The Phoenix's glowing eyes turned toward Isaac, burning with an intensity that made his skin prickle. Its wings, vast and ablaze with searing flames, flared out, casting fiery shadows across the molten landscape.

  Isaac squared his shoulders, scowling up at the creature. "I thought I told you to stay back," he spat, his voice sharp with frustration. "Unless you were here to help."

  The Phoenix tilted its head, a low, rumbling sound emanating from deep within its chest, like the crackling of a distant wildfire. It hovered there, silent, as if weighing Isaac’s words. The flames around it surged, flickering in rhythm with the creature's breath.

  "You know what’s coming," Isaac continued, pointing a bloodstained finger at the monstrous bird. "If you’re not gonna make this easier, then get out of my way."

  For a moment, the Phoenix did not move. The fire around them seemed to quiet, as though the entire inferno paused to listen.

  Then, without a word, the Phoenix’s wings slowly folded, its massive form lowering toward Isaac until they were nearly eye-to-eye. Its glowing gaze bore into his soul, ancient and unreadable, but not without purpose.

  The flames in its eyes softened, just a little, as if some unspoken understanding had passed between them.

  "I DO NOT EXIST TO AID," a voice like smoldering embers rumbled, not from the Phoenix's beak but from the fire itself, "ONLY TO REMIND."

  Isaac’s fists clenched. "Remind me of what!? That I’m not—!?"

  "REMIND YOU," the Phoenix interrupted, its gaze unwavering, "OF WHAT IT IS YOU BURN FOR."

  The heat intensified, the ground beneath Isaac's feet cracking as molten flames swirled dangerously close. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but the Phoenix remained silent once more, its fiery form flickering, as if daring him to look deeper within himself.

  Isaac growled in frustration, but deep down, he knew this wasn’t a battle he could win with words. And yet, his defiance burned hotter than any flame around him.

  "You think you’ve got me all figured out, huh?" he spat, stepping toward the Phoenix. The heat licked at his skin, but he ignored it, his anger driving him forward. "I don’t need your cryptic nonsense.”

  The Phoenix remained silent, its massive form still as molten fire churned around them. Its eyes blazed brighter, but it didn’t flinch under Isaac’s outburst. The more Isaac raged, the more the creature seemed to loom, like a force of nature too immense to be shaken by one man’s defiance.

  Isaac’s fists clenched, his breath ragged as he glared up at the fiery being, expecting it to respond with violence or fury.

  But when the Phoenix finally spoke, its voice was cold and sharp, like the crack of burning wood.

  "YOU HAVE LOST YOURSELF," it said, the weight of its words pressing down on Isaac like a mountain, "TO THE DROP OF POWER YOU HAVE GAINED."

  The fire in Isaac’s chest roared in response, but the Phoenix's gaze held steady, unrelenting. "YOU WIELD MY FLAME AS IF IT WERE YOURS TO CONTROL, AS IF YOUR ANGER ALONE COULD FUEL IT FOREVER. BUT YOU ARE BLINDED BY IT, CONSUMED BY IT."

  its eyes narrowed, glowing hotter as if to burn through Isaac’s very soul. "YOUR FATHER WOULD HAVE NEVER FALLEN TO SUCH TEMPTATION SO EASILY."

  The words hit Isaac like a knife, cutting deeper than any blade before.

  He staggered, but his rage flared, anger rising to meet the challenge. "Don’t talk about my father!" Isaac shouted, his voice raw. "You don’t know him—what he would or wouldn’t have done!"

  The Phoenix’s silence was more damning than any response. Its fiery wings fanned out, casting long shadows over the sea of flames.

  "MAGNUS," it rumbled, the name dripping with reverence, "WAS STRONGER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. HOWEVER, HE WAS NOT RULED BY HIS POWER. HE MASTERED IT. HE WAS A MAN OF VISION, OF PURPOSE."

  Isaac’s blood boiled, his heart pounding in his chest. "I am my father’s son!" he barked, though even as he spoke the words, doubt gnawed at him. "I’m carrying out his will! I’m fighting to finish what he started!"

  But the Phoenix’s next words struck Isaac harder than anything else.

  "You are nothing like him."

  The silence that followed felt endless. Isaac’s mind raced, his chest tight with the weight of those words. He wanted to fight back, to deny it, but the Phoenix’s gaze pierced him, laying bare every doubt, every crack in his resolve.

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  "MAGNUS WOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE CONSUMED BY POWER SO EASILY," the Phoenix continued, its voice softer now, but no less damning. "HE KNEW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WIELDING STRENGTH AND BEING RULED BY IT. YOU, ISAAC, HAVE ALLOWED THE SMALLEST FLAME TO CONSUME YOU."

  Isaac’s breath caught in his throat. His heart thundered, and his hands shook as the Phoenix’s words echoed in his mind. Could it be true? Was he losing himself in this quest for power? In his desperation to prove himself, had he strayed too far from the path his father had envisioned?

  But no—he couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t.

  "I’m not consumed," Isaac hissed, his voice low, defiance still burning in his chest. "I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not weak."

  "OH," the Phoenix replied. "THEN PROVE IT."

  Isaac’s blood ran cold as the Phoenix’s next words boomed through the inferno. "THE MAN KNOWN TO YOU AS VERSIDE HAS PLACED A CURSE UPON YOU, A RITUAL SEAL OF WEAKNESS MEANT TO ROT AWAY AT YOUR STRENGTH. I WILL ALLOW IT TO TAKE ROOT. AND YOU, ISAAC, WILL EITHER BREAK IT WITH YOUR OWN POWER… OR BE DESTROYED BY IT."

  Isaac’s eyes widened. "What? No—"

  "MAGNUS WOULD HAVE NEVER LET HIMSELF FALL VICTIM TO SUCH A THING." The Phoenix’s voice was calm, but unyielding, as if it were laying down an unbreakable law.

  "IF YOU ARE TRULY HIS SON, IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOURSELF WORTHY OF MY FLAME, THEN YOU WILL BREAK IT WITHOUT MY AID. RECLAIM THE STRENGTH THAT HAS BEEN TAINTED, NOT THROUGH MY MERCY, BUT THROUGH YOUR OWN WILL."

  Isaac stumbled back, a sense of dread creeping in. "You’re just going to—"

  "YES," the Phoenix interrupted, its glowing eyes narrowing. "YOU WILL FIGHT FOR IT. YOU WILL EARN IT, OR YOU WILL FALL. JUST LIKE ANY OTHER."

  The silence that followed felt suffocating.

  Isaac’s mind raced as the Phoenix’s challenge began to sink in. His father… Magnus had conquered this very creature, through a power all his own, and stood above all of it.

  And Isaac had been given a piece of that power without question, without earning it—because he resembled Magnus, not because he was Magnus.

  But now, the Phoenix was giving him an ultimatum. If he truly believed in his strength, in his legacy, he would have to prove it. The curse Verside placed on him would fester, and the Phoenix would do nothing to stop it. Isaac would either overcome it or lose everything.

  "THE FLAME RESPECTS NO WEAKNESS, ISAAC," the Phoenix said quietly, though its voice still carried the weight of an inferno. "IF YOU ARE TO CARRY ITS POWER, YOU MUST WIELD IT WITH YOUR OWN HANDS. NOT YOUR FATHER’S. NOT ANYONE ELSE’S."

  Isaac’s chest tightened, his pulse quickening as the challenge settled in. He wanted to scream in defiance, to fight against this test, but somewhere deep inside, he knew—this was how it had to be.

  And then, the Phoenix’s final words struck like a blade through the heart.

  "PROVE THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF THE FLAME, ISAAC. PROVE THAT YOU ARE MORE THAN A SHADOW OF MAGNUS… NOW BEGONE FROM MY sightSITE."

  Isaac opened his mouth to speak, to scream, to fight back against the crushing weight of it all, but no words came. He was no longer the angry boy wielding a power he barely understood. He was a man standing at the edge of a chasm, unsure if he could cross it.

  Finally, Isaac took a deep, shaky breath. His eyes hardened, the fire of determination slowly rekindling inside him. He may have been given this power because of his father, but now, it was time to claim it as his own. The curse, the flames, all of it—he would overcome it, or he would fall trying.

  With one last glare at the Phoenix, Isaac turned on his heel, stepping away from the inferno, his heart pounding with renewed purpose.

  As he walked away, the Phoenix's presence faded into the background, but its challenge still burned in his mind.

  PROVE THAT YOU ARE MORE THAN A SHADOW...

  Isaac gritted his teeth, the weight of the task ahead sinking in, but something within him had shifted. He wouldn’t run from this. He would fight, just like his father. But this time, it would be on his own terms.

  Isaac's eyes snapped open, his body jerking as he gasped for air. The oppressive heat of the inferno was gone, replaced by the cold, harsh reality of the world he had left behind. His skin was damp with sweat, the echo of the Phoenix’s words still ringing in his ears.

  For a moment, he lay still, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. The weight of the encounter hung heavily on him, the Phoenix’s challenge seared into his mind. He blinked, his vision slowly coming into focus as unfamiliar surroundings of a rocky beach front.

  Jagged rocks jutted out from the shore like the broken bones of an ancient titan, while dark, turbulent waters crashed violently against them, sending salty spray into the air. The cold bite of the wind whipped across his face, and the distant cry of seabirds echoed through the night.

  Isaac struggled to sit up, his body aching from the battle before, but something felt different. He placed his hand on his stomach where the wound Artist had inflicted now pulsed with a dull, fiery pain. The curse was there, festering beneath his skin, just as the Phoenix had promised.

  His head pounded, but his heart raced with renewed determination. He was no longer just a vessel for someone else's power—this was his fight, his battle. The curse would be his test, and he would either overcome it or fall trying.

  As Isaac's mind cleared, he became aware of his surroundings. The ground was cold, and the sky above was tinged with an eerie, dark glow. He heard movement beside him and turned to see Artist sitting by a nearby campfire, his hands moving rhythmically as his eyes fixed on Isaac.

  "You're awake," Artist said, his voice steady but filled with unspoken questions.

  Isaac nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. "Yeah... I'm awake."

  Spunk hovered nearby, its small form trembling as it watched Isaac warily, relief and anxiety flickering in its eyes.

  "You okay?" Spunk asked, its voice barely a whisper.

  Isaac took a deep breath, his mind still reeling from the encounter with the Phoenix. "I will be."

  Artist stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied Isaac. "What happened? You were out cold, but... it felt like something else was going on."

  Isaac took a moment, staring into the fire as it crackled and spat out small embers that danced into the sky, glowing briefly before fading into the night. He felt the weight of what he had to say pressing down on him, but when he finally spoke, his voice was steady, calm.

  “The Phoenix is gone.”