Morning in the Light Bastion was oddly quiet.
Birds didn't chirp here. Insects stayed away. The whole area buzzed faintly with energy—magic saturated the stones like sunlight soaked into leaves.
Amoid sat on the throne, legs dangling. His white hair shimmered under the floating lights he'd accidentally created when sneezing yesterday. Pip was sleeping in the rafters, curled in her leaf cloak. Nilo was curled under a cracked pillar, tail flicking.
Amoid wasn't sleeping. He didn't need to. His light-body didn't tire the same way.
Still, his mind buzzed.
[System Prompt: Evolution Stagnation Detected. Action Required for Progression.]
He scrolled through the latest messages. He'd stabilized the Bastion. Cleared out two corrupted spirit husks. Absorbed the residual essence of the forgotten throne. All good things. But now?
Now the system wanted more.
[New Trial Available: Bound Flame. Success Rate: 50%. Do you accept?]
Amoid stared.
"Fifty percent?"
[Affirmative. Trial carries significant evolutionary risk and reward.]
He looked at his hand. Glowing. Solid. Kind of.
He stood up.
"Let's do it."
The moment he accepted, the ground beneath the throne shimmered. Runes lit up. Pip shot awake, yelping.
"Hey! What's happening?"
"Trial," Amoid said calmly.
"Trial?! Trial?! You just turned twelve last chapter!"
Too late.
The runes engulfed him.
He appeared in a dark cavern. Walls pulsed with heat. Rivers of molten gold bubbled in the cracks.
A massive forge stood in the distance. Floating in the air was a giant sphere of compressed fire. Inside it: a creature curled like a dragon made of stardust.
[Trial Initiated: Tame the Bound Flame. Time Limit: 1 hour. Failure Consequence: Core Fragmentation. Success Reward: Evolution Route Unlocked.]
Cool. Casual. Totally normal.
Amoid stepped forward. The ground cracked beneath his light-made feet. Heat surged around him—but he didn't burn. He absorbed.
The dragon stirred.
Its voice was a whisper of embers. "Another failed soul, seeking power..."
"I'm more of a persistent accident," Amoid said, raising his hand.
The sphere of fire shuddered.
"Prove your worth," the dragon roared, breaking from the core.
It launched forward, claws made of sunfire.
Amoid dodged left, barely. The dragon's tail slammed down, cracking the rock. Flames danced along its spine.
He raised his palm and released a wave of radiant light.
The dragon roared but didn't fall.
[Alert: Damage insufficient. Suggest using fusion pulse.]
"Fusion pulse?"
[Combine internal fire and water affinity. Channel through core-light. Release.]
"...That sounds hard."
Still, he focused. Fire to left. Water to right. He imagined them swirling inside his chest, not canceling each other out—but weaving.
He grunted.
A core glow surged from him.
He pointed both hands.
A spiral of blue-red energy burst out.
It slammed into the dragon.
The dragon screeched, flailing midair. Its wings shimmered, then began to flicker.
It wasn't enough.
The beast spun, tail snapping through the molten air, aiming for Amoid's chest.
He didn't move.
He absorbed.
The tail struck—and instead of damage, light flared.
The heat turned to power.
[Fire Absorption Successful. Conversion in progress.]
Amoid pushed forward.
He jumped—flew—his feet leaving the ground. Just a flicker, just a flash, but he was airborne.
He slammed both fists into the dragon's chest.
Not strength.
Light.
The cavern exploded with white.
Silence.
When he opened his eyes, the dragon was kneeling.
"You... are not flame... you are beyond flame..."
[Trial Passed. Success Rate Rolled: 49.91% – Success Achieved.]
[Evolution Path Unlocked: Solarbound Coreling – Form Available: Luminarch Scion]
[New Trait: Fusion Core – Passive generation of elemental energy through internal balance.]
[New Skill: Radiant Surge – Release a blast of raw converted energy, scaled to absorbed damage.]
[Body Update Available – Initiate Transformation?]
Amoid smirked.
"Let's go."
He reappeared in the Light Bastion.
Pip was pacing.
"You survived?" she gasped.
"Wasn't sure I would."
"You were glowing! More than usual!"
He looked at his hands. They had veins of soft gold now. His body pulsed with faint energy.
"I think I'm solar-powered now," he said.
"Do you even know what that means?"
"Nope. But it feels cool."
Nilo poked his leg. "You smell stronger."
He grinned. "That's the scent of 49.91% success."
They laughed, tired but thrilled.
Amoid sat back on the throne.
Another trial complete.
Still alive.
Still evolving.
Still glowing.