"The first trial begins at the tolling of the flame bells," Pyrothane announced.
As if responding to his words, bells carved from volcanic stone began to ring around the grove, their deep tones resonating through the sacred space. The sound seemed to awaken something in the great tree itself – the glowing fruits grew brighter, and wisps of flame began to dance among the branches.
I looked around at my family. Emberheart's eyes were bright with love and worry. Scorchclaw radiated the quiet strength of absolute confidence in his son. Sparkwing and Emberdance offered encouraging smiles.
As Elder Pyrothane stepped forward, his bulged throat moved like an engine piston, extremely dense crimson bronze flame condensed between razor-pointed teeth.
Lifting his massive jaw wide open, a hundred feet long crimson bronze fire flare combusted, vaporizing the humid air in the sky.
"The flames of destruction, the great ancient Ragnarok, bless my civilization with your blessings! By your sacred fruits, help the new generation of wyrmlings step onto the flame evolution path!" he roared.
"All family heads, present your sacrifice to the ancestral tree!"
The necks of struggling creatures I'd heard about in museums and stories were held as thirty hunter T-Rex, along with my father, stepped forward.
Multiple colored feathery birds flapped their meter-long wings in desperation. I recognized what they were – those were Archeopteryx. Most small family heads were holding them by their necks.
The heads of the birds were splashed and severed in one go as the flame roots of the tree moved. Blood was sucked out from the feathery birds' bodies by hair-pin-like crimson roots, leaving them dry in seconds.
"I, Magmaroar, head of the Lavaforge family, present this Ichthyosaurus blood to the sacred tree! To catch that thing, I traveled thousands of miles at the inside danger of the great sea. Please accept my sacrifice and bless my children with your blessings!"
The creature was long and streamlined with a translucent glow on its slippery body, looking like an ancient dolphin with a pointed snout, large eyes, and a fish-like tail fin that bent downward. As if it could control water with its eyes, humid vapor from the air condensed over its gills, helping it breathe in this desperate environment.
Pallet, who was seated next to me, whispered, "You see why people are so amazed to see that? Ichthyosaurus are not natural inhabitants of the flame forest. You see from the circling water around its neck – it's an aqua beast while we are flame beasts. We by nature are disadvantaged against aqua beasts. Perhaps by its size, that's just a juvenile."
"If that's the size of a juvenile, then how long would an adult be?" I asked.
"Indeed, aquatic beasts are bigger compared to the same stage of flame animals. Look at your father – he's also not lagging behind. That's a Tylosaurus."
A giant, torpedo-shaped marine reptile with a streamlined body, powerful tail fluke for propulsion, and two pairs of flippers for steering was observed by me. A unique, extended, bony, ram-shaped snout and a large mouth filled with rows of sharp, conical teeth were featured by it. Its body was covered in exoskeleton scales.
Compared to the Ichthyosaurus, its marine figure was twice the diameter. Father held its neck and threw it towards the flame roots.
"I, newly evolved leader of the T-Rex tribe, pay respect to the lord of flame! Please accept this small fish and bless our tribe with your blessings and fortune!"
The flame roots danced in excitement, immediately boring holes through the body of the Tylosaurus, which was roasted and vaporized in the air by the flames.
---
The last echoes of the flame bells faded across the Sacred Grove, leaving behind a silence so profound it seemed the entire world was holding its breath.
A silence so profound, as if the entire world was holding its breath, was left behind as the last echoes of the flame bells faded.
Elder raised one massive, ancient claw, and when he spoke, his voice carried the authority of three centuries of ceremonial tradition.
"Children of the Flame Forest," he began, his bronze scales catching the light from the sacred tree.
I felt my heart hammering against my ribs as hundreds of eyes focused on the trial arena that had been prepared at the base of the great tree. Carved ancient stone platforms rose from the volcanic rock, creating a central platform.
"Wyrmlings, the first ritual begins!"
His gigantic figure glowed with a flickering heat aura erupting from him. Instantly, the surrounding cool temperature dropped as the heat rose continuously: 35°C... 40°C... 60°C...
Abrupt pressure hit over our heads, crushing our knees to the ground. Our body pores profusely sweated. We were flame creatures, but such drastically changing temperature at this rate made our bodies hardly able to maintain homeostasis.
"Only those who are talented enough will have a taste of the sacred fruits. Others will return empty-mouthed," Pyrothane announced. "The first phase of the ritual: only wyrmlings who can demonstrate flame breathing under the pressure of my heat aura and impress the lord tree with their breathing will be selected for the next step of the ritual."
"Wyrmling Motormaw from the Flamefood family, step forward."
A chubby-cheeked wyrmling nervously stood up, moving with his bouncy tummy through the crowd. Everyone laughed at how he was walking with so much weight on his frame. However, against everyone's expectations, the stage was reached successfully under the heat aura of the elder by him.
Standing in hunting stance, barely maintaining his center of gravity, pure oxygen was sucked into his lungs through his nostrils. The throat space was opened by the movement of his throat cartilage.
On exhale, crimson orange flame sparks were breathed out by him.
Leaves on the Ragnarok tree branches glowed with faint flare.
Pyrothane, lazily watching, exhaled. "Not much impressive, but you pass."
Pallet of the Lavaforge family approached the trial platform gracefully. The elder's aura pressure had no effect on her.
She positioned herself on the platform and performed formal breathing. Oxygen was inhaled into her lungs and held, while the throat cartilage moved like an engine piston. Though the underdeveloped cartilage of T-Rex could only move once or twice, it was moved ten times in a row by her successfully.
Highly condensed crimson orange fire sparks were lit in the air.
Everyone's attention went to the branches of the Ragnarok tree glowing with dancing flame brightness.
Clap... Clap...
The crowd erupted in appreciative rumbles, except for her own father.
"Exceptional control and intensity," Pyrothane announced formally. "The Lavaforge bloodline shows great promise."
Purple fog was fumed out of my nose and mouth as I exhaled.
A beautiful purple flame spark burned with an intensity that seemed to make the air itself shimmer.
The reaction was immediate and dramatic. Complete silence was first fallen into by the crowd, and then shocked exclamations and awed whispers were erupted. Even the ancient elders on the judging platform leaned forward with expressions of amazement and astonishment.
My purple flame spark burned hotter than anything I'd ever produced, lasting for nearly fifteen seconds in the air.
"Purple flame!" someone whispered loudly enough to be heard across the amphitheater. "I've never seen anything like it!"
"Is that even T-Rex fire?" another voice asked with obvious confusion.
"Look how it burns! The intensity is incredible!"
Only the last step remained. I looked at the Ragnarok tree branches – they were still. My eyebrows narrowed slightly. Despite all my unnecessary concern, suddenly the flame tree danced in brightness and flare color like a celebration just for me.
Pyrothane stared at me for a long moment, his ancient expression unreadable.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried a note of wonder that seemed inappropriate for someone who had seen countless centuries of ceremonies.
"Purple flame," he said slowly, as if testing the words. "In my whole life, I have faced off against hundreds of flame beasts spitting out various colors of flame, but this is my first time seeing purple fire that burns with such intensity."
He paused, consulting with the other elders in whispered conversation before continuing.
"The trial records will be noted as a performance of exceptional uniqueness and power. The Scorchclaw bloodline has produced something truly unique."
As I returned to my family's section, Emberheart enveloped me in a protective embrace, her voice warm with pride and relief.
"Magnificent, my son! We are proud of you," she whispered. "All three of my sons have done excellent work."
Scorchclaw's expression showed the quiet satisfaction of a patriarch whose faith in his son had been vindicated, while Sparkwing practically glowed with joy at my success.
"Of the thirty-seven wyrmlings who attempted the Trial of Flame Mastery," Pyrothane finally announced, "twenty-nine have earned the Ragnarok tree's approval to move to the next phase."
A wave of mixed emotions swept through the crowd – joy from families whose children had advanced, disappointment from those who would have to wait another year.
"Among those advancing," Pyrothane continued, "several performances deserve special recognition. The precision artistry of Pallet from the Lavaforge family. The raw intensity of Thornscale from the Ironforge bloodline. And the unprecedented purple flame mastery of Rider Rex from the Scorchclaw family."
Being singled out for special recognition should have felt like triumph, but instead I felt the weight of increased scrutiny. Every family patriarch would now be reassessing their political calculations based on my unusual abilities.
"The Competition of Sacred Fruits will begin after the midday rest period," Pyrothane concluded. "Advancing wyrmlings should prepare themselves for the true test of worthiness. Mothers, ready yourselves for the trials that will earn your children their awakening opportunities."