Chapter 34 – Trial by Fire

  The chamber shifted.

  One moment, Akari stood before the Elders in the Grand Hall. The next—

  The air tore open.

  A violent pull yanked her forward, hurling her into a vast, burning wasteland.

  The ground beneath her feet cracked and hissed, glowing with molten veins of fire. Above, the sky churned in hues of crimson and black, the sun a merciless eye staring down at her.

  A trial.

  A test.

  She had expected something like this.

  But not this.

  Tsubaki landed beside her, hackles raised. "Master—this isn't just an illusion."

  Akari’s jaw clenched.

  > They threw me into another dimension?

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  She barely had time to think before the first attack came.

  A deafening roar split the air.

  The ground trembled.

  From the scorched horizon, a colossal beast emerged—its body forged from living magma, eyes burning with infernal rage.

  A Flame Devourer.

  A monster that feasted on fire itself.

  And it was coming straight for her.

  ---

  The Beast’s Wrath

  The creature lunged.

  A wall of fire surged toward her, hot enough to boil bone.

  Akari didn’t hesitate.

  > Move.

  She leaped, twisting midair as the inferno roared past her. Heat scorched her skin, but she ignored it, landing on the crumbling stone.

  The whispers in her mind stirred.

  Feed. Consume. Take.

  She gritted her teeth. No.

  But… she needed power.

  She extended her hand—

  And called forth her shadows.

  From beneath her feet, darkness erupted like liquid night, twisting and writhing as it shot toward the beast.

  The moment the shadows touched it—

  > Devour.

  The creature screamed.

  Its flames flickered—fading—draining.

  Akari’s own power surged in response.

  Her body absorbed the creature’s strength, the molten energy coiling around her like an invisible flame.

  The whispers howled in triumph.

  For a moment, Akari felt unstoppable.

  Then—

  A voice pierced through the haze.

  > “ENOUGH.”

  A wave of force slammed into her.

  She staggered.

  The world fractured.

  And suddenly—

  She was back in the Grand Hall.

  Kneeling.

  Panting.

  The Elders loomed above her.

  The Grand Elder’s violet gaze bore into hers.

  "You consumed the beast’s essence," he said, voice unreadable. "But did you conquer it? Or did it conquer you?"

  Akari didn’t answer.

  Because in that moment—

  She wasn’t sure.

  ---

  The Elders’ Verdict

  The chamber was silent.

  The robed figures whispered among themselves, their gazes flickering between Akari and the Grand Elder.

  Finally, the old man spoke.

  > “You are no longer merely a cultivator.”

  > “You are something else.”

  > “Something dangerous.”

  Akari’s fingers curled.

  > And what will you do about it?

  The Grand Elder’s lips curved slightly.

  “We shall see.”

  The shadows in the chamber seemed to lengthen.

  And Akari knew—

  This was only the beginning.