Night had fallen over the Eastern Forests of Astrid, and the mist lay thick across the ground like a living shroud. Every twisted branch and gnarled root seemed to shift in the shadows, whispering promises of pain and death. Daniel Bellhem stepped cautiously, leather armor creaking softly with each movement, his tight muscles coiled for action. In his hand, Vorrath pulsed faintly—a low, insistent hum that fed on his focus and, more dangerously, his fear.
Ahead, the tree he sought loomed in the darkness. Charred black, twisted, yet glowing faintly red as if molten veins ran beneath its bark. The Devil-Demon Fire Fruit hung in its center, radiant and alive, a beacon of unimaginable power. Daniel's pulse quickened. One taste, one touch, and the path to the next blade would open. But the forest had its guardians, and no power was freely given.
He remembered the ruins of Bellhem Castle, the cries of his fallen family, and the days he had spent training alone. Each memory surged like a shadow behind his eyes. I will not fail. I cannot.
THE FIENDS OF NIGHT
A low growl erupted from the darkness. Three fiends stepped from the shadows. Their eyes burned molten orange, jagged horns scraping the misty air, and claws sharp enough to pierce leather and bone alike. Smoke hissed from their nostrils, and the stench of corrupted flesh filled the night.
Daniel gritted his teeth. Vorrath thrummed, sensing his tension. Feed me, or die, it seemed to whisper.
The first fiend lunged. Daniel rolled, narrowly avoiding claws that shredded the earth where he had knelt. He countered with a swift strike, the First Blade cutting through blackened flesh. The creature shrieked, staggering back, blood steaming as it hit the cold forest floor.
The second fiend charged from the side. Daniel pivoted, swinging Vorrath in a wide arc. Sparks flew where steel met demonic flesh, and the beast recoiled, its movements slowed but not defeated.
Then came the largest of the three, a towering monstrosity whose eyes glimmered with intelligence as much as rage. It circled, calculating, stalking him. Daniel's ribs screamed from a previous claw strike, but he forced himself to stand taller.
I am not just fighting monsters. I am fighting my own limits.
The creature lunged. Pain seared through his side as claws tore into him, knocking him to the ground. Breath ragged, blood dripping, Daniel's mind surged with memory—of Mimi, her soft emerald eyes, her smile, the handkerchief she pressed into his palm.
I will see her again.
With that thought, he rose, wielding Vorrath like an extension of his own will. He lunged, slashing with precision. The largest fiend screamed as the blade tore through its chest. Shadows of the forest seemed to quake with the clash of darkness and steel.
Within moments, the three fiends lay defeated. Daniel fell to his knees, lungs heaving, blood dripping from multiple wounds. His gaze shifted upward to the glowing fruit, its molten light pulsing with promise.
THE DEVIL-DEMON FIRE FRUIT
Daniel approached cautiously. Heat radiated from the fruit even before he touched it, a premonition of the inferno to come. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, white-hot pain shot up his arms and chest. He fell to the forest floor, vision blurring.
The world around him melted into a searing, white-hot inferno. Lava flowed through rivers of darkness; shadows of monsters both real and imagined twisted in the flames. A voice, deep and resonant, echoed inside his mind:
"To claim me, you must burn. To wield me, you must be reborn in fire. Only through suffering will the flame obey you."
Daniel's scream tore through the silence. Fire consumed him, molten energy tearing through every vein, every muscle, every bone. His body was pain and power intertwined. Despair threatened to overwhelm him, but a single thought anchored him:
Mimi…
Her face appeared through the flames, eyes shining, handkerchief in hand.
"I believe in you, Daniel. Come back to me."
He forced the fire through himself rather than letting it consume him. Pain became strength, fear became clarity. His body reshaped itself under the energy of the fruit, reflexes sharper, muscles denser, senses heightened.
THE TRIAL OF SCARLUNE
In the white-hot vision of fire, Daniel saw a figure emerge—towering, clad in armor of molten metal, eyes burning with suns, a sword of living flame in hand.
"I am Scarlune," it boomed. "The Flame That Devours Night. If you seek me, endure the inferno without yielding to fear, hunger, or despair."
The figure struck. Daniel barely dodged, claws of fire grazing his shoulder. He countered with Vorrath, sparks flying as steel clashed with molten energy. Scarlune within him pulsed, demanding destruction, urging wrath—but Daniel remembered control. Balance. Focus.
Pain, memory, and resolve collided. Every strike was measured, precise, a dance of life and death. Every dodge was a question: Do I survive, or does the fire consume me?
Finally, he thrust both blades forward in a coordinated strike. The fiery figure shrieked and dissolved, the flames subsiding. The Second Blade floated before him, radiating contained, immense power.
SCARLUNE AWAKENS
Daniel sank to his knees, gasping, sweat and blood dripping onto the scorched forest floor. The Book of Ten Swords hovered, pages rustling, revealing glowing text:
BLADE TWO — SCARLUNE: THE FLAME THAT DEVOURS NIGHTLevel Zero unlocked. Seek embers. Seek wrath. Feed flame.
He grasped Scarlune. Heat radiated through him, fusing with Vorrath's hunger. Strength, speed, precision—all amplified. For the first time, Daniel felt truly alive, not just surviving, but standing on the edge of legend.
He exhaled, flames dancing around him without burning the forest. "I… I will master you," he whispered. "For my family… for Mimi… for this world."
The night returned, forest mist curling around him. Shadows shifted. He was stronger, yes—but aware that far greater dangers awaited.
A DARK PRESENCE
From the edge of the clearing, unseen eyes glimmered red in the shadows. A silent predator watched, intelligent, patient. The forest held its breath.
Daniel did not notice it yet. But the world had taken note of the boy who wielded two legendary blades.
And it would not forget.