"Control the fire… or become the fire."
---
Iron Sanctum – Day 7
Seven days.
Seven days of silence, stone walls, and nightmares that wouldn't let Kaizen sleep.
Chains clinked every time he shifted. He hadn't seen the sky since the camp.
He hadn't seen Ayaka since they were torn apart.
But he remembered their faces — the ones who died… and the ones who looked at him like he was the devil.
He didn't care anymore.
Until they came again.
---
The Summoning
Four guards opened his cell. Behind them walked Kavros and two Umbra members — one tall and mute, the other grinning like a wolf.
> "You're coming with us," Kavros said. "Time to prove if you're more than a mistake."
They dragged Kaizen through black corridors until they reached a vast underground arena — circular, metallic, cold. A dome built for monsters.
> "Welcome to your Trial by Flame," Kavros said.
"Survive, and we consider your life worth sparing. Die, and the world forgets you ever existed."
---
Test One: Against the Savage
Kaizen was thrown into the center.
Across from him… stood another prisoner. Huge. Covered in runic tattoos.
His eyes weren't normal — half-Bist.
> "Meet Orik," Kavros said. "He's killed three Umbra. Now let's see if you can."
Orik roared and charged.
Kaizen dodged, barely. He wasn't healed. His body still ached. But when Orik grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall, something inside him snapped.
> Let go, whispered a voice in his head. Let me in…
Kaizen clenched his fists. His skin burned.
His veins glowed faint orange.
One punch.
One punch — and Orik flew back ten meters, coughing blood.
Kaizen stood there, panting, confused. His eyes briefly flashed amber.
Even the Umbra soldiers flinched.
---
Ayaka – The Isolated Wing
Meanwhile, in the silent cells above, Ayaka sat in darkness. No windows. No news.
Until one day, a woman entered — not a guard.
> "My name is Saya. I was like you once. Loyal. Blinded."
Saya offered her a deal:
> "Help us understand Kaizen. Help us control him… and you walk free."
Ayaka refused.
So they tried again. More pressure. More fear.
But her answer was always the same:
> "I'd rather die than betray him."
---
Test Two: The Blood Revelation
After the arena, Kaizen was locked into a sterile lab chamber.
Scientists in white coats studied him from behind glass.
They drew his blood. Ran scans. They whispered:
> "It's not human."
"It matches the extinct 'Veinborn' strain."
"He has the flame-core gene. Last seen 200 years ago..."
Kavros entered the room with cold eyes.
> "So it's true. You're not just a freak — you're a living weapon."
Kaizen spat blood on the floor. "You keep testing me. What the hell do you want?"
Kavros leaned in.
> "I want to know if we should use you… or burn you."
---
The Infiltrator
That night, inside Iron Sanctum, a disguised Bist infiltrator silently moved through the HQ.
It wore the face of a human — a guard.
Its target? Kaizen.
It entered his temporary cell with a poisoned dagger.
But Kaizen wasn't sleeping.
> "You don't breathe like a human," Kaizen muttered.
The fight was brief. Brutal.
Kaizen killed the Bist with his bare hands — bones shattered, throat crushed.
Umbra came running, stunned.
> "How did he know?"
"He sensed it. His instincts are evolving…"
---
Transformation: Control or Collapse
After the attack, Kaizen was shaken. His body felt like it was burning from within.
In a locked room, alone, he collapsed — shaking violently.
Memories of his parents. Screams. Ayaka's face.
All flashing inside his skull like fire.
> "You don't control the fire, Kaizen…"
"…you are the fire."
Suddenly — his back glowed. Fiery veins spread from his spine to his chest.
The entire room lit up in orange flame.
But this time…
Kaizen screamed — and held it back.
He didn't lose control.
He chose not to.
---
Umbra's Verdict
Kavros stood before a silent Kaizen, who now wore reinforced chains.
> "You passed."
Kaizen looked up. "You're keeping me alive?"
> "No. We're keeping you contained. But you're no longer a prisoner."
> "From now on… you fight with Umbra. You kill for us."
Kaizen smirked, "And if I refuse?"
Kavros:
> "Then we kill Ayaka."
Kaizen's eyes flared for half a second. Then faded.
> "Fine."
---
End of Chapter 5