Chapter One: Emberfall's Shadow Flame
The scent of embers and rain clung to the air as Sai Fujimoto stepped off the teleportation circle, his boots landing on the dark, ash-covered stone of Emberfall City.
Above him, the sky burned in shades of scarlet and gray, like smoke trapped beneath molten clouds. It was said Emberfall never slept—its streets glowed faintly with molten veins that pulsed like a living heart. This was the city of demons and humans alike, the cradle of the Illusion Element.
Sai exhaled slowly, adjusting the black strap of his cloak.
"So this is Emberfall…" he murmured. "The city where reality bends and minds shatter."
His reflection flickered faintly in a nearby pool of molten light.
For a brief second, it smiled back at him—though he hadn't.
Sai blinked.
The image vanished.
"An illusion," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "They start early here."
He walked deeper into the city.
The citizens were unlike any he had seen before. Some bore horns and tails, others skin etched with faintly glowing runes. Yet as he passed, they bowed slightly.
It wasn't respect.
It was recognition.
His presence carried the subtle pulse of Creation Energy—a power whispered about even among demons.
He reached the temple just before dusk.
A towering structure of obsidian spires and crimson mist loomed before him. At its peak, the sigil of Arkon Realm burned like a floating eye.
At the entrance stood a man—
—or something close to one.
Tall and lean, with silver hair shimmering under emberlight, Max Vista leaned casually against a column. His eyes were completely black, calm yet endless, like bottomless voids.
"You're late," Max said softly.
His voice carried the smoothness of silk—and the edge of a blade.
"I wasn't aware there was a set time," Sai replied, keeping his tone steady.
"There always is," Max said, his gaze drifting over Sai like smoke.
"Time is an illusion. So is order. So is fear. And if you wish to master illusion… you must learn to walk through all three."
Sai folded his arms. "I came to conquer my weaknesses, not drown in riddles."
Max smirked faintly. "That's what they all say."
He turned and began walking into the temple.
"Follow me, human."
Sai hesitated only a moment before stepping after him.
Inside, the air grew dense with energy.
Whispers filled the corridors—voices that weren't there. The walls breathed like living lungs, the floor pulsing faintly beneath his boots. The deeper they went, the darker it became, until even Sai's enhanced vision struggled to track Max's silhouette.
At last, they entered a vast chamber illuminated by floating crystals. The air shimmered like heated glass. At the center lay a circular sigil carved into the ground—ancient patterns swirling in red and violet.
"This," Max said, raising a hand, "is the Mirror of Emberfall."
Sai felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"Your first trial begins here," Max continued. "The Illusion Element is not about deceiving others. It's about surviving the lie your own mind tells you."
Sai stepped closer. "So I face my fears?"
"No," Max corrected, eyes gleaming.
"You become them."
He snapped his fingers.
The runes ignited.
The world twisted.
In an instant, the temple vanished.
Sai stood in an open field beneath a darkened sky. The grass was gray. The air was cold.
He turned—
—and froze.
A boy stood before him, no older than twelve, holding a wooden sword.
The boy had Sai's face.
"You failed us," the younger Sai said quietly.
"You ran away when they needed you most."
Sai's pulse quickened. His legs felt heavy.
"This isn't real," he said.
The boy smiled—but there was no kindness in it.
"That's what you told yourself when Joshua screamed your name, isn't it?"
Pain tore through Sai's chest. He staggered back.
The world ignited into flames. Screams echoed from every direction.
Max's voice echoed faintly through the distortion.
"Remember this, Sai Fujimoto—the illusion is not false. It is your heart turned inside out. You cannot destroy it… only accept it."
Sai clenched his fists, steadying his breath.
"If it's my heart," he said, "then it's mine to master."
The younger version lunged.
Sai caught the wooden blade with his forearm. It burned like molten iron—but he didn't move.
He met the boy's gaze.
"I was afraid," Sai said quietly. "I ran because I didn't understand what I was."
The illusion flickered. The boy's form trembled, turning half-transparent.
"But that fear doesn't define me anymore," Sai continued.
"I will not let my past chain me."
The boy screamed, his voice splitting into a thousand echoes.
The world shattered like glass.
Sai gasped.
He was back in the chamber, kneeling on cold stone. Sweat dripped from his face. His heart thundered—but the weight of fear was gone.
Max watched from the shadows.
"Impressive," he said. "You faced the first reflection without breaking."
Sai rose slowly. "That was just the beginning, wasn't it?"
Max smiled faintly, a hint of fang showing.
"Of course. You've only peeled away the first layer. Illusion is a mirror of the soul—and your soul has many cracks yet to reveal."
Sai met his gaze, unshaken.
"Then I'll break every mirror until none of them scare me."
The emberlight danced across his face, casting shadow and flame alike.
Max turned away, his cloak trailing like smoke.
"Rest tonight," he said softly.
"Tomorrow, the real training begins—where even the strongest minds beg for madness."
Sai looked at his trembling hands… then clenched them into fists.
"I'll be ready."
Outside the temple, Emberfall's night sky glowed red as the city whispered like a living dream.
The illusion had begun.
And Sai Fujimoto had taken his first step into the abyss of his own heart.