The forest was burning.
Not with ordinary fire — but with an otherworldly blaze that painted the sky crimson and gold. The trees here were alive with heat, their molten leaves dripping sparks into the air like falling stars.
Ren wiped the sweat from his brow. "This place feels… alive."
Crimson nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the horizon. "It is. The swords here… they're watching."
Every few steps, they saw them — half-melted blades buried in the ground, glowing faintly with ember light. The further they went, the heavier the air became, as if the jungle itself were warning them to turn back.
But Crimson couldn't stop. Not now.
The Discovery
After the battle earlier, something had changed.
When they rested, Crimson had tried touching the swords they'd found — and every single one answered him. Fire, water, wind, lightning — all of them responded, humming softly in his hands.
Ren had been speechless. "You can use any of them?"
Crimson nodded. "Yeah. But…"
He tossed a sword aside. The glow around him dimmed.
"…I can't use more than one at once. The moment I touch another, the first one stops responding."
Ren frowned. "So the swords accept you, but not together?"
"Something like that." Crimson's gaze hardened. "It's like they're… waiting. For the right one."
Ren tilted his head. "The right one?"
"The one I'm meant to have."
There was a silence between them, broken only by the crackle of flame. Somewhere in the distance, a low rumble echoed — deep and heavy.
Ren's expression darkened. "Crimson, you hear that?"
Crimson's crimson eyes gleamed faintly in the firelight. "Yeah. Something's coming."
The Beast of Fire
The sound grew louder — the ground trembling beneath their feet. Then, through the molten mist, a figure emerged.
A colossal bear, its fur made of living flame and its eyes burning like suns. Each step it took melted the swords beneath its paws.
Ren's face turned pale. "That's—!"
Crimson finished for him. "A Flamebound Guardian. I've read about it. The realm's first trial."
The bear roared, and the trees around them burst into flame.
Ren drew a silver sword he'd found earlier, the blade trembling in his hands. "We can't run, can we?"
Crimson smirked faintly. "We can. But we won't."
The Battle
The bear lunged first — a mountain of flame and fury. Crimson rolled to the side, grabbing a sword from the ground as he moved. The blade flared instantly, resonating with him.
Flame Resonance detected.
For a moment, Crimson's eyes flashed redder than the fire itself. He swung the sword, releasing a wave of crimson flame that clashed with the bear's own.
The explosion was deafening. Sparks rained down like meteors.
Ren followed from behind, striking the beast's leg. The sword melted instantly, but the cut left a thin glowing scar on the creature's hide.
"It's working!" Ren shouted.
"Barely!" Crimson yelled back. He jumped, striking again — another sword in his hand, this one glowing blue. Water surged along the edge, cooling the air.
But before he could land the hit, the bear's paw slammed into him, sending him flying into a tree of molten bark. Pain shot through his ribs.
"Crimson!" Ren ran toward him, but the bear turned, fire gathering in its mouth.
"MOVE!" Crimson shouted.
The blast hit. Ren's scream echoed as the fire swallowed him.
The Desperate Flight
Crimson's world blurred. His chest tightened. He forced himself to his feet, his voice breaking. "Ren!"
Through the haze, he saw him — Ren lying on the scorched ground, breathing shallowly, his arm burned and twisted.
The bear turned again, its molten eyes fixed on them both.
Crimson's heart pounded. His body screamed to run — but something else screamed louder.
"Not again…"
The words escaped him as a whisper. His hands trembled — the same helplessness from his past pressing against his chest.
Not again.
He clenched his fists. His red eyes burned like molten glass.
He grabbed Ren, dragging him away, every step heavy with exhaustion. "Hold on, Ren. Just—just hold on!"
But the bear followed, each roar shaking the ground, flames lighting up the path behind them.
Crimson ran until his lungs burned, until his vision blurred. The jungle narrowed into a canyon of molten stone, and ahead—he saw it.
A dark cave, untouched by the fire.
Without thinking, he rushed inside, the shadows swallowing them both. The heat outside dimmed instantly, replaced by a chilling stillness.
The Cave of Silence
Crimson laid Ren down gently, his breathing ragged.
Ren's voice was barely a whisper. "Crim… son… run. It'll come."
Crimson shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving you."
Ren's eyes fluttered. "You'll die…"
Crimson smiled faintly. "Then I'll die standing."
For a long moment, neither spoke. Only the distant crackle of fire echoed from the cave's mouth.
Crimson looked deeper into the darkness — something about it felt different. Cold, ancient. The air carried a strange hum, like a sleeping melody.
He stood, his bloodied hand resting on the wall. The stone was warm — no, alive.
And then, somewhere in the shadows, something shimmered faintly.
A glint of crimson light.
Crimson's eyes widened. He took a slow step forward.
The sound of his heartbeat echoed through the cavern, steady and deep.
Outside, the roar of the bear grew louder again, closing in. But Crimson didn't turn back.
He walked deeper, the red glow pulling him forward like fate itself.
The Cliffhanger
The bear's shadow fell across the cave's entrance, its molten body lighting the walls in gold and orange. The ground shook as it drew near.
Crimson reached the heart of the cavern — a silent, untouched space filled with glowing crimson mist.
And there, buried in a stone pedestal, something pulsed faintly with light.
A long handle, half-revealed. The promise of something extraordinary.
Crimson's eyes widened. His lips parted.
"…What is this place?"
The bear roared behind him, shaking the cavern.
Crimson took a step forward, the red glow reflecting in his eyes.
And the darkness whispered back.
End of Chapter 8