The journey to the Ashen Wastes began at dawn. Jin Long and Yue Lan rode swift desert gliders across the scorched earth, propelled by energy channels carved into the ancient terrain. The ember Kael had left them floated ahead, a blazing compass that never wavered, even as sandstorms clawed at the horizon.
The landscape shifted as they pressed forward—rolling dunes gave way to obsidian plains, then to jagged rock valleys etched with symbols from forgotten civilizations. The farther they traveled, the more the air grew dense with ancient energy, as though the land itself remembered the war of the Cores.
Jin Long kept one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other resting lightly on his chest. The Genesis Core pulsed faintly, as if sensing the presence of something... old. Powerful.
"We're close," Yue Lan murmured. Her eyes had grown sharper, her aura more focused. The Core's influence hadn't only changed Jin Long—it had changed everything around him.
They arrived at the edge of a massive canyon by nightfall. A faint light glimmered far below, and at the center of the abyss stood a colossal obsidian gate, sealed with molten chains.
Jin Long and Yue Lan descended in silence. As they approached the gate, the ember Kael had given them floated forward, embedding itself into a symbol carved into the stone.
FWOOM!
A pulse of heat and pressure exploded outward. The chains shattered, and the gate creaked open, revealing a vast subterranean chamber lined with colossal pillars of glowing red crystal. At its heart was a dais—and atop it, an orb of flame, swirling and alive.
But they weren't alone.
A figure emerged from the shadows, his presence commanding, his armor fused with volcanic glass, veins of magma glowing beneath his skin. He had no helmet, and his eyes—like molten gold—locked onto Jin Long.
"You carry the First Core," the man said. "Then fate has finally brought you here."
Jin Long stepped forward, guarded. "Who are you?"
"I am Valen—Flameforged Sentinel and the Trialkeeper of Kael's legacy. If you seek the next Core, you must pass through me."
Yue Lan raised her staff. "We're not here to steal. We're here to unite the bearers."
Valen shook his head. "Words are ash. Only fire can temper strength."
Without warning, he charged.
Jin Long met him midair, their clash sending shockwaves through the chamber. Sparks flew as sword met molten gauntlet, each strike testing the limits of their control. The Trialkeeper was relentless, but Jin Long wasn't the same warrior who'd awakened in the Vault. The Genesis Core responded with clarity—anticipating attacks, guiding his blade.
Yue Lan joined the fray, casting walls of light to deflect Valen's molten blasts. She moved with precision, opening gaps for Jin Long to strike.
At last, Jin Long found an opening. His blade blazed with radiant energy as he drove it into the center of Valen's chestplate—not to kill, but to mark his strength.
Valen stumbled back, then laughed. "Good. You are not just a bearer. You are a forge."
The chamber calmed. Valen stepped aside, kneeling.
"You have passed the Trial of Flame. Kael's legacy now lives in you."
The orb atop the dais floated into the air, then split—a sliver of flame embedding itself into Jin Long's Core. Another fragment floated to Yue Lan, merging into her own aura.
A second Core had been claimed.
But in the silence that followed, a new tremor rocked the chamber.
Far above, the sky split again.
Another rift.
But this one… bled silver.