Years ago…
Inside a dark throne hall, Lord stood in silence.
Before him stood a figure.
Orange hair.
Not bright — burning.
Eyes glowing like embers ready to ignite the world.
Ernos.
Even the air around him felt heated.
Lord spoke calmly.
"Miasma."
"I want him."
"Bring him to me."
Silence filled the chamber.
Ernos lowered his head slightly.
"As you command."
The moment he stepped back—
The temperature rose.
The floor beneath him blackened.
And he vanished in sparks of flame.
The Strongest Man Alive
At that time, Miasma was considered the strongest human alive.
Undefeated.
Untouchable.
His name alone carried fear.
But that day…
He had just walked out of another battle.
Victorious.
But exhausted.
His body was worn.
His energy drained.
Then the sky turned red.
Flames fell like rain.
And from the fire—
Ernos descended.
The ground cracked under his feet.
Miasma narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?"
Ernos' voice was calm.
Cold.
But burning underneath.
"I do not control the flame."
"The flame chose me."
He raised his hand.
And the fire began to take shape.
Dragons.
Blades.
Chains.
Armies made of living inferno.
For the first time—
Miasma felt something unfamiliar.
A true threat.
He roared and charged forward.
The earth shattered from the impact of his power.
Shockwaves tore through the flames.
But every time he destroyed them—
Ernos rebuilt them.
Walls of fire.
Shields of fire.
Beasts of fire.
Miasma attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Nothing changed.
Three Days
The battle lasted one day.
Then two.
Then three.
The sky remained crimson.
Even the rain could not extinguish the inferno.
Miasma grew weaker with every passing hour.
But he endured.
He refused to fall.
He was invincible.
He had to be.
On the third day—
Ernos raised both arms toward the sky.
A colossal fire dragon formed above them.
It eclipsed the heavens.
Ernos whispered:
"Turn to ash."
The dragon descended.
The explosion split the sky.
And then—
Silence.
Miasma dropped to one knee.
Breathing heavily.
His body burned.
His vision blurred.
Those three days…
Felt like a hundred years.
Awakening
Slowly—
Miasma opened his eyes.
A silhouette stood before him.
Dark.
Still.
Watching.
Lord.
And he was smiling.
Calm.
Satisfied.
"How does defeat feel?"
Miasma couldn't speak.
Lord stepped closer.
"You are powerful."
"But unbroken power… is dangerous."
He extended his hand.
"I can show you true strength."
In that moment—
Miasma didn't understand.
This defeat was not coincidence.
It was design.
A plan set in motion long before the first flame ignited.
And in the distance—
Ernos watched silently.
His fire still burning.
Unshaken.
Unemotional.
Mission complete.