The sun hadn't yet risen when Zhen Zenin stepped outside.
The chill air touched his bruised skin, but the heat within his body radiated like a furnace. His second meridian was open, and with it came a new sense of power—faint, but real.
As he walked toward the outskirts of Shang City, he could feel something strange.
A pull.
He followed it into the dense forest behind the clan walls, where few dared to tread. There, nestled in the rocks, was a strange formation of burnt earth and cracked stone—clearly unnatural.
Zenin knelt beside it. "This… wasn't here before."
He pressed his hand to the scorched ground—and the moment he did, his vision blurred.
"Who dares awaken me…?"
A deep, echoing voice thundered through his mind.
Zenin's eyes flared red for a second. "A king returned."
Suddenly, flames erupted around him—ethereal, blue-white and wild. A phantom figure appeared in the blaze: a long-forgotten spirit flame—sentient and sealed for centuries.
The Whispering Flame.
"You are not of this age," the spirit said slowly. "Your soul… reeks of ancient blood."
Zenin remained calm. "You see clearly, old one. I seek strength."
The flame swirled, examining him. "Your vessel is weak… yet your will is terrifying."
It paused. "Very well. Prove you can tame me. Endure my flame for three breaths."
The heat intensified instantly, scorching his flesh. Zenin dropped to his knees, vision flashing red. His skin blistered. His heart pounded.
One breath.
He screamed—but clenched his jaw.
Two breaths.
Memories of betrayal surged through him.
Three breaths.
Silence.
The flames dimmed. The spirit flame bowed.
"Then burn with me."
It vanished, sinking into his chest. A mark—like a flickering ember—etched itself onto his skin.
Zenin collapsed, gasping, body steaming.
When he rose again, his aura had changed. The flame within him whispered like a sleeping beast.
---
Back in the clan, the sky darkened unnaturally for a moment.
An old elder looked up. "A heavenly sign… in Shang City?"
---
Zhen Zenin smirked through the pain.
The world had just given him his first weapon.
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