Edward Vistro lay in complete darkness, gasping for air. Each breath felt like breathing in hot, broken glass. Deep inside him, the Saint Flame had sparked to life. This blazing white fire was meant to save him, but it felt like it was going to be the end of him.
This white fire wasn't just burning; it was hungry. It was like a raw force from the heavens, needing a perfectly pure body to live in. Even after all the tempering Edward had, his body felt like it was about to break. He could feel tiny cracks forming and his mana channels twisting inside out. His mana as the Peak of the True Mage stage reacting violently to the sudden presence of the white flame.
'Is this the end?' he thought. 'After a thousand lives, surviving battles and challenges... will I die here, a puddle of ash in a forgotten cell?'
"No," Edward said, the word bubbling through the blood in his throat.
