The forge howled as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Pyraestus raised his hand, and the molten rivers that lined the chamber tore free of their channels—spiraling upward like serpents of liquid gold. They coiled above him, weaving a vast halo of burning sigils that pulsed in rhythm with his heart. Every symbol burned with divine weight, their heat so intense that even the stone cried in molten tears.

"Behold the True Corefire," the drake-lord intoned, voice echoing through metal, stone, and soul alike. "The origin of all heat, all life, all wrath. To stand within it is to stand within creation itself."

Each word warped the air. The forge bent to him. The sigils spun faster—drawing energy from the molten rivers, from the very mana in the atmosphere.

Rhys stood his ground. The Deathfire around him flickered, then roared in defiance, coiling along his blade like a living serpent. Shadows deepened. The once-red light turned black and scarlet, a conflagration that devoured light instead of giving it.

Puddle's voice quivered beside him, her body flickering in ripples of liquid light.

"Master—his core is forming behind those sigils! The mana density… it's beyond dragon-tier! It's like the entire forge is becoming part of him!"

Rhys smirked through the shimmer of rising heat. "Good. Means I just need to hit harder."

He surged forward.

Deathfire flared in a spiral, propelling him through the storm. Every step shattered a sigil; every swing carved holes in the luminous halo. He moved like a black comet, the blade's wake burning crimson trails through the molten air.

But Pyraestus was no longer bound by flesh. His movements blurred, his limbs dissolving into arcs of golden flame that reshaped faster than sight could follow. One sweep of his arm, and the halo collapsed inward, compressing into rings of blinding energy.

"Incantation: Flame Collapse."

The rings detonated outward.

The explosion was not sound but pressure—a heat so dense it crushed the breath from Rhys's lungs. It hurled him back across the forge, slamming him into the blackened wall hard enough to crack the obsidian.

"Do you see now, human?" Pyraestus's voice thundered, both within and outside the mind. "This is what it means to wield creation's flame!"

Rhys staggered upright, steam rising from his armor, the scent of burned leather thick in the air. He spat blood, smirked anyway. "Creation's fine," he rasped, dragging Deathfire across the floor. "I'm more into rewriting the script."

The forge trembled.

He plunged the sword into the ground. Dark flame pulsed outward—spreading through molten metal like veins through living flesh. The crimson glow deepened into abyssal black, and for the first time, Pyraestus paused.

"…What are you doing?"

Rhys's voice came low, steady as a hammer strike. "Taking your lesson to heart."

He raised his free hand. The air rippled—mana converging from every direction, responding to his command. Puddle spread her arms wide behind him, her form melting into radiant streams of water and light that flowed into his back, merging with the Deathfire.

[Soul Fusion – Elemental Flow: Complete Synchronization!]

The world contracted.

The Deathfire transformed—twisting with Puddle's light and the forge's own aura. It no longer looked like fire. It was something beyond it—flame that bent silence, heat that glowed in black and gold.

Pyraestus's eyes widened. "Impossible… you've fused three opposing sources!"

Rhys's voice was a low growl, his aura roaring higher. "Let's forge something new."

He moved.

In a blur, he vanished into the storm—leaving a crater of molten metal where he stood. He reappeared before Pyraestus, blade already swinging down in an arc that split the air.

"[Execution Art – Ashen Rift!]"

The Deathfire surged outward, a horizontal wave that cleaved through Pyraestus's chest. The drake-lord staggered back, molten blood spraying—but the wound sealed almost instantly, the Corefire roaring to restore what was lost.

Pyraestus extended his hands, summoning two blazing lances from the air. "Then let the flame answer your ambition!"

He hurled them—one striking the ground beside Rhys, the other straight at his chest.

Rhys twisted, blocking the second with his blade, but the impact sent shockwaves through his body. The ground erupted beneath him, tossing him into the air. Pyraestus followed with a roar, his wings unfurling into blades of golden plasma.

Each strike came faster, heavier—meteor after meteor. Rhys parried, dodged, countered; sparks cascaded like waterfalls. The rhythm of their blows became music—the hymn of forge and fury.

Then Pyraestus spread both hands.

"Coreflare Transcendence!"

The sigils above condensed into a single point, then erupted downward—a beam of divine flame thick as a mountain pillar.

Rhys thrust his sword upward. "[Mana Shield]—Overlimit!"

The Deathfire surged into the shield, black and gold entwining. The beam hit, and the world became white.

For seconds—or eternity—there was nothing but heat and light.

Then, through the glare, a figure stepped forward.

Rhys, half his armor melted away, blade glowing with impossible light. "My turn."

He leapt through the inferno. Flame bent around him like cloth. Every strike now carried both Deathfire's void and the forge's brilliance—two opposite natures harmonized by sheer will.

"[Execution Art – Rebirth Collapse!]"

The sword came down in a clean, perfect arc.

The Deathfire didn't destroy—it rewrote. It consumed, purified, then remade what it touched. The blast expanded outward, a column of black and gold fire piercing the forge's ceiling and clawing toward the heavens.

Pyraestus froze mid-strike. The light in his chest—the True Corefire—shattered into a thousand motes. His body flickered between man and drake, flame and light, until only his voice remained, soft and reverent.

"You've done it… you've forced the forge to bow."

He looked at Rhys—not with pride or bitterness, but peace. "Take it. The Corefire. Let it temper your Deathflame, not replace it. You are not meant to burn the world… but to remind it what fire is for."

His molten form dissolved into radiant particles, spiraling toward the forge's heart. The rivers of magma cooled to red crystal; the roar of flame subsided into a low, steady hum—like a heartbeat returning to calm.

And from that calm rose a single ember.

It hovered above the central anvil, golden at its edge, black at its core.

Puddle appeared beside him again, eyes wide, whispering, "Master… that's the Corefire's heart."

Rhys stared at it, breathing hard, the reflection of its dual light glowing in his eyes.

The ember pulsed once—recognition, acceptance.

And with that, the title branded itself into his soul.

[ System Notification ]

Title Acquired: [Flamebound]

A title bestowed only upon those who have claimed the Corefire's Heart—the living soul of creation itself.

Description:

The Corefire's Heart now beats within you. Its flame, born from the origin of all heat and life, has merged with your Heart. Together, they have transcended their natures, forming a power beyond destruction and rebirth alike.

Your fire no longer belongs to the mortal realm—it answers to will, emotion, and purpose. You do not wield the forge; you are its successor.

Flamebound Effects:

Permanently attuned to the Corefire's Heart, granting unity with elemental flame and divine origin.

Immune to all ordinary fire, magma, and solar damage. Divine and infernal flames bend to your will.

Life Heart evolves into True Life Heart, capable of creation through destruction. (You will be revived within 24 hours of your Death).

Elemental Fusion unlocked: permits merging of opposing elements (Life, Death, Water, Light, Dark, Flame).

All fire-based skills now respond to emotional resonance, altering form and function according to intent. (A fire can be even be used to heal on, if such is the desire of the wielder).

[ Unique Evolution Triggered ]

Path Achieved: [Death Flamebound]

Through union of the Corefire's Heart and True Deathflame, you have crossed into the ancient rank of the Death Flamebound—the rarest of the Flamebound line. The forge itself acknowledges your soul as its heir and vessel.

Death Flamebound Traits:

True Deathflame evolves into Abyssal Coreflame (Level 1) — a flame that embodies both oblivion and renewal.

All Flame Arts gain dual potential: Destruction / Restoration.

Grants access to evolving Execution Arts:

[Execution Art – Rebirth Collapse] → Evolves into [Execution Art – Worldforged Requiem] (Locked) (Unlocks at rank 5)

[Hellwake Divide] → Evolves into [Abyssal Nova] (Locked) (Unlocks at Rank 7)

Passive unlocked: [Forgeheart Resonance] – Restores 10% HP and Mana per second when within any living flame or active heat zone.

Rhys glanced over the cascading system notifications, his brow furrowing.

"Hmm… as I thought," he muttered, voice low, half-lost beneath the echoing hum of the forge. "I must've triggered some hidden mechanism along the way—that's why the forge shifted, gave me that last red flame… and raised the difficulty."

The Dead Forge had been conquered countless times before—so many that challengers now needed appointments just to attempt this dungeon, as it gives both massive exp as well there is chance of rare or above weapon drops. Yet in all the records, not once had there been mention of the True Death Flame or the Corefire's Heart.

That could only mean one thing.

Rhys had unknowingly fulfilled a hidden condition—something buried deep within the forge's design, a secret requirement that revealed its true face only to those who met it.

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