The moment Vermyros was thrown out of the trial, a heavy and unnatural silence filled the entire space.
There was no dragon’s roar, no ancient heartbeat, not even the trembling of the ground.
Only one person remained.
Daniel.
He stood where he was and did nothing. His gaze was fixed on the three flames in front of him. Now that he was the only one left, he was thinking about what the final phase of the trial would be.
The air around him cracked like glass. The sky above split apart, the ground beneath his feet shattered, and the world of the trial broke into thousands of pieces like a mirror struck from within.
But he was not thrown out.
His body remained suspended in the void, as if an invisible force was holding him in place.
Then the fall began.
Not downward.
Not upward.
But toward somewhere beyond direction itself.
Absolute darkness swallowed him.
There was no mana flowing here, no elements, not even a tangible sense of time. Laws did not exist. Sounds were muted. He could not even hear his own heartbeat.
Only one thing existed.
A heartbeat.
It seemed distant and calm, an incredibly soothing sound.
He narrowed his eyes. In the horizon of darkness, a point of light was shining.
It was not red. Not golden. Not black.
Its color could not be defined, as if it contained all colors and none of them at the same time.
A small flame.
Yet greater than any sun he had ever seen.
"...The Primordial Flame," Daniel muttered unconsciously. He did not know how he knew, but he simply did. This was the flame born from the fusion of the three flames.
The same flame that existed before the first dragon was born. The fire that played a role in the creation of the world, a fire that even took part in the creation of concepts.
The heartbeat came closer.
Then suddenly, a voice echoed in the darkness. It was neither male nor female. Neither kind nor cruel.
Just... ancient.
"This flame cannot be inherited. This flame cannot be stolen. This flame chooses a host only once in each cycle."
It was not the Goddess’s voice. It was completely different.
The Goddess had a beautiful feminine voice. This one had no resemblance to hers.
Daniel frowned.
"A host?"
He took a step forward, even though there was no ground. Still, he advanced. The distance shortened. A strange warmth touched his skin.
Not a burning heat, but a warmth that felt like it was burning concepts themselves.
"To touch it, you must burn three things," the voice continued.
"Existence."
"Soul."
"And body."
"If I burn all three... how am I supposed to survive?" Doubt flickered in Daniel’s eyes. If he burned all three, how could he possibly stay alive?
Existence, soul, and body were everything that made him who he was. If he burned them, he would truly die. Even with his extra lives, he would not be able to come back.
So what exactly was he supposed to do? Was there something hidden in this? Another method? Because he also did not want to give up on the Primal Flame.
A short silence followed.
"There will be no problem," the voice said, as if smiling.
That answer was neither an explanation nor reassuring.
Suddenly, his surroundings lit up, not with light, but with memories. His home and family. The moments he fell. The times he was called talentless. The moment he stood up for his family. Even memories from his past life.
Celestial Domain unfolded before him. The powers he had gained. The enemies he had defeated. Even the blood that had dried on The Heavens Honor.
"If you want me, you must accept that everything can burn," the flame whispered.
The images began to burn. His family was swallowed by flames. His powers turned to ash. His name faded into the darkness.
For a moment, Daniel clenched his teeth.
If everything burns... then what remains?
Maybe that was the real test.
"If I’m going to burn..."
"...then I’ll burn by my own will."
He took the final step and reached his hand toward the flame.
The moment he touched it, the world exploded.
His body immediately cracked. His skin ignited, but not with ordinary fire. His veins lit up. His blood turned into vapor. His bones made cracking sounds.
His soul screamed. It was burning and disappearing, and he could do nothing to stop it.
His existence began to fade, as if every moment he had ever lived was being erased. The name "Daniel" was being removed from the memory of the world.
"This..." his breath broke. "...is madness..."
But he did not pull back.
The flame entered his heart.
His heart beat once.
Only once.
And everything went dark.
Then, when it seemed like everything had truly ended—
In the absolute darkness, a spark appeared.
From the ashes of his body, a new structure was woven. Not merely flesh and bone. Not merely mana.
Something more fundamental.
His body was rebuilt, purer than before. His skin had a faint glow.
When his eyes opened, their color had an indescribable depth, as if they contained both beginning and end at the same time.
He was no longer simply human.
No, he could not even be called human anymore. He had become something completely different. Something that should have gone extinct. Something that should not exist.
[ Nirvana process successfully completed ]
[ Trinity of existence, soul, and body achieved. Ascension complete ]
[ Your racial identity has been completely burned. You are no longer human ]
[ You have become an Innate Primal ]
System notifications echoed one after another inside his mind.
Innate Primals.
The first and most ancient race in the world.
The Primal Flame settled inside his chest, but its calmness was threatening.
This flame did not follow the element of fire. It could turn any energy into conceptual fire. It could burn mana. Reduce corruption to ash. Even burn divinity itself.
But there was a heavy truth.
This flame did not accept an owner. It only accepted a host.
If one day he became weak, if his will wavered, the flame would be the first thing to burn him.
At that same moment, the Dragon Valley outside the trial trembled. The Elders rose from their seats. The air cracked. The sky changed color.
And for the first time in centuries, the Dragon Empress held her breath.
Something had been born.
Something even dragons feared.
What exactly was happening? What was going on inside? What had occurred that caused the entire Dragon Valley to tremble?
In the entire history of this place’s existence, they had never seen the whole Dragon Valley shake, let alone with such intensity, as if the sky and earth were about to tear apart.
Evangelin’s eyes flashed with worry. Could something dangerous have happened to Daniel?
The Power of Eternity shone in her hands. If necessary, she would intervene and save Daniel no matter what.
"Do not worry."
Suddenly, a voice echoed in all of their minds, a voice that sounded old and extremely ancient.
Evangelin recognized it.
A voice that made even her soul tremble.
The voice of a False God.
And in the collapsed darkness of the trial, Daniel stood calmly. He could feel a power beyond his understanding, a power wandering inside him, a power that perhaps even went beyond this world.
What had he truly become?
What exactly had happened to him?