I stood on the edge of a cliff, as the fast-gushing wind hit my face, the lightning illuminated the man who stood in front of me, my brother, whom I trusted with my life, with a menacing sword covered with blood dripping down it, I grit my teeth looking at him. 

“Why, Marian! Why did you kill our father?!” I shouted at my brother with anger, it had become clear it was he, who poisoned our father, and lied about seeking a cure on this cliff, he dragged me here to finish me off, but before killing me he killed an innocent guide who got us here, his corpse leaked blood that covered the white lilies on ground. 

“Hahaha, only if Father didn’t name you the heir of our barony. Do you think I liked killing my father? And you brother? I’ve admired you for a long time, but you always were the one father compared me to, you know how I felt? Can you imagine my PAIN!”  

I saw only a husk of my brother's former self, the man in front of me was not the brother I knew, he had changed, I breathed rapidly as my hands clenched, and I grit my teeth in anger. 

“You will kill me too now?!” I shouted at him, trying to talk him out of things that seemed to possess my brother, maybe greed and envy were the things consuming him, but I felt I could pull him out of the deadly sins that were consuming him. 

But as I looked at him firmly, he didn’t even flinch at my words, but his resolve seemed to grow more firmer as he walked towards me, brandishing the sword stained with blood. 

“HAHA! Brother Agni, you can decide how you want to die! Either jump off the cliff or die by my sword.” 

The rain started to pour heavily as the thunderous clouds resounded their might with thunder strikes against trees.  

I could only feel tears seemingly rolling down my eyes, as I saw my brother whom I love dearly ready to kill me. 

“MARIAN! We can still work together! If you want, I still love you, Brother.” I tried my final attempt to persuade him, to Abandon the thought of killing me, with sorrow in my heart, I watched him come towards me with his weapon. 

In fear of the bloodthirsty eyes of my brother, a fear struck me, realizing I could die, I took a step back unconsciously, but then suddenly I felt as if I was free falling,  I was indeed falling down the cliff, the part where I stood was crumbling under the rain, and my weight. 

“AH!” I couldn’t help but scream as I fell, the winds hit my face first as I fell face first, and the world seemed to turn blurry as I headed down headfirst to the rocks below. The last thing I saw was rocks in front of my eyes. 

I opened my eyes, and the vision was still blurry, as I stood up, I couldn’t feel my heart beating, my veins ran cold, and I couldn’t breathe, “What is happening to me?” The question was constantly in my mind, as I looked upwards, I saw a faint light in the distance, pulling me towards itself like a moth to light. 

I took a step forward, but I fell face first, I tried to stand up but was unable to, but my conviction of reaching the light grew stronger, and slowly I grabbed the rocks in front of me and crawled towards the flame. 

Slowly, and slowly as I got closer, I felt the heat grow I for the first time felt the gentle warmth of the flame slowly caressing my face, I rose to my feet, my vision grew a little clearer, and I saw corpses walking towards the light, they all had mortal wounds, I couldn’t hold back the terror I felt inside myself, realizing something, “Didn’t I also fall from cliff head first?” With my trembling hand, I touched my head, just like I suspected. My head was caved in, it was clear I had died just like the rest of these people. 

I could feel the hunger inside of me grow, it was gluttony that I felt, but it was not the hunger for food but for the light in front of me. Just like the rest of the people who died, I felt my legs move towards the light, not out of my volition but something pulling me towards itself, my body didn’t listen to a single command I gave, and as I drew closer the source of light became clear, I moved outside of the cavern that I was in an open area, I saw a bottomless pit, and a temple which stood in middle, connected but multiple bridges from all sorts of opening surrounding the temple. In front of me was also a small bridge connected to a large bridge, where corpses also moved to the temple.  

My feet once more moved to the source of fire, guiding me toward the temple like the rest of the undead.  I tried to struggle to control my body, but it was to no avail as it didn’t listen to me, just kept on moving towards the temple, Soon I grew tired of the pain and mental fatigue that drowned me I no longer fought the instinct, I just blankly observed I traveled the large bridge with undead there were many kinds of beings, now I was closer to them, I could see many elves, sea folk, orcs, goblins, and countless humans also traveled to the temple.  

Soon I reached the temple’s entrance, I saw a crowd of countless beings standing in front of the entrance, I was like a single grain of sand on a beach, all over I looked it was surrounded by lifeless bodies, none of them speaking, only sound of steps could be heard, soon more arrived at my back.  

I also stood and waited to see what was going to happen. After hours passed, I suddenly felt a gust of wind coming down from the bottomless abyss, a large being flew over me covering me with its shadow, it stopped on top of the temple, overlooking all of us, I couldn’t help but be in awe of this majestic beast, the scales that were like deep darkness of the abyss, the three large horns sprouting out of head, the amber eyes gazing on us, the talons on his hands, the hind legs stronger than anything I had ever seen, and the wings that spanned entire cavern folded on its back. 

He opened his mouth, and his voice rang throughout the entire temple. 

“This stock seems better than the last one,” I could feel his gaze in my direction, as I stood still like rest. The dragon launched itself from the temple and started to circle the temple locking his eyes on the slow undead that were still coming towards the temple, I watched him open his mouth, a dark flame emerged from inside of his mouth, and he spewed the dark flames burning all of the undead on the brides. I couldn’t help but feel the terror that was emanating from the dragon, the power was unfathomable for me to understand, the dragon flew back atop of temple this time his flame descended upon the people who stood in front of the temple.  

I watched as the flames reached the feet of undead standing in front of me, their body turned into ash, and not a single one stood remaining, all of the undead turned into ash, I wanted to run but my body didn’t move, in horror I watched as it reached my feet, ‘Please I don’t want to turn into ash!’ 

As the flames reached me, I… didn’t turn into ash, they gently tugged to my feet sending warmth into me, I looked at the dragon who stopped spewing dark flames and locked his eyes with mine. 

His grin grew as he looked at me, “It seems we found a worthy guy.” Then he resumed pouring the flame, I could feel my control over my body returning, I turned my head to see more and more undead turn into ash, Soon I was the only person standing alone in front of the entrance. 

The dragon jumped down into the plaza shrinking his body, as he landed in front of me. He still towered over me, I couldn’t help but shake in fear, as his gaze seemed to see through my whole being, sending a chill down my spine.  

“So, after so many years, I’ve found two people who overcame the trial,” He used his talon to grab me and flew in the air, I watched as the world seemed to turn into a blur, as the dragon circled the temple gazing around trying to find something, after some time, he finally spotted the thing he was looking for he dived down with me, I felt as if I was about to slip away from his talon, this fear always struck me whenever he flapped his wing. 

“Why did you hide?!” The dragon growled at something, I turned my head towards where he was gazing, there was a young female, who had a sword sticking out of her, her half of body was charred, the dragon grabbed her as well and flew on top of the temple.  

Landing on top, I could feel the presence of heat that was powering my body. I could feel my body change as we near it, the dragon released me and the girl on top of the temple and said, “Two of you are lucky enough to pass the trial of Alasra, you have been bestowed the power of the primordial fire! Your task is to grow in power and reach the high heavens and kneel and thank Alasra for this opportunity.” 

The dragon turned into a shadow and vanished leaving behind two black stones in front of us, I looked at the girl who stood silently without moving, gazing at the tower that pulled us towards itself, I moved to secure the black stone near me, I knew it was something valuable after all it was left by a majestic, powerful dragon. 

I tried to pick up the second one, but I felt a shock run through my body, making me unable to pick up the second stone. I tried again, but there was sort of a barrier stopping me, and electricity coursing through me pushing me away. 

“I can’t pick this up,” I turned around to see the girl already started climbing the steep stairs, I followed after her, carefully stepping on each step as the stairs were narrow and steep. I looked down, I had climbed halfway already but many steps remained, I pushed myself to climb more, and finally, I reached my destination.  

I saw the girl standing by a fountain which had red liquid pouring out of it, and a glowing gem inside of it, she reached out for it, grabbing it. Her body jerked rapidly, as she grabbed it not releasing it, her black hair turned into deep scarlet, her wounds healed at a rapid pace, and the sword was pushed out of her body. She fell on her back unconscious.

I could feel the energy of life coursing through her, making her alive once more, her eyes also grew deep scarlet. I watched her from afar as she slowly rose from her feet, watching me she slowly walked towards me, and as I stood in her path she said with the voice of authority, “Move aside.” 

I stepped out of her way, as she went towards the black stone, picking it up and vanishing in darkness. 

Then I looked towards the stone in the fountain, watching it eagerly, I felt my body want to envelope itself in its aura. I walked towards it, and slowly grabbed it, the powers of fire seeped inside of me, I could feel it slowly gathering where my heart was, and “SNAP!” I felt something break inside my chest, the pain was unbearable as I clutched my chest, unlike her convulsing body, all of my pain was towards the heart. 

My breathing quickened as I watched my veins once more running the blood, but it was filled with the fire from the stone, and as I wrote with pain more, I could one word etched in my mind, the thing I was holding was one of the famed divine stone, called Firestone. But it was just an alias, the true name was Primordial Chaotic Firestone. As I felt me began to feel alive once more, I could see the stone vanish from the fountain and slowly take place in my heart, as the pain continued, I began to waver, and as I lost my strength I fainted, crashing on the ground.