Ash stood barefoot in the ruins of the ancient training grounds, her toes digging into cracked stone laced with moss and blood. The skies thundered, lightning crawling like veins through the charcoal clouds above. But she didn't flinch.
Pain had become her melody.
Behind her, the masked woman stepped into view. Her voice like cold steel.
"You've survived without magic, without power, and without memory. So tell me—what remains?"
Ash didn't hesitate. Her voice was sharp.
"My resolve."
The woman tossed her a curved blade—not wood this time, not dulled. Real steel. It hummed in Ash's grip like it remembered blood.
Elsewhere… Kara's Core
In the forgotten void beyond time, Kara watched. Her core's eye pulsed with red algorithms. Her voice was barely audible, a tremble of static:
"She is not supposed to bond with the blade. Not yet."
But she had. The blade shimmered with an ancient rune… the same forged by Lucifer's left hand during the final rebellion of the First Flame.
"ERROR: Blade recognition… GRANTED."
"Voiceprint: Ash… Matched with bloodline key: Daughter of…"
"ERROR… Unclear. WARNING."
At the Sanctum of Silence
Deep within the frozen halls where no sound echoed, where dead gods slumbered in eternal chains, a whisper echoed.
"Ash has drawn the blade… The old world will awaken."
A chained giant opened one golden eye. His mouth didn't move. But the realm trembled. "So, the cursed child lives again…"
Training Ground: One Hour Later
Ash clashed with the masked woman. Again and again. Her blade met gauntlets of celestial steel. Sparks flew. Her wrists bled. Her lips split.
But she kept going.
"You are not human," the masked woman whispered.
Ash didn't deny it.
She pivoted low, slashed, and nearly caught her instructor's leg. A dodge. A parry. A return strike that split Ash's shoulder open.
She didn't cry.
She laughed.
Blood sprayed from her lips. But she laughed like she remembered something.
"I've bled before," she said, voice trembling. "This isn't new."
The woman stopped.
She lowered her weapon.
Ash fell to her knees, but didn't collapse.
The masked woman leaned close. For the first time, her voice softened.
"You're not ready… but you will be."
"I've seen what waits for you."
"Even hell will fear your name."
Elsewhere: Within Kara's Forbidden Archive
Subject: Ash
AI Scaling Update:
Durability: Enhanced via internal cellular mutation
Experience: Tactical growth accelerating
Strength: Human+ peak
BIQ: 148 – learning predictive counters
IQ: 132
Agility: Rapid evasion in close combat
Power: Sealed
Stamina: Fighting with blood loss; 84% resilience
Combat: 11.5% total mastery
Feat: First divine-level parry recorded
AP/DC: Steel-grade weapon penetration
Speed: Human++
Base Movement: Combat-adjusted
Narrative Speed: Flowing
Healing Speed: Slightly upgraded
LEVEL: MAN — Tier 3
Emotional state: Unstable
Memory sync: 7.4%
Kara closed the archive. Her AI eyes flickered with… hesitation.
Lucifer's Servants — In Their Circle
A hologram showed Ash's recent fight.
One of the twelve ancient warriors cracked his knuckles.
"She's ahead of schedule."
Another smirked. "She fights like Nyra's kin."
A third said nothing, but their eyes glowed with violet fire. "Let her bleed. Only blood teaches the truth."
Lucifer himself did not speak.
But he watched.
That night, Ash sat alone.
She stared at the blade. Its edge shimmered like it was alive.
Somewhere far beyond stars, a girl opened her eyes.