The ruins of Ilyranthus breathed like a slumbering beast—alive, yet dormant. As Liam stepped beyond the threshold of the shattered gates, a cold wind laced with forgotten power washed over him. This place was different. It wasn't dead. It was waiting.
Behind him, Seraphina gripped her sword tighter. Her wings twitched uneasily, as if something in the air tried to crawl under her skin. Lio, though quiet, radiated a mix of awe and dread. And Rune… Rune just stared.
"This was once a city of gods," she whispered, "before even your System existed."
Liam's boots crushed bone dust and shattered halos as he moved deeper into the sunken metropolis. The architecture was alien—towers carved into black spires, twisting toward the sky like arms reaching out of the abyss. Runes lined every surface, glowing faintly as they sensed divine presence.
Then came the voice.
"You walk on the graves of kings and call yourself a god?"
It echoed across the ruins, not in the air, but inside Liam's skull.
Seraphina flared her wings, summoning light to her blade. "Where is it coming from?"
Rune's eyes dimmed. "It's not coming from somewhere… it is the city."
System Notification:You have entered Ancient Divine Relic Site: Ilyranthus, The Sealed Sanctum.Caution: Dormant Divine Consciousness detected. Class: Unknown.Interference: System Synchronization is unstable.Divine Domain Suppressed: 73%
The moment Liam stepped onto a rune-engraved platform at the city's heart, his staff pulsed—then cracked. Not from damage, but from transformation.
It shimmered, split into three floating fragments orbiting his hand.
System Update:Item Evolution: Staff of Judgment → Shards of Ascension (Tier: Relic)Each shard contains a piece of your will—command one to Create, one to Enhance, and one to Destroy.Bonus: Amplifies Faith abilities by 50% within divine relic zones.
They descended into the Temple Core, the ancient heart of Ilyranthus. The deeper they went, the more the air shimmered with residual faith, like liquid gold dripping from the walls.
Lio stumbled and fell to his knees. "It's… loud," he gasped.
Liam knelt beside him, placing a hand on his back. The boy's body trembled, overwhelmed by something no mortal should hear.
Whispers from the gods before time.
Then Liam saw them.
Painted on walls of crystal were images—murals of beings cloaked in halos, not unlike angels… but older. Fiercer. One of them held a staff that looked exactly like his.
Another had eyes that glowed with red and gold.
He stepped closer.
The final mural showed that god burning—not in death, but in transformation. A ring of mortals bowed in worship as his flames consumed the stars.
System Integration Surge – Warning: Divine Memory ActivationYou have touched the remnants of a past iteration.Assimilating Memory Fragment…
Pain. Fire. A throne of light cracking under betrayal. A name whispered in agony:
"Kaelen..."
Liam snapped back, reeling.
Seraphina caught him. "What did you see?"
He stared at the mural. "A name. A god who fell. Maybe… who I was before this."
Rune hovered close. "You saw Kaelen the Betrayed. One of the Seven."
He turned to her. "Seven what?"
"The first gods created by the First Flame."
Liam's heart thundered. "Why does my system react to this place? Why does it know their names?"
Rune's answer chilled him.
"Because your System was never made for humans. It was forged for gods... to fight other gods."
Suddenly, the temple walls lit up in crimson light.
A column of flame erupted in the center, and from it stepped a figure cloaked in ash and gold. Her eyes were voids of starlight.
"You have awakened me," she said, voice layered with centuries of sorrow and rage.
"Who are you?" Liam asked, his voice steady.
She stepped forward. "I am Elenari, Keeper of Ilyranthus. Herald of the Forgotten Flame."
Seraphina raised her sword. "Enemy?"
Elenari didn't blink. "That depends. Will you finish what Kaelen started—or will you kneel like the rest of the broken gods?"
System Warning:Major Event Triggered – Trial of the Flamebound OneObjective: Survive Elenari's JudgmentReward: Unlock [True Name] and [Origin Class]Penalty: Faith Point Drain, Permanent Loss of One Divine Skill
Liam's hand tightened into a fist. "Then test me."
The ground split open. Fire surged.
And so began the Trial.
Liam Carson – Updated Stats:Level: 49Strength – 102Speed – 91Endurance – 108Magic – 122Charisma – 78Control – 95Faith Points: 159,000New Skill Fragment Gained: [??] – Sealed until Trial completionDivine State: Stable (Suppressed 73%)
As the battle began, Elenari's blade of pure flame slashed through the chamber, setting entire murals ablaze. Liam dodged, activating his Shard of Enhancement, multiplying his speed by three. Seraphina countered the second strike, but even her angelic grace wasn't enough. The woman moved like fire incarnate.
Rune shouted, "She's testing your divinity—not your strength!"
Liam understood.
He raised the Shard of Creation, slamming it into the ground. A pillar of golden light erupted upward, creating a new divine altar mid-battle.
Faith Cost: 30,000Action: Create "Flame of Truth – Lesser Divine Nexus"Area Effect: Restores energy, boosts divine skills for allies
The room shifted.
Lio flew forward, firing a volley of holy arrows, piercing through Elenari's veil. Seraphina struck next, her blade now lit with divine light.
And Liam?
He walked into the storm of fire, unflinching.
Elenari's eyes widened. "You remember…"
He raised the Shard of Destruction.
"I don't need to remember," he said. "I am the flame now."
The shard burned red, then white.
And he brought it down.
End of Chapter 66