The entrance to the Pavilion of Echoing Fates rumbled open like the maw of an ancient beast. A spiral path descended into an abyss lit by eerie, floating lanterns that sparked to life as Ethan, Elena, and the remaining cultivators stepped forward. Each breath they took felt heavier and thicker with spiritual pressure, as though the vault itself were sizing them up.
Ethan's hand tightened around the hilt of the Dragon Slayer Sword.
A pulse answered from within the blade, resonating with something far deeper than mere flame. Elena walked beside him, her sapphire thunder-frost robes shimmering like starlight in the torch lit gloom.
I sense something old here,
She whispered,
And something angry.
Their descent ended in a vast underground sanctuary. Stalactites above dripped glowing liquid qi, and the walls were etched with runes pulsating in ancient patterns. At the heart of the chamber, a pedestal rose from a lake of molten essence the Earth Flame Core, suspended above it like a second sun.
But reaching it wasn't simple.
Between them and the core stood five massive stone rings, each inscribed with rotating glyphs the Trials of Flame and Flesh.
Kieran Vale, Daro Flamehart, Miral Shan, Lira, and Alira didn't wait. They rushed into the first ring, where flame constructs burst to life fiery warriors wielding axes of heat and hurling inferno chains.
We fight through together, or die alone! Daro bellowed, charging ahead, his molten aura flaring.
Ethan and Elena nodded to each other and followed, Ethan's sword slicing through the air as constructs lunged at him. His acupuncture techniques were modified mid-battle silver needles struck pressure points in the constructs, paralyzing them before he finished them with rapid slashes.
Elena moved like a storm. Thunder whipped from her fingers, freezing the very air before her, then shattering it into shrapnel of ice.
Each ring brought new horrors.
In the second ring, mirror beasts reflected the cultivators' worst fears twisted illusions of loved ones, failed battles, and betrayal.
Elena's eyes widened as a mirage of Ethan fell in front of her, wounded and cold.
She froze but then Ethan's real voice cut through: It's not me. Don't let it break you.
She shattered the illusion with a bolt of sapphire lightning.
By the third ring, the path split into tunnels, each leading to separate trials.
Ethan's route took him into a tunnel of obsidian walls alive with whispers. The shadows clawed at his resolve, dragging his fears to the surface.
You're not ready,
A voice hissed.
You were meant to die in the forest, forgotten.
He stopped.
Then he closed his eyes.
I wasn't meant for anything,
He muttered,
I chose this path.
With that, he released a deep breath, letting his spiritual energy circulate slowly through his meridians, purifying his mind. The shadows hissed and withdrew.
He emerged into the final chamber, ahead of the others. There, the Earth Flame Core pulsed hovering above the molten pool like a forbidden jewel. But black mist had begun curling around its base.
Dark fissures opened at the pool's edges, and from them, a twisted creature of fire and void rose three-headed, draconic, its skin cracking with lava and tendrils of shadow.
The others arrived, sensing the presence of the Abyss again.
It's corrupted the Core! Elena gasped.
Kieran, Daro, and Miral formed a perimeter. Ethan advanced alone.
The Dragon Slayer Sword glowed crimson, runes reacting to the creature. The fire wanted a wielder. The legacy had waited centuries. And it had chosen Ethan.
He raised the sword and shouted,
I accept the Flame!
The Earth Flame Core blazed and shot into his chest searing him with holy fire. Runes etched across his arms and the Dragon Slayer Sword, which howled like a beast reborn.
Ethan's eyes flashed red. He dashed forward, his steps leaving molten prints on the stone.
The creature roared, swinging a tail of flame. Ethan ducked under, driving his blade into its side. It screeched but struck back until Elena unleashed a barrage of lightning to bind its movement.
Ethan's final strike was clean, a fiery dragon-shaped arc that split the beast in two, the flames burning it into purged ash.
The vault silenced.
But before they could rest, the molten pool below trembled again. Runes shifted.
Something deeper stirred below.
Elena looked to Ethan and said,
This place it's not just a vault.
He nodded,
It's a gateway.
To something buried beneath the continent.