The Seed hovered above Seo Joon's hand—small, ember-like, and pulsing with a heartbeat not his own.
Kael watched with wide eyes. "That's not a normal Floor reward."
Yu-ri stepped beside them. "It feels… alive."
> [Seed of the Second Flame – Dormant] [A piece of the fire that once defied the stars.] [Warning: Igniting will unlock forbidden potential. Caution—subject may attract attention from outside the Tower.]
Seo Joon narrowed his eyes. "Outside the Tower?"
Kael stiffened. "That means them."
Yu-ri asked, "Them?"
Kael whispered, "Watchers. True Climbers. Forgotten gods. Whatever name you give… they're the ones the Tower fears. And they fear fire that remembers."
---
Nightfall in the Garden
They made camp on a branch the size of a village.
The forest beneath them murmured with distant illusions. Seo Joon sat alone, the Seed still in his palm. He couldn't sleep. Not with the pressure of the power pressing into his chest.
Memories weren't rising this time—something deeper was.
> A will. A voice. A whisper in flame.
> "You, too, are bound no longer."
The Seed cracked.
Light bled from within.
His chains glowed in response—both resisting and welcoming the heat.
Suddenly, the branch shuddered.
A creature emerged from the lower forest—serpentine, crowned with petals, its skin a fusion of bark and crystal.
> A Flame Warden—a guardian of slumbering fire. Drawn to the awakening.
It roared.
---
The Battle Begins
Seo Joon stood, energy rushing into his limbs.
Kael leapt down first. "It's bound to the Seed! You lit it too soon!"
"I didn't light it," Seo Joon growled. "It lit me."
Yu-ri landed beside them, already forming a new spear from threads of starlight and thorn.
The Flame Warden slammed its tail, sending shockwaves through the forest.
Seo Joon dashed forward, chains lashing. The creature reared back—its breath a burst of molten spores.
He conjured a shield just in time.
> [New Trait Detected: Ember Resonance – 13%] [Passive: Immunity to Flame-Aligned Illusions Acquired.]
Kael slashed at its leg, drawing crystalized sap. "We need to hit the core—just behind the jaw!"
Yu-ri launched forward, her spear shining like dawn.
> "Then make me an opening!"
Seo Joon dove beneath the Warden, chains binding its arms. "Now!"
Yu-ri twisted midair and hurled her spear straight into the throat.
Boom.
The Warden screamed—light bursting from its mouth as the Seed in Seo Joon's palm absorbed the creature's death throes.
> [Seed of the Second Flame – 46% Awakened.]
The forest went silent again.
Only the soft ember-glow of the seed remained.
---
Aftermath
They sat in silence.
Kael broke it. "You just pissed off half the Tower."
Seo Joon stared at the seed. "Good."
Yu-ri raised an eyebrow. "Why 'good'?"
Seo Joon looked up. His eyes now carried the faint flicker of fire.
> "Because I'm done hiding."
---
Far Above…
The veiled Watcher sat back.
"So… the Second Flame awakens. The last one burned a floor to ash."
Another Watcher appeared beside her. "Shall we intervene?"
"No," she whispered. "Let him climb. Let him remember."
> "And when he reaches Floor 10… we decide if he lives."
---