The heat was overwhelming. Not normal fire heat. This was dragon fire, the kind that could melt stone and turn metal to liquid. The air itself felt like it was burning. "I'm already sweating," Jin said, wiping his face. "And we just walked in." The corridor led them to another chamber. This one was larger than the earth trial room, and significantly more terrifying. The entire space was filled with white-hot flames that formed a massive, constantly shifting maze. The walls of fire rose from floor to ceiling, creating passages that appeared and disappeared as the flames moved. At the far end of the chamber, barely visible through the inferno, was an altar similar to the one from the earth trial. "You've got to be kidding," Lyra said. "Navigate the fire maze to reach the altar," Sera observed. "Without burning to death." "I got that part, thanks." Draven stepped closer to the flames. Even from ten feet away, the heat was intense enough to hurt. His fire magic should protect

Sera stepped into absolute darkness and the door closed behind her.Not just darkness. This was the absence of everything. No light, no sound, no sensation of floor beneath her feet. She might have been floating in a void or standing on solid ground. There was no way to tell."Hello?" she called out.Her voice didn't echo. The darkness swallowed the sound completely, like it had never existed.She tried to summon her shadow magic, to create something familiar in this emptiness. Nothing happened. Or maybe something did happen but she couldn't see it. Hard to tell when everything was already shadow.Time passed. Maybe seconds, maybe hours. With no reference points, it was impossible to know.Then something changed.A voice spoke from the darkness. Her voice."You're not real," it said.Sera spun around, trying to locate the source. But there was nothing to see. Just darkness speaking with her own voice."Who's there?" she asked."You know who I am. I'm you. The part of you that knows th

Draven stared at the crystallized flame in his hand. It pulsed with inner light, warm but not burning. Power radiated from it, promising mastery over forces he could barely imagine.The Dragonfire Sovereign Art.Everything they'd come here for. Everything the tomb had tested them to earn."We should study the murals first," Sera said, moving toward the walls. "Before we make any decisions."She was right. They'd been so focused on reaching the inner sanctum that they hadn't really looked at what the chamber was trying to tell them.The murals covered every wall, continuing the story from outside. But these showed what happened after Pyrion's death. After the betrayal.The first panels showed the apprentices fleeing the tomb. Five of them, each carrying vessels filled with stolen dragon fire. They scattered in different directions, taking Pyrion's power with them."They divided it," Jin said, studying the images. "Split the Dragonfire Sovereign Art into pi

Draven waited until his team was distracted. They were walking back through the tomb's corridors with the rest of the expedition when he spotted his chance. A side passage, half-hidden by shadow. The kind of place people walked past without thinking. "I'll catch up," he said quietly. Jin glanced back. "Where are you going?" "Just need a minute. Go ahead." Sera's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. She always knew when to push and when to let him be. "Don't take too long. The expedition leaders will want answers." "I won't." He slipped into the passage as his team continued forward. Their voices faded. Soon it was just him and the silence of ancient stone. The pendant was warm against his chest. Getting warmer with each step deeper into the passage. It knew. It always knew when memories were nearby. The corridor opened into a small chamber. No decorations. No trials. Just a forgotten corner of the tomb where time had left its mark. And scattered across the floor, dozens of

Draven saw the settlement from a distance. Tents and temporary buildings where the academies had set up base camp before the tomb expedition. Guild representatives. Merchants. People who'd been waiting for news. And now they had news. The kind that spread like wildfire. "Here we go," Jin muttered. The moment they entered the staging area, people stared. Conversations stopped. Heads turned. Everyone wanted to see the guy who destroyed the Dragonfire Sovereign Art. Draven kept his head down and followed the expedition leaders toward the main tent. It didn't help. "That's him!" "Draven Ashworth!" "He actually did it?" "Rejected ultimate power!" Students from other academies pushed closer, trying to get a better look. Some looked impressed. Others angry. Most just curious. "Back up!" one of the expedition leaders shouted. "Give them space!" The crowd parted reluctantly. Draven and the other expedition members filed into the main tent where academy officials waited. Masters and