The body resisted and the art could not keep up.
Days passed in his mental world. Then months. Then years.
Until one day, a thought struck him.
"…Why am I forcing human flames to temper a draconic body?"
His eyes widened.
"I already have the answer," he whispered.
His Draconic Flame Body.
Instead of suppressing it, instead of treating it as a separate power, he decided to merge it completely with the tempering art.
"Use draconic flames," he said slowly, voice trembling with excitement. "Use dragon fire to forge dragon flesh."
The moment the thought settled, inspiration exploded.
A wave of knowledge surged into him, far clearer than before. The Crimson Flame Tempering Art shattered apart inside his mind, its structure breaking down completely. Old pathways collapsed. New ones formed.
His muscles began to tighten again.
His bones rang like metal struck by a hammer.
