Chapter 1: Ashes of a Prince
In the suffocating dark of his dreams, he was dying again.
Burning cities. Screams swallowed by flame. A woman's voice—soft, familiar, yet warped by betrayal. "Forgive me, Seth."
And then the fire.
---
Seth jolted awake, sweat clinging to his back as the flickering torchlight outside his room danced along the stone walls. The servants had long since stopped lighting candles for him. A prince in name only. No red hair. No red eyes. No flame in his blood.
At fourteen, Seth looked nothing like the rulers of Solara—the western continent of the Seven. While his brothers bore the signature crimson hair and burning eyes of their flame-wielding bloodline, his own features were an anomaly. Ashen grey hair. Cold, pale irises. As if the fire of his ancestors had skipped him entirely. And so, in the Emperor's palace of burning gold and fire-lit thrones, he was an outsider.
He pulled his thin robe tighter and walked to the small mirror in the corner. His reflection offered nothing new—a thin boy with eyes too calm, too empty. He knew the whispers.
"The cursed one." "A disgrace to the Sun God's line." "The child of the shadow concubine."
His mother had vanished after his birth, her origin unknown. Whispers said she was not of the royal blood. Some believed she came from the Forbidden Temple beneath the Ashen Peaks. Others said she had no lineage at all—a spirit, or worse, a heretic.
But no one dared say it aloud. Not when his father, Emperor Kael of Solara, still ruled with flame so hot it could turn bone to mist.
---
In Solara, cultivation was life. The path of power began early:
1. Awakening Stage
2. Soul Rooting Stage – Where one's spirit foundation was forged.
3. Essence Vein Stage – Opening of elemental channels.
4. Elemental Manifestation – Mastery of one's first elemental art.
5. Core Foundation – Where true cultivators began their climb.
Above this rose the core realms of power:
Origin Pulse
Master
Grandmaster
Lord
Overlord
King
Emperor
Venerable
Sage
Sovereign
Saint
Transcendent
Paragon
Eternal Ascendant
Origin Ascendant
And beyond that?
The Divine Realm, and the God Realm. Where myths walked, and stars obeyed.
But Seth hadn't even passed the Essence Vein stage. To the world, he was nothing.
---
He wandered the lower garden, half-starved and numb, until a noise stopped him.
Soft laughter. Moans. The rustle of silk.
He followed the sound to a hidden balcony that overlooked the Flame Orchid Courtyard.
There, tangled in each other like devouring serpents, were his second brother—Prince Varyn—and her.
Ilyra.
His betrothed.
Her robe was half-slid from her shoulders, lips parted, her hands around Varyn's neck, pulling him closer.
"He's weak," she whispered, biting his ear. "He has no flame. No throne."
"He doesn't deserve you," Varyn murmured, thrusting deeper.
"Then take me, Varyn... make me Empress."
They continued not taking notes of their surrounding
She was moaning faster,
Seth stumbled backward. He hadn't even noticed the tears until they dripped off his chin. Rage curdled in his stomach like bile. Heat flared—then vanished.
Empty.
Always empty.
Until the flames answered.
---
That night, Seth was summoned.
The Great Temple of Solara, the Sun God's altar, stood as a pillar of golden light at the heart of the continent. Once a year, children of the royal blood were tested. And this year, they would assess the failure.
He stood before the altar—his siblings radiant behind him.
Caius, the first prince: 40, peak King Realm, Sacred Physique: Crimson Blaze, and the *Sacred Crimson Flame Dragon bloodline.
Varyn, second prince: 30, late King Realm, Divine Physique: Vermilion Flame Body, with Divine Phoenix and Sun God lineage.
Thorne, third prince: 25, mid King Realm, Sacred Physique: Fire Lotus Body, Mythic Flaming Roc bloodline.
The Twins, age 18: Supreme Physiques. One bore the White Flame Saint Body, the other the Flame Orchid Body, both descended from the Phoenix of Purification.
And Seth?
"Nothing," the priests sneered.
Until they invoked the Sun God's Divine Flame.
And it struck him.
Not with warmth. Not with blessing.
But with the judgment of annihilation.
The flame roared downward like the wrath of a god.
His skin split. His bones cracked. He screamed—and the world froze.
Ding!
> [All-Devouring Physique Activated] [Flame Signature: Sun God Divine Flame recognized] [Assimilation in progress...]
Seth's body ignited, but instead of crumbling...
He consumed the divine fire.
The sky dimmed. The flame twisted.
And in its place—a darker, deeper burn awoke.
Annihilation Flame.
Born from the sun. But made to end it.
The temple was silent.
Seth opened his eyes—now blazing with chaotic gold, grey, and void.
His true power had only just begun to stir.
"Devour the Sun."
The moment the divine flames of judgment struck Seth, something ancient stirred.
At first, the flame of the sun god surged to incinerate the unworthy. Every other condemned soul would've been reduced to ash within a breath. The radiance poured down with divine intent, burning hotter than any mortal flame. But what happened next silenced the entire Temple of the Dawn.
Instead of turning to dust, Seth's body absorbed the flame.
His silver eyes — once dull and defeated — blazed golden for an instant, then black, then a chaotic swirl of colors.
> [SYSTEM ACTIVATION CRITERIA FULFILLED.]
[All-Devouring Physique Recognized.]
[Sun God's Divine Flame Detected.]
[Initiating Adaptive Devour Protocol…]
[Divine Flame Absorbed.]
[Creating Unique Flame Variant: Annihilation Flame.]
[Physique Evolution: Devour Level – I.]
[Solar Physique: Camouflaged. Rank: Divine → Unknown.]
Seth rose slowly from the marble altar, flames dancing harmlessly across his body. His blood soaked robe clung to his skin, and his silver-white hair drifted upward with power as if blown by celestial winds.
The attending priests, all paragons of flame, fell to their knees.
"This… this is heresy," one of them whispered. "He devoured the Sun Flame…"
"No," an older priest murmured, trembling. "He became something greater."
The high priest, the vessel of the Sun God's will, backed away. "This child… is not mortal."
But Seth wasn't listening. The ancient voice inside him — the voice he thought was part of his nightmares — spoke again, this time clear.
"My son… awaken."
It wasn't a memory. It was his father.
The void twisted behind his consciousness, reshaping itself into a dark corridor of light and fire. A sliver of sealed memories surfaced — a battlefield of gods and devils, a woman with eyes like time itself, and betrayal carved into fate by the one who birthed him.
Seth staggered, clutching his chest. His heart thundered not from fear — but from awakening. The sun's power now slumbered within him, reshaped by the Annihilation Flame rooted in his bones.
> [SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE.]
[Status: Awakening Stage, Peak]
[Physique: All-Devouring (Rank: ???)]
[Flames Acquired: Solar Flame (Converted) → Annihilation Flame]
[Bloodline Status: Sealed. Partial Unlock in Progress… 3%]
[Mission: Survive. Evolve. Reclaim.]
The platform beneath him cracked as divine energy twisted, no longer belonging to the gods.
Across the temple, his father — Emperor Caldor — stared in disbelief. He had wanted to protect this boy, once. But now… even he could not understand what he was seeing.
His siblings, including the very brother who betrayed him, stood speechless.
Especially Varyn. He had been confident that Seth would be forgotten, just another useless prince. But now? Now his younger brother glowed with power Varyn could not comprehend.
Ilyra, the traitorous fiancée, clutched Varyn's arm as if seeking shelter from a storm.
Seth looked up at them — eyes calm, almost pitying. "I was nothing to you all," he said softly, his voice layered with something… older than him. "Let's see what nothing becomes."
The temple trembled.
The priests called for celestial intervention.
The sun did not answer.
Seth leaves the palace in silence, choosing exile over manipulation.
World hints: The Sun is more than symbolism — it is a barrier against darkness (especially the vampire and werewolf clans from Lunara Continent).
Without the Sun God's flame, their world is vulnerable.
As Seth leaves, his devoured flame has unintentionally caused the Sun to begin dimming.
Rumors arise — whispers that the Sun is dying, that night is lasting longer, and ancient horrors stir.
Seth doesn't know yet, but his return will not be out of love or vengeance — it will be necessity, as the first wave of vampire raids begins.
---
Here's the continuation:
---
The golden flames of the Temple of the Dawn dimmed behind him.
Seth didn't speak another word. He walked barefoot through the imperial gates, his blood crusted along his robes, hair still glimmering faintly under the moon. No guards tried to stop him. No one dared.
He didn't need to look back. There was nothing left for him there — no warmth, no trust. Just betrayal, lust, and fear. They had branded him useless, cursed him, and called him unworthy of their light.
But now the Sun bowed to him.
And with it, something changed.
---
Days Later — Across the World…
The Lunara Continent, land of eternal twilight, stirred.
In the blood-temples hidden deep in obsidian forests, the Blood Saints began their chants again. The First Moon had returned — and with it, a divine opportunity.
> "The Sun weakens," one vampire priest whispered, licking crimson lips.
"We have not felt its searing judgment in three days."
"The veil thins."
"Soon… the Devouring Night returns."
And in the wilds, the Lupine Lords, werewolf rulers bound to the lunar curse, howled into the winds. Their silver blood boiled with anticipation. The sun's warmth no longer burned their skin. Their divine enemy, the one who sealed them beyond the sea, had grown silent.
All eyes turned toward the mainland continent — Seth's homeland.
---
Back in the Capital…
It began slowly.
At first, longer nights.
Then colder mornings.
Then the high priests could no longer summon sunlight during their rituals. The Temple of the Dawn turned quiet. The flames on their altar died one by one.
And in the sky… the Sun flickered.
Emperor Caldor stood alone at the top of the solar citadel, eyes narrowed at the dimming orb in the heavens.
"He… took it," he whispered.
Seth hadn't just devoured the divine flame.
He had become the Sun.
And if he did not return… the world might fall.
---
Meanwhile…
Seth stared at a distant mountaintop, meditating under twilight.
> [Warning: Divine Flame Synchronization Imbalance Detected]
[Your awakening has disrupted the Solar Balance.]
[Foreign Continent Detected — Lunar Influence rising.]
[System Forecast: Vampire and Lycan forces will invade within 30 days.]
[Quest Triggered: Return the Sun]
[Optional: Forge the Flame Throne.]
He clenched his fists.
He left them behind, yes — but his power wasn't his alone now. The fate of the continent had tethered itself to him.
Seth closed his eyes.
"I wanted peace," he whispered. "But if it's war they bring… I'll burn them all."
The sky rumbled faintly in reply — not thunder.
But wings.
Huge black wings.
And something ancient laughing in the shadows beyond the eastern sea.