The morning after Varn arrived everything felt different.
Lanine woke up before the suns. His heart was beating fast for no reason he could name. The air in the village felt different. Charged. Like before a storm. Like something important was about to happen.
Rika was already awake. Sitting in her corner. Staring at nothing.
"You did not sleep," Lanine said.
"Could not."
"Me neither."
They looked at each other across the small space. Seven days since they met. Seven days since their worlds ended. Seven days of running and hiding and learning and surviving. Seven days of becoming something that was not quite friends and not quite family but was definitely something.
Today might change all of that.
Goro came for them after breakfast. His face was serious.
"Chief wants you. Both of you. Now."
They went.
---
The Chief's hall was more crowded than before.
Elders sat in a half circle. Their old eyes watched Lanine and Rika as they walked in. The Chief stood at the center. Arms crossed. Face serious. But she was not the one who made Lanine's heart stop.
Beside her stood a man Lanine had not seen before.
Tall. Thin. Wearing robes that shifted color in the light. Red to orange to purple like flames that could not decide what to be. His face was young. Maybe thirty years old. But his eyes were old. Very old. The color of dying embers. They looked at Lanine and saw right through him.
This was Examiner Varn.
"Ah," Varn said. His voice was smooth. Like oil on water. "The famous outsiders. I have heard interesting things about you."
Lanine's intuition screamed at him. Careful. Be careful.
"Good things, I hope," Lanine said.
"Interesting things." Varn smiled. It did not reach his eyes. "You survived two days in the wilderness. You killed a stitch-hound with a rock. You absorb enough energy on your first try to worry a village guard."
His eyes dropped to Lanine's hands. They were not glowing today. Lanine had kept them in his pockets all morning. But Varn looked at them like he could see right through the cloth.
Lanine put his hands behind his back. Too late.
Varn laughed. It was not a warm sound.
"Relax, boy. I am not here to hurt you. I am here to observe." He pointed to a map spread across the Chief's table. "Come. Look."
Lanine and Rika went closer.
The map was detailed. Mountains. Rivers. Forests. Small marks for villages. Big marks for cities. Lanine found Axo Stone near some mountains. East of it was a much bigger mark.
"This is Axo Stone." Varn pointed to the small dot. "And here—" his finger moved east "—is Thornveil City."
"Thornveil," Lanine said.
"Tier Three City. Population around thirty million. Trade hub for this whole area." Varn looked at him. "If you impress us enough to join the sect, Thornveil is where you will go for more training. The Molten Core's main compound is built into the mountain just outside the city."
Rika leaned closer. "What else is near here?"
"Smaller villages. Mining outposts. Some old ruins in the mountains. Dangerous. Profitable for those brave enough to explore." Varn's eyes narrowed. "Why? Planning a trip?"
"Just curious."
"Curiosity kills cultivators as often as monsters do." He said it without meanness. Just a fact.
---
PLACES NEAR AXO STONE VILLAGE
Thornveil City: Three days east. Tier Three. Thirty million people. Trade hub. Sect compound nearby.
Duskfall: One day north. Smaller village. Mining focus.
Ember Crossing: Two days west. Trading post. Merchants stop there.
Rivenrock: Half day south. Mining outpost. Axo Stone miners.
The Sunken Ruins: Four days northeast. Ancient site. Very dangerous. People die there.
---
After the map lesson, Varn dismissed them. But his eyes followed Rika as she left.
Outside Lanine grabbed her arm.
"He was watching you."
"I know."
"Why?"
"I do not know." Her voice was uncertain. "Maybe he senses something wrong with me."
Lanine's intuition disagreed. Strongly. But he did not know why.
---
That afternoon Elder Berin gathered all thirty-seven children for a final talk before the test.
Lanine and Rika sat at the edge like always. But this time Varn was there too. Standing apart. Watching everything with those old eyes.
"The Molten Core Sect," Berin began, "is not the strongest in Fulmina. That honor belongs to the lightning sects. They control everything. But the Molten Core has something those storm chasers do not. Depth."
He tapped his chest.
"The Sect Master herself is a Level Eight powerhouse. Soul Strengthening realm. Three minor levels into it. And she is over two thousand years old. Been leading the sect for five centuries. For context, I am one hundred and fifty and never made it past Level Three."
The children murmured. Lanine did quick math. Level Eight. Two thousand years old. That was terrifying.
"The sect teaches multiple paths. Fire is primary. Body cultivation. Alchemy. Formations. All are available to those with talent. If you are accepted, you will spend years learning basics before choosing a specialty."
A boy raised his hand. "What if we do not have fire affinity?"
"Then you will struggle. But the sect accepts all elements, as long as you work hard." Berin's eyes flicked to Lanine. "Some elements are rarer than others. Shadow, for example. Or destiny."
Lanine stiffened.
Did he know? Could he tell?
Berin smiled faintly and kept talking.
---
THE MOLTEN CORE SECT
Sect Master: Level Eight. Soul Strengthening. Three minor levels. Over two thousand years old.
Founded: Five hundred years ago. Sect Master made the hole through the mountain herself.
Primary Element: Fire.
Secondary Paths: Body cultivation. Alchemy. Formations. Others.
Location: Near Thornveil City. Inside a mountain with a hole through the top.
Ranking: Not top in Fulmina. Respected. Stable. Five Star Century Sect.
Admission: Every three years.
---
That evening Rika did not speak.
She sat in the shed. Staring at nothing. Lanine sat beside her. Waiting.
Finally, she said, "What if I never feel it?"
"You will."
"You do not know that."
"No." He looked at her. "But I know you. You killed a monster with a rock. You survived two days in hell. You are the strongest person I have ever met. And you do not even have cultivation."
Rika looked at him. Her eyes were wet.
"Words," she said. "Just words."
"Words are all I have right now." He shrugged. "But they are true words."
She almost smiled. Almost.
Then her face changed.
"Lanine. Your hands."
He looked down.
They were glowing again. Brighter this time. Not just faint light. Actual glow. Visible in the dim shed.
And in the distance, thunder rolled across a sky with no clouds.
---
That night Lanine dreamed.
Fire surrounded him. Did not burn. Welcomed him. Warm and golden. Curled around his body like something alive. And in the heart of the fire a face formed.
Not human. Not quite. Ancient eyes looked out at him. A voice spoke. Not in words. In meaning.
You are learning.
Who are you? Lanine tried to ask.
I am what you carry. I am what crashed into your soul. I am... forgetting. But you are helping me remember.
The System?
Yes. And no. I am more than a system. I am—
The face flickered. Pain crossed it.
Not yet. Not strong enough. Soon.
Soon for what?
Soon you will need to choose. Who you want to become. The thief of destiny. The shadow that walks unseen. Or something else entirely.
I do not understand.
You will. The fire pulsed warmly. You will.
---
Lanine woke with a gasp.
Rika was already awake. Staring at him.
"You were talking in your sleep," she said. "In a language I have never heard."
"What did I say?"
"I do not know. But the sky is doing something weird."
They looked outside.
Above Axo Stone Village the stars were spinning.
---
The next morning Varn found them at the training ground.
"You," he said. Pointing at Lanine. "Come with me."
Rika grabbed Lanine's arm. "Where are you taking him?"
"To test his constitution properly. The village stone is crude. I brought better equipment." Varn's eyes gleamed. "Tier Three High is worth confirming."
Lanine looked at Rika. "I will be back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
He followed Varn to a small building near the Chief's hall. Inside on a table sat a crystal the size of his fist. Clear as water. Faint smoke swirling in its depths.
"This is a Constitution Stone," Varn said. "Superior to the village version. Place your hand on it."
Lanine hesitated. Then reached out. Touched the crystal.
For a moment nothing.
Then light.
The crystal blazed white hot. Colors exploded inside it. Red. Orange. Gold. Purple. Cycling faster and faster until they blurred together. The smoke spun like a whirlpool. Lanine felt something pull from deep inside him.
Varn's jaw dropped.
"Tier Three High Grade," he whispered. "Confirmed. But there is something else. Something more."
He stared at Lanine with new eyes. Hungry eyes.
"Boy, who are your parents? What bloodline do you carry?"
"I do not know. I am from a destroyed planet. I do not remember."
"Fascinating." Varn circled him like a predator. "The sect will want you. Not just as a core disciple. As something more. The Sect Master herself will want to meet you."
Lanine's hands curled into fists. "What about Rika?"
"Your friend? The one who cannot cultivate?" Varn's expression flickered. Something complicated. "She will be tested with the others. I would not expect much."
"She is stronger than you think."
"I am sure she is. In her own way." Varn smiled. Almost kind. "But cultivation is not about being strong in your own way. It is about being strong in the way that matters here."
Lanine wanted to argue. The words died in his throat.
Because part of him knew Varn was right.
---
That evening Lanine found Rika at the village edge.
She did not turn when he approached. Just kept staring at the setting suns.
"Varn confirmed it," he said quietly. "Tier Three High."
"I know. Goro told me."
"He wants me to join the sect."
"You should."
"Rika—"
"Do not." Her voice cracked. "Do not feel guilty about this. You did not choose your constitution any more than I chose mine. If the sect wants you, you go. You get strong. You survive."
"And you?"
"I will figure something out." She finally turned to face him. Tears on her cheeks. Voice steady. "Maybe I will find another path. Maybe I will get lucky. Maybe I will die. But I will not hold you back."
"You are not holding me back."
"Yes, I am. We both know it."
He wanted to argue. The words stuck in his throat.
Rika stepped forward. Hugged him. Fierce. Desperate. Real.
"Promise me something," she whispered.
"Anything."
"Promise me you will not forget me. Even if you become this amazing cultivator. Even if you reach Level One Hundred. Promise me you will remember."
He held her tight.
"I promise."
---
In the distance above the mountains east of Axo Stone, a streak of light crossed the sky.
Falling toward Fulmina.
Neither of them noticed.