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It began with a whisper.
Each step down the flaming stairway felt heavier than the last—less like walking and more like remembering. Not memories from this life, but ones buried in the blood. In the soul.
Minwoo descended first, the Crown hovering above his brow like a silent sentinel. Behind him, the others followed—Jin close and watchful, Yassa in silent prayer, Lira's rifle glowing with heat runes not of her making.
Kinro brought up the rear, his form partially phase-shifted, as if even the storm dragon feared what waited below.
The deeper they went, the more the world unraveled.
Fire became language. Heat became truth. Space stopped behaving.
And then, they reached it.
The Forge Below Creation.
It was not a place.
It was before place.
A vast chamber hung suspended in an abyss that screamed with unmade stars. Floating platforms of blackened obsidian orbited a central forge—an anvil the size of a moon, cracked with time, but still warm. A hammer—impossibly large, yet humming with restraint—floated in the air above it, unmoving.
On the walls, murals glowed faintly with life. They shifted as the guild approached, depicting history in real time.
The First Flame, stolen.The Titans, betrayed.The Sovereigns, forged.
Kael stepped forward, brows furrowed. "They weren't born gods…"
Yassa nodded. "They were made. Right here."
Minwoo approached the forge.
The Riftblade pulsed at his side—no longer metal, but pure fire. The Crown burned low.
And then… a voice.
Not from the forge.
From within him.
"Welcome back, Spark of the First Flame. It is time to choose."
Suddenly, the platform cracked open, and Minwoo fell—
—
Vision Event: The Birth of the Sovereigns
He stood in a world of fire and song. The Titans were weeping, their bodies hollowed by betrayal. A young race stood before the forge, reaching into the flame.
Not to steal it.
To replicate it.
They hammered stars into chains. They poured belief into steel. And they made the Sovereigns.
Minwoo saw their faces—not divine. Just desperate.
"We wanted order," one of them whispered. "We didn't know the fire would remember."
And then he saw her.
The one who had given the flame.
Crowned not in gold, but in grief.
She looked at him through time.
"You are my spark. But even flame must choose what to become."
Minwoo fell back into his body, gasping.
The guild surrounded him—but none had seen what he had.
The forge was active now. The hammer rose.
A flame burst into existence above the anvil.
Not ordinary flame.
It sang his name.
"Forge the future," it whispered.
"Or remake the past."
🔥 Decision Point: Flame of BecomingMinwoo may now choose one of two evolutionary paths. The choice is permanent.
Path 1 — The Flamewright (Creator)
Gain the ability to forge relics from memory and essence
Can rewrite broken allies, artifacts, and even parts of reality
Ultimate: Phoenix Foundry — Rebirth the battlefield once per mission; resets cooldowns, heals all allies, and resurrects one lost Titan remnant
Path 2 — The Flamewrought (Destroyer)
Every strike tears into fate itself; the blade burns not just flesh, but destiny
Can erase relics, immortals, and future events
Ultimate: Ash Sovereign — Become the Flame incarnate for 30 seconds. Unstoppable. Unchained. Unforgiving.
Minwoo stood at the forge.
The flame danced between his hands.
His friends watched—silent, trusting.
Jin broke the silence first. "Whatever you choose… we've got your back."
Kinro rumbled. "The Sovereigns fear the flame. Make sure they're right to."
Minwoo smiled.
Then he reached out.
And chose.
⚡Choice Made: [REDACTED UNTIL NEXT CHAPTER]
The forge ignited.
The chamber shook.
And across the cosmos, Sovereigns screamed.
Not in rage.
In fear.