A Test for the Worthless
The following week, Kael and his team were assigned to a low-tier dungeon clearance.
At least… that's what the Academy claimed.
It was supposed to be an exam for failures.
A pity test for those ranked at the bottom.
Dorm E had six students — including Kael, Zara, Aeris, and Lyra.
Selene was there too, oddly enough, though she wasn't on their team.
She stood beside the faculty, arms crossed, cold eyes studying Kael like a puzzle she couldn't yet solve.
"A dungeon under the academy? This smells off," Zara whispered.
"There are traps inside that even I can't detect," Aeris added quietly.
"I'm gonna burn something if a professor set us up," Lyra muttered.
Kael remained silent… but his fingers tingled again with that strange heat.
A flame that didn't burn.
A power that didn't have a name.
The Descent
The stone gate to the dungeon opened with a low groan.
An old ruin beneath the academy.
Long abandoned. Long sealed.
The moment Kael's foot crossed the threshold, his divine mark flared.
For a split second, the world froze.
A deep voice echoed inside his soul.
"Child of Ash. Heir of Judgment. Your seal weakens. Welcome home."
Kael stumbled.
No one else heard it.
But the dungeon had.
It recognized him.
The First Floor – Echoes of the Past
They encountered slimes, traps, and mana-draining runes.
Nothing too dangerous… until a set of silver-armored specters emerged.
Level 15. Too strong for newbies.
"This is a setup," Zara growled.
"Those aren't part of any academy dungeon," Aeris said, blades drawn.
Kael didn't speak.
He simply stepped forward.
"Run."
"What?!" Lyra barked. "Are you crazy?!"
Kael's eyes burned black-gold for a split second.
He reached out… and the specters froze.
Then shattered.
Just like that.
Dust on the wind.
The Relic Chamber
At the end of the first floor, they found a sealed door — carved with divine script none of them could read.
Except Kael.
His fingers traced the markings instinctively.
"To the one who once defied fate, we seal your fragment here. May none awaken you again."
Kael's chest tightened.
He touched the center sigil.
It pulsed.
And the door opened.
The Fragment of the God of Embers
Inside was a pedestal.
Floating above it: a tiny ember. Black and red.
It pulsed with memory. Power. Pain.
Kael reached for it.
The moment his skin touched the flame — visions erupted.
Battles across galaxies.
A golden goddess who screamed his name.
A blade made of starlight breaking through his heart.
And a familiar voice: "Zerion… you must fall."
Kael collapsed.
Outside the Dungeon
Selene watched from the shadows as the team emerged — bloodied but alive.
Kael's eyes… were different.
Darker. Clearer.
Ancient.
"He's waking up," she whispered."And if he is who I think he is… then everything in this world is about to change."