[Flame-Scar Valley · Scarlet Solitary Ridge]
The moment they stepped into Flame-Scar Valley, a heatwave hit them like a blade.
The surroundings were a landscape of scorched red rock and cracked earth. The ground temperature was unnaturally high, with the essence of Fire Yao permeating the very air, making every breeze feel like a searing breath. Thick, grey-red clouds hung low, blocking the sun but intensifying the sweltering oppressive heat.
The canyon walls looked as though they had been hacked by a titan's axe, covered in molten scars that resembled the claw marks of a giant beast—evidence of the Yao-fire that had once burned here without end. Collapsed ruins lay scattered near the valley floor; noble crests from a bygone era were still visible on the charred stone walls, a blackened mockery of former glory.
Cang Yuan frowned slightly, gazing at the flickering Yao-light in the valley floor. "The Yao-energy here... it's restless, as if it wants to tear itself apart."
Luo Ye stared at a particular patch of scorched ground, his expression unreadable. "I used to live near here..." his voice was so faint it seemed he was afraid to disturb a ghost.
[The Vision · Origin of Exile]
The Fire Yao Mark suddenly erupted in light as Luo Ye stepped onto the cracked earth. "Luo Ye, watch out!" Cang Yuan shouted, but a surge of flame swallowed Luo Ye before he could react.
Inside the vision, everything was barren. A young Luo Ye knelt in the grit, too frail to carry a bucket of water. His hands were covered in blisters as he bore a heavy load of firewood. Around him, refugees watched with cold indifference.
"Don't slack off, little noble. Your father ruined us; how dare you be lazy?" A man kicked him down. Luo Ye stumbled, his lip bleeding. He said nothing, shielding a broken wooden ladle—the only tool he had to cook porridge for the homeless. He had learned to be silent, to work through the pain of the embers burning his skin.
Years later, Yan Mo appeared by the hearth. Seeing the boy cooking alone while humming a soft tune, he asked, "What are you doing?"
Luo Ye guarded his pot defiantly. "It's my soup. You can't have it." He thought the man was there to steal his food.
Yan Mo didn't steal. He knelt and asked, "Who taught you this?"
"My mother," the boy whispered. "She said... as long as a person can still eat, they won't die easily."
"What is your name, child?"
"Luo Ye." He looked up, his eyes bright and steady.
"Those eyes... they look just like General Luo Ting's," Yan Mo thought to himself. He took the boy as his foster son, vowing to protect him and wash away his "traitorous" name.
[The Vision · Wrath and Ruin]
The scene shifted. Flames rose like walls. Luo Ye stood at the entrance of his village, but the smell of warm food was gone, replaced by thick smoke and blood. Bodies lay scattered among the ruins—children and elders still clutching broken bowls.
He saw a familiar figure in a pool of blood—Yan Mo!
"Father!" Luo Ye knelt beside him.
Yan Mo gasped, his eyes filled with pain and relief. "You're alive... good."
"Who did this? Why?!"
"You are the son of General Luo Ting... your father was framed for his greatness... I forced you away to save you... I would rather you hate me than see you die. A father's duty... is to protect his child." With those final words, he closed his eyes.
Luo Ye stood frozen. The kindness of the villagers, the laughter of the children—all of it had been turned into a hellscape. His fury erupted. "Why... what did they do wrong?! They didn't even spare the children!"
He let out a deafening roar. The Fire Yao Mark went berserk, shattering the illusion as the world burned into a living purgatory!
[Reality · Fire Yao Berserk]
In the real world, a pillar of crimson Yao-fire shot into the sky from the valley floor!
Luo Ye was at the center, his eyes blood-red, his body wreathed in uncontrollable flames. He was a walking volcano on the verge of eruption.
Cang Yuan lunged forward, his Water Yao Mark activating. "Luo Ye, that's enough!"
He spread his palms, summoning a shroud of mist and flowing currents. The water clashed with the fire, creating a dense fog of steam.
"Your father's sacrifice wasn't for you to destroy yourself," Cang Yuan's voice cut through the roar of the flames. "It was so you could live—to turn this fire into a power that protects others!"
Luo Ye's eyes slowly cleared. The Fire Yao Mark on his chest settled into a steady red glow. Cang Yuan, breathless and sweating, still held him firmly. The remnant Yao-currents linked their palms in a soft, interlaced light.
"I'm... still alive," Luo Ye whispered.
Cang Yuan smirked. "If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be a well-done roast by now."
Luo Ye looked away, his ears turning red. "Tch... don't get cocky. I owe you a meal."
[The Appearance of the Key]
As the flames died down, a red-gold glow emerged from the rubble. A "Fire Yao Key," forged from what looked like lava and crystal, hovered in the air.
Luo Ye stepped forward and grasped it. The searing energy surged through his arm, but this time it was stable, flowing in harmony with his pulse. "I won't let it run wild again," he murmured. "This power is not for destruction."
He turned back to Cang Yuan, caught himself, and then snapped, "Don't look so smug about what happened. I just... borrowed your water to cool down."
Cang Yuan chuckled. "Oh? Next time I'll just let you explode like a firework, then."
"You!" Luo Ye glared at him, then huffed and walked toward the cliff edge.
Cang Yuan handed him a water flask. "Drink. Or you'll burn yourself into charcoal from the inside."
"I'm not like your weak 'bubble' constitution," Luo Ye grumbled, but he gripped the flask and added in a tiny voice, "...Thanks."
"Was that a thank you? I should record this historic moment in my diary," Cang Yuan teased.
"Who's bowing to you?! I just... don't like owing people favors."
Cang Yuan patted his shoulder. "Seriously, you okay? That kind of berserk state isn't something a normal person survives."
Luo Ye fell silent. "I was seeing them all... the children, the village, my father's voice. It wasn't just Yao-power. It was rage, burning down to my bones. If it wasn't for you, I would have destroyed myself."
Cang Yuan listened quietly. "The fact that you can say that means you are truly awakening."
Luo Ye looked at him, then barked, "If you tell anyone what I just said, I'll turn you into a hotpot the moment you wake up tomorrow."
"Deal. My lips are sealed. But if you keep being this mean, I'll write about how red your face was when I tackled you in my poetry book."
"You don't even have a poetry book!"
"I have one in my heart. It's called The Diary of a Tsundere Fire Yao."
"You—!" Luo Ye swung a fist at the wall in frustration. "I'm going to make your Water Yao run dry one day!"
"You'll have to learn to stabilize your own fire first," Cang Yuan laughed.
Luo Ye looked at the Fire Yao Key and handed it to Cang Yuan. "You keep this. I'm afraid I'll accidentally melt it."
"Giving me something this important? Aren't you afraid I'll run off?"
"You won't," Luo Ye said simply. "You're not that kind of person."
Cang Yuan was stunned for a second, then smiled as he took the key. "Fine. I'll keep it until we reunite with Xingyu."
"Let's move," Luo Ye said, looking into the distance. "We need to find the others."
"So fast? I'm exhausted!" Cang Yuan groaned, leaning against him. "Alright, alright, let's go before you start self-combusting again..."
Far away, Gu Xingyu's pocket watch vibrated. The Fire Yao symbol on the dial quietly lit up.
—The fourth Yao has awakened.