As the last traces of light faded, the trio blinked in stunned silence. Nyxira’s monstrous black scales were gone, replaced by a towering humanoid figure whose presence radiated both majesty and fury. Her skin was a pale, almost luminous tone now, her once feral features refined into a regal, fearsome visage. Eyes that had once glowed crimson as a monster now burned with a controlled, piercing intensity — an echo of the Fury Queen she had been.Remiel stepped back, crimson flames flickering nervously along his wings. “I… didn’t expect her to look like this,” he admitted, voice low.Emriel, dark-red flames dancing along his demonic wings, let out a sharp, teasing laugh. “Oh? I see… so this is who you were imagining before you started the transfiguration, huh?” He grinned wickedly, leaning on his double-bladed scythe. “Admit it, Remiel — you were thinking a little… too personally for your own good.”Remael, golden wings shimmering, merely sighed, though a small smile tugged at his lips.

The Septet crossed the emerald threshold, the light swallowing them whole.When their eyes adjusted, they found themselves not in a forge… but standing in the midst of an endless desert. The sand was black, faintly shimmering as though each grain had once been molten glass. Above stretched a sky stained with green auroras, the horizon crackling faintly as if lightning had been imprisoned in the air itself.The heat pressed against their skin — not scorching, but heavy, oppressive, as though the desert itself tested their willpower.Remiel narrowed his eyes, crimson gaze scanning the horizon. “This… isn’t what I expected.”Seran clenched his fists, the faint hum of energy rippling through his aura. “Feels like the air itself is alive.”Far in the distance, rising like a god among mortals, stood a colossal mountain. Its jagged black peaks pierced the green-lit sky, and from its crown spilled rivers of molten light, cascading down like veins of fire. Even across the desert, the Septet co

A sudden shimmer split the air before them — a tall green door etched with shifting runes forcing itself into existence. Its surface rippled like liquid glass, but beyond it lay only a blurred haze, the other side obscured.The Septets tensed. None moved at first, until Remiel stepped forward, his crimson gaze narrowing. “Looks like the Forger’s way of saying move along.”Nyxira fell in stride beside him, tall and poised, her porcelain skin catching the pale desert glow. Scylla and Mildred exchanged glances, their eyes flicking — not at the door, but at Nyxira’s commanding frame beside Remiel. Envy stirred quietly in their expressions, though neither voiced it.One by one, the Septets approached. The green surface rippled as each passed through, dissolving them into light.They stepped out of the green door, the desert air immediately washing over them again. Sand stretched endlessly in every direction, but the air felt… heavier, more oppressive.Ragna narrowed his eyes, squinting pas

Stepping through the green door, the Septets emerged into a new stretch of the desolate wasteland. The air was hotter here, thick with the stench of brimstone. Before them, the black desert sand stretched endlessly — but it was no longer barren.Fiery trails of lava cut through the ground like the winding paths of serpents, glowing veins slithering across the dunes. The molten rivers hissed and bubbled, their heat warping the air and casting eerie reflections across the sand. Each step closer to the looming mountain in the distance felt heavier, the landscape itself warning them away.David frowned, sparks twitching nervously along his arms. “Great… a desert that wants to cook us alive.”Mildred’s cold breath misted against the heat, her eyes narrowing at the glowing trails. “No… this isn’t random. These lava paths… they’re deliberate. Like something carved them.”Remiel’s gaze fixed on the towering mountain, closer now than it had ever seemed before. His jaw tightened, wings flexing

A sound split the desert, so vast and piercing it seemed to come from the bones of the world itself. A howl — low, endless, and strong enough to shake the stars. The dunes buckled beneath the force, rivers of lava spilling violently as cracks tore through the scorched earth.The nine staggered under the weight of it, grit stinging their faces as the pressure thickened like a crushing tide. The desert itself seemed to bow.Then — two massive lights opened in the darkness. Twin suns, molten and merciless, gazed down on them from the shadow’s height. Their glow seared against the horizon, their heat pressing against skin and bone alike, threatening to grind them into dust.The form stepped forward, slow and deliberate. Blackened fur rippled like smoke, glowing faintly as embers flared across its massive frame. Beneath the ash-like coat, molten fissures pulsed in steady rhythm, bleeding fire through cracks that spidered across its body. Its claws carved furrows into the sand, each step lea