The next morning came quickly. Sun rays fell through the window, bringing light to the dorms. It was warm and cozy–so much so that I wanted to stay in bed and rest for another day or two.

  Unfortunately, my schedule was full, and I was already too late.

  I woke up with the sun already near its zenith. It was noon, and I had yet to get started with work.

  “Why did nobody wake me up?” I muttered, cursing myself for sleeping way too long.

  Turning around, I noticed that I was alone in our rooms. Either Spencer and Daniel hadn’t returned yet, or they had come back, rested, and left all while I was asleep.

  Regardless, I had things to do. But instead of rushing anything, I took a few deep breaths and left the room to wash up. Calming down when time was of the essence was not something I was good at. However, it was necessary for the task ahead.

  Only when I was back in the room, calm and composed, did I retrieve the World Aspect. The brilliant sphere materialized in my palms, wings unfolding, revealing the intricate, delicate lines that formed all kinds of landscapes.

  My World responded instinctively to the Aspect resting in my hands, but it was not until a pulse of life seeped into veins and bones that I had a choice to make. Did I really want to bind the World Growth Aspect?

  Information about World Aspects was scarce; however, I managed to find a few scrolls in Kazriel’s library. That had been enough to tell me a few things about World Growth Aspects. First of all, several types of them existed. The most common were World Growth Aspects with one boon–a permanent bonus. That, however, was not the case here. The intricate, highly detailed descriptions of landscapes hinted at the Aspect’s value. So did my inner world’s eagerness to absorb it.

  Hence, I was confident the World Growth Aspect was right for me and would grant me three boons. The first boon was instantaneous, the second would elevate my World’s growth drastically for a few months, whereas the last boon was the only permanent one–permanently enhancing the World’s growth.

  At least that was how it was supposed to be.

  However, something felt different the moment strands of soul energy oozed out of the World. They intertwined, surged through my chest, and shot toward the pulse of life resting in my hands. The World Growth Aspect’s wings fluttered, releasing another pulse of life. It was almost like the Aspect was eager to be bound, and I would be the last to make it wait.

  Even though Blessed could only bind one Aspect to their Worlds, I highly doubted I would find anything better than this. Growth was what I needed most, even if it was only to prepare enough space for future Soulkins or to expand my core to gain more access to ether.

  I was ready and held tightly to the Aspect as I pushed it first against my chest and then deep into it as it phased through my clothes and dissolved into my body.

  My World hummed, its excitement contagious, bringing a smile to my lips.

  But as the smile widened–just as the World Aspect drifted toward the world core to settle and merge–something I had never read about before happened.

  The sacred flame reacted erratically, unlike anything I’d experienced before, and surged forward without warning. Its once-steady glow twisted into a vortex of fire that reached out, engulfing the Aspect the moment it came near.

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl. My heartbeat stretched thin, and nothing moved. I was frozen still, mirroring the flame’s stillness.

  Then the sacred flame ruptured. It expanded outward into a miniature sun within the inner world, and its heat filled every nook and cranny of my body. Yet there was no agony. Instead, an overwhelming pressure shoved itself into every cell, every nerve.

  What is going on here?! I shouted inwardly, panic blooming in my chest as the World Aspect began to melt before my inner eye.

  When shouting didn’t help, I reached out to the World Aspect with my mind, but it was to no avail. However, even as the most precious thing I possessed melted and shrank, I could feel power seeping into me. But it was not the kind of power I expected to earn from a World Aspect.

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  Fire threaded through my veins, seeped into bone and marrow, and wrapped itself around my mind like a second, burning skin. Instead of my World, it was the mind and body that started to change–to improve.

  Even when the sacred flame finally drew back to its usual place beside the core, the transformation didn’t stop. The Growth Aspect–what remained of it–was little more than molten light drifting through the fire’s wake.

  It had never made it to the core, yet it unraveled.

  The spark came first, and it ignited the fire of life.

  Wings of flame unfurled, stretching impossibly wide within the confines of my inner world, and something came to be.

  If the melting World Aspect and the wings of fire hadn’t been enough to suspect something amiss, the familiar, ancient voice ringing in my head certainly was.

  This death didn’t last long. It may have been my shortest.

  The Voice of Volca reverberated in my head.

  The World of the Heavenly Child is indeed as magnificent as promised. I shall thank you for aiding my timely return, Child.

  As the last shreds of the Growth Aspect drifted away, the flames folded inward and revealed a figure hovering in its center–a thin body sculpted from pure fire. A long neck, sharp features, blazing golden eyes… and wings that shimmered like molten metal.

  It was the Elemental Phoenix, standing within the remnants of the World Growth Aspect. Except… in its current state, it was barely the size of my fist. An Emperor beast reduced to something smaller than a common sparrow.

  “Did you just consume my World Aspect to be reborn preemptively? Talk about crossing the line,” I grumbled, pushing aside all worries about being found out.

  You shall not falter, Child. Nor should you feel guilty. My death was inevitable. The Primal Spirit prophesied it a long time ago–the return of the Child of Heavens.

  The Phoenix’s voice rang majestically in my mind, but I only stared at the World Aspect as its last fragments drifted away.

  Be brave and never look back. The past can no longer be changed. Stride forward and strike hard instead. Follow your own path and–

  “Stop right there, Volca, or whatever you’re called.” I forced my way into the bond, which, surprisingly, worked well. Too well.

  Stupefied, I realized two things. First, the moment the Elemental Phoenix awakened, our bond shifted and improved, advancing straight to the 2nd Stage. Second, the Emperor beast was no longer an Emperor. The sacred beast was barely a Wild beast, its presence no more than a tiny spark that had only just begun absorbing the sacred flame.

  But even if the Elemental Phoenix were to devour every flicker of the sacred flame, it would barely claw its way back to the Unblemished Rank.

  Reading my mind as easily as I read the beast’s intentions, it spoke again.

  Only a fragment of the Monarch’s Runic Heart was used to reforge me. Enough to reignite my existence, but nowhere near enough to restore my true form. The rest of the Runic Heart has been absorbed and rests within your fire.

  If I absorb it slowly, I can rebuild myself–not to my former peak, but to a strength equivalent to your Sixth Tier. An Overlord, as you call it. A power for you to wield… should you wish it, Child of Heavens.

  Confusion flowed out of the bond, accompanied by images of great power. The Elemental Phoenix revealed a mighty Caldera wielding unfathomable abilities, the background landscape as wondrous as it was confusing. Floating mountains, a staircase carried by clouds, and massive stone and metallic statues that ran around like they were alive.

  Some scenes depicted the Caldera fighting with the statues, their combat prowess far greater than that of the Scions.

  “It would be great if you could advance to the Overlord Rank without killing me, but if you do that, you will kill me,” I stated matter-of-factly, which only seemed to confuse the Elemental Phoenix further. Equally confusing was that the Emperor beast was not actually Volca, but merely its voice–whatever that was supposed to mean.

  More images conjured themselves in my mind, informing me of what World Aspects truly were: the Runic Hearts of Monarchs.

  Sensing the beast’s displeasure, I sighed in defeat. “You can consume the sacred flame, but that’s it. Devour more than that and we’ll be dead.”

  As much as the Voice of Volca disliked this, it agreed anyway. There wasn’t much else the phoenix could do–or so I thought.

  It nestled in the sacred flame, consumed it slowly, but returned its attention to me after only a few minutes.

  I searched your mind and understand the limits of your power now, Child. What you need most to wield real strength is a larger World. May the Runic Heart grant you what you desire most.

  A shift caught my attention. No more than a few seconds passed before the sacred flame erupted once more, unraveling what remained of the World Growth Aspect all at once.

  The Voice of Volca shoved everything into my World at once, ready to break it if that was what I needed to surpass my limits.

  Pain blossomed in my chest. Heat filled every corner of my body, and crimson, cobweb-like cracks spread throughout the World and my core. I wanted to do something, but alas, that was not a luxury I was granted.

  My vision blurred until, moments later, darkness consumed me.

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