaos. "Around here, it's tradition."
(Scene cut — corridor transition with streaks of orange light. Echoing footfalls, faint hum of the Heart Protocol engine beneath the palace.)
The Hall of Embers was vast, lined with molten conduits and old flame statues. At its center stood Princess Ignis, clad in ceremonial crimson armor. Behind her, seven torches burned — each representing an ancient flame oath.
"Ren Arclight," she said as he entered. "Today you face your first official trial as my bonded knight. The Council demanded it — they fear the anomaly you represent."
Ren lowered his head. "And you?"
Ignis smirked slightly. "I don't fear fire. I command it."
She gestured toward the open gate behind her — a massive obsidian arch glowing with runes. "Beyond this door lies the Chamber of the First Flame. Pass through it, and you'll prove your bond. Fail, and the Protocol will erase you."
Ren swallowed. "Erase me?"
"The Heart Protocol accepts no false connections," she said quietly. "If your bond is real, it will sustain you. If not… it will burn you from the inside out."
(Camera zoom — firelight reflects in her eyes.)
She stepped closer, resting a hand briefly on his chest where her sigil glowed. "Trust your courage, Ren. Fire never lies."
(He nods. Door opens. Heat surges outward.)
Scene 2
(Wide shot — a cavernous hall of volcanic rock and hovering glyphs. The air shimmers like a furnace. The ground is a shifting mosaic of molten plates.)
As Ren stepped inside, the gate sealed shut behind him. The noise of the outside world vanished, replaced by the deep, rhythmic pulse of the chamber itself.
A voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once — the Protocol Voice.
HEART SYNC DETECTED.
CANDIDATE: REN ARCLIGHT.
TRIAL INITIATION: TEST OF COURAGE.
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE YOUR OWN FEAR.
Ren spun around. The shadows along the lava rippled, twisting into shape — and then he saw it.
Himself.
A mirror image stood across the molten floor — but its eyes were hollow, glowing with dead crimson light. Its orb was cracked, leaking embers.
Ren took a step back. "What—"
The copy spoke, voice distorted. "You think courage means saving others. But what happens when no one's there to see it?"
It lunged.
(Camera blur — explosion of fire as the two collide. Echoes fill the chamber.)
Ren blocked instinctively, flames bursting around his arms. Every strike from the copy was faster, heavier, like fighting the pure embodiment of self-doubt.
"You're nothing but luck," it hissed, punching him across the floor. "A parasite feeding on her power."
Ren crashed against the wall, coughing. Lava sprayed across the edges of the platform. He could feel his strength faltering — the fire within him dimming.
"Is this it?" the echo taunted. "Your courage ends when she isn't here?"
Ren's vision blurred. Ignis's words replayed in his head: Fire never lies.
He clenched his fists.
"She gave me her flame… because she saw something real."
The sigil ignited. Heat surged through his veins again — hotter, steadier. He stood, facing his reflection.
"You're not courage. You're fear wearing my face."
The copy roared and charged again. Ren met it head-on — their flames collided in a burst that split the chamber light in two. Sparks spiraled upward like stars.
Ren drew the fire inward, focusing it. "I'm not fighting to prove I'm strong."
His voice grew steadier. "I'm fighting to prove I'm alive."
(Slow-motion impact — his hand pierces through the copy's chest. Light floods the chamber. The echo shatters into a million embers.)
Silence. Then the Protocol's voice again:
TRIAL COMPLETE.
CANDIDATE REN ARCLIGHT: COURAGE VERIFIED.
FLAME INTEGRATION — 100%.
Ren dropped to one knee, panting. The lava beneath him cooled into solid obsidian. For the first time, he felt the fire settle inside him — no longer borrowed, but belonging.
(Soft glow surrounds him. The camera slowly pans upward as he stands, light reflecting in his eyes.)
Scene 3
The gate opened. Cool air rushed in.
Ignis stood waiting beyond it, expression unreadable. When he stepped through, she studied him in silence — then smiled faintly.
"So you survived."
"Barely," he said, rubbing his arm. "Fought… myself, I think."
She nodded. "The Chamber manifests one's fear. Most knights never pass it on their first attempt."
"Then why did I?"
Ignis's smile widened slightly. "Because you're too stubborn to die."
(They laugh softly. Background transitions — golden light flooding the hall.)
Rael approached, bowing. "Trial results confirmed. Integration complete. The council will have their proof."
Ignis dismissed him with a wave. When the hall emptied, she looked at Ren again, her tone quieter.
"They'll still whisper. They'll still doubt. But what they can't deny… is that my flame chose you."
Ren met her gaze. "Then what happens now?"
She turned toward the stained-glass window above — sunlight pouring through the image of an ancient Heartbearer.
"Now we prepare for what's coming. The Protocol doesn't react to chance — if it awakened for you, others will feel it."
(Cutaway: distant lands — a snow-bound fortress. A figure with white hair looks up, sensing the ripple in the air. The Ice Fragment glows faintly in her hand.)
Scene 4
Later that night, Ren found himself back on the palace balcony, staring at the horizon where the volcano met the stars. The city's flame towers shimmered below, their heat signatures pulsing like heartbeat monitors.
He could still feel the chamber inside him — the echo of his fear, the calm after the storm.
For the first time, he didn't feel empty.
Ignis appeared behind him, wearing a casual cloak instead of armor. Her hair was tied loosely; she looked… almost human.
"You did well," she said, leaning beside him. "You faced what most never could."
Ren chuckled softly. "You're the one who told me to trust fire."
Ignis smiled. "And did it tell you the truth?"
He nodded. "Yeah. That I'm still terrified — but that's okay."
She laughed quietly. "That's what courage really is."
(Soft breeze. Camera close-up: the two side by side, reflected in the flicker of the city's light.)
Ignis reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a small crystal orb — glowing faintly with orange flame.
"This belonged to my first mentor. It records battle data. Consider it yours now."
Ren accepted it carefully. "I'll treasure it."
"It'll help you understand what you carry. My flame isn't just power — it's memory."
He looked at her, puzzled. "Memory?"
She nodded. "Every wielder leaves behind their emotions. When our flames connect, our hearts share more than strength. You'll start seeing glimpses soon."
(Music lowers to a haunting hum.)
"Glimpses of what?"
"Of my past," she whispered. "And maybe… of the truth behind the Heartbearer."
Ren wanted to ask more, but her expression warned him not to. For a moment, she looked… afraid.
Before he could speak, the palace bell rang — sharp, urgent.
(Camera zoom — alarm glyphs flicker across the city.)
Ignis straightened. "Emergency call — southern district!"
Rael's voice echoed through the comm-sphere: "Your Highness, unknown anomaly detected near the Flame Reactor! The Protocol barriers are failing!"
Ignis' eyes hardened. "So it begins."
She turned to Ren. "Come with me."
Scene 5
(Transition: blinding orange light. The two race through corridors as alarms blare. Guards run past, shouting commands. Camera follows from behind — cinematic chase sequence.)
The Flame Reactor, heart of the city, stood beneath the palace — a spiraling core of plasma encased in transparent crystal. It powered everything, from Status Orbs to elemental barriers.
Now it pulsed erratically, cracks spreading along its containment shell.
A humanoid silhouette floated near the core — draped in black fire. Its presence distorted the very air.
"What is that?" Ren whispered.
Ignis drew her spear, aura blazing. "Not human. A Nullborn Wraith — energy residue from broken codes. I thought they were myths."
The creature turned. Its face was a blank mask. "Heartbearer… error… must correct."
Then it screamed — a glitching, digital shriek — and hurled black flames across the room.
Ren jumped forward instinctively, blocking the blast with his arm. The shield of fire that erupted from him wasn't planned — it just happened. The two energies clashed, sending shockwaves that rattled the reactor.
Ignis shouted, "Keep its fire off the core!"
Ren nodded, stepping into stance. "On it!"
(Dynamic combat sequence — Ren channels Ignis' training, redirecting flames, deflecting attacks. The creature moves like corrupted data, its strikes erratic but fast.)
Each impact reverberated through his bones. His flame flickered, pushed to the edge.
He saw Ignis leap into the air, spear flashing — she impaled the creature's core, then shouted, "Now, Ren!"
He didn't hesitate. Pulling on every ounce of courage the chamber had carved into him, he thrust both hands forward.
"Flame Resonance — Converge!"
The two flames — hers and his — intertwined midair, forming a spiraling inferno of gold and red. It enveloped the Wraith completely.
ERROR… HEART SIGNAL… OVERLOAD—
The creature screamed once more, then disintegrated into shards of light.
(Explosion of calm. The reactor stabilizes. Alarms fade.)
Scene 6
Smoke drifted across the ruined chamber. Ren coughed, lowering his hands. The heat was gone — replaced by eerie quiet.
Ignis turned to him, her armor scorched, expression unreadable. "That wasn't random. Someone sent it."
He frowned. "Someone?"
She nodded grimly. "The Nullborn Cult. They've tried to breach the Heart Protocol before. But for them to reach Ignara means they knew… about you."
Ren's chest tightened. "Because I broke the system."
Ignis met his gaze. "Because you changed it."
(Cutaway — a shadowed council chamber elsewhere in Aetherion. Hooded figures surround a holographic map.)
"The Heartbearer's resonance has awakened," one voice hissed.
"Then the cycle begins anew," said another. "Find the next fragment — before he does."
Scene 7
(Back in Ignara — nightfall. The city burns with peaceful light once more.)
Ren stood beside Ignis on the upper terrace. Below, engineers worked to repair the reactor seals.
He looked at his orb — the once-blank sphere now shimmered faintly between red and gold.
Ignis broke the silence. "You've proven your courage. But this is only the beginning. The Heart Protocol is reacting across the realms."
Ren nodded, the wind tugging at his hair. "Then we'll go where it leads."
Ignis smirked. "You talk as if you have a choice."
He smiled faintly. "Do I?"
She laughed softly, shaking her head. "No. Not anymore."
(Camera pans upward — the stars flicker. Somewhere distant, snow falls over a frozen tower. The sound of ice cracking echoes faintly.)
[Next time on I Can Upgrade My Status by Kissing the Seven Princesses of the World — Chapter 4: The Heart Protocol Revealed]