A day's journey led Cedric and company to the rumbling foothills of the Volcanic Forge—an ancient caldera whose blackened spires belched embers. The sky was tinted orange, ash drifting like snow. Heat rolled off the ground in waves.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
Current XP: 70/400 Level: 9
Next Unlock: "Phoenix Rebirth Thread" at Level 10
Seal Integrity: 93%
Cedric wiped sweat from his brow, eyes narrowing at the molten rivers snaking through the valley. Lynne hovered close, Memory Core and five fragments in her pack. Elric and Kerran scouted ahead, scanning for patrols or drifting lava flows.
Elric raised a gauntleted hand. "The forge entrance is through that collapsed gate, half-buried in obsidian." He pointed toward a yawning arch set into a cliff face, rings of heat rippling around it.
Cedric nodded. "Stay vigilant. The Magma Warden here is said to rival the Ember Warden—if not surpass it."
---
Across the Lava Fields
They picked their way along a narrow obsidian path with molten veins coursing below. Each step crackled; stray sparks hissed as they evaporated against their boots. The air scorched their lungs.
Suddenly, Kerran halted. "Something moves in the lava." A dark shape rippled near a riverbank. The ground trembled.
Lynne hissed, raising a hand. "It's the guardian."
A vast form emerged—six feet tall, composed of molten rock, eyes glowing like burning coals. Its arms ended in clubs of searing magma. The Magma Warden roared, sending a wave of heat that forced them to stagger backward.
> Threat Scan: Red-Black
Estimated Level: 10
Recommended Host Level: 10+
Host Level: 9
Cedric's heart pounded. This would be a fight to the brink. He drew his blade, threads of raw magic coiling in his vision.
Elric whispered a prayer, blade igniting with holy fire. Kerran readied a flaming arrow. Lynne began weaving protective wards.
The Warden advanced, smashing one club into the ground—lava splattered outward, sending embers swirling.
---
Battle Start
Cedric sprinted forward, channeling Core Thread Weave. He summoned a shimmering cord of balanced flame and shadow, binding it to his blade. As the Warden swung, he activated Quick Strike, ramming the enchanted sword into the monster's molten armor. The Warden roared in fury, swatting Cedric aside.
> HP -36 → 118/154
He hit the ground but rolled clear of rising lava. Pain flared in his ribs—reminder to move fast.
The Warden recovered, raising both clubs overhead. Kerran loosed his arrow; it struck the Warden's shoulder, sizzling against the heat, but scarcely slowing it.
Elric charged in, striking at the Warden's knee with a fiery slash. The monster staggered, roiling magma leaking from the wound.
Lynne wove a Trace Overload barrier around Cedric and Elric, dulling the Warden's heat-threshold and granting them precious seconds to regroup.
Cedric rose, drew on the Phoenix Rebirth Thread, imagining it as a coil of rising ash and renewal. He plunged back in, driving his blade up through the Warden's torso. The furnace-born giant staggered, clubs clattering as the system's energy fed into Cedric's strike.
> XP +202 (Magma Warden Defeated)
Current XP: 272/400
The Warden heaved a final gurgling breath as its molten form solidified, collapsing into a slag heap. A wave of cooling steam hissed through the forge.
> LEVEL UP! Level 10
HP +50, MP +30
+3 Skill Points
New Unlock: "Phoenix Rebirth Thread" Function Active
Cedric staggered backward, blade still glowing faintly. His lungs burned, but triumph flared in his chest.
---
Securing the Sixth Fragment
Lynne stepped forward and dove through cooling steam, emerging with a glowing shard clutched in her hand: the Flameheart Ember. It pulsed like a beating heart, molten threads dancing within its core.
> SYSTEM NOTICE
"Flameheart Ember" Acquired (Fragment 006/∞)
Seal Integrity Restored: +8% → 101%
Cedric sheathed his blade. Elric and Kerran tended his wounds, offering supportive words. The forge's roar dimmed to a whisper as the fragment's power fused into the lattice.
Lynne placed the Ember in the Memory Core's Chamber. The combined relics glowed with renewed intensity, as if bidding them onward to the final trial.
> Seal Integrity: 101% – Exceeds Design Threshold
Warning: Overcharge May Attract Infinite Maw's Attention
Cedric's jaw tightened. They had repaired more than the Seal—they had surpassed its intended strength. But with two fragments remaining, the greatest challenge awaited.
He turned to his comrades, gaze steeled. "Tomorrow, we seek the Sunken Temple—the final fragment lies beneath the ocean's depths. Rest well. We finish this."
As they exited the forge, molten rivers cooling into obsidian rivulets, Cedric felt the lattice's hum—a fragile promise of salvation. Yet beyond the horizon, storm clouds gathered, heralding the approach of the Infinite Maw's fury.