Chapter 3: The Flame of Helios

Thankfully, it was already quite dark.

I slipped out of my quarters barefoot, trying to make my heavy steps as silent as possible.

Let’s be honest, it was impossible.

I had thrown a sleeping robe over myself in an attempt to camouflage, but I doubted it helped. If anything, I probably looked even more suspicious.

Whatever. I had to hurry.

A few guards and servants eventually noticed me. They paused, eyes widening in surprise.

“Just taking a stroll,” I said.

A very lame excuse.

Still, no one questioned me.

They simply nodded respectfully.

Somehow, I managed to slip outside the castle and made my way toward the most precious place in the Kingdom of Helios.

It stood directly behind the palace, a structure impossible to miss.

In fact, even a blind person would feel its heat.

I raised my gaze to the towering structure.

A tower.

And at its peak burned a blinding white sphere of fire.

A miniature sun.

This was the treasure of Helios.

The reason the kingdom existed and the reason so many other kingdoms envied us.

The Flame of Helios.

Born from the founder of the kingdom, Apollina, upon her death a thousand years ago. A giant sun hovered in the air, burning with tremendous intensity. Yet despite its brilliance, I could sense its glow had dimmed slightly after my father’s death.

Because it had lost its guardian.

And that was not good news.

The Flame was our greatest blessing but also our greatest vulnerability.

It strengthened crops, healed the sick, and enhanced the power of our soldiers.

But such overwhelming power also made us a target.

Every ambitious neighbor would dream of claiming it for themselves.

As I continued staring upward, I could almost feel the Flame’s restlessness.

“Alright… let’s do this.”

I slowly approached the tower.

The structure was protected by wards created during Apollina’s era when it was first built. Runes were etched so deeply into the stone that they seemed part of it.

No one could enter the tower except those of royal blood.

And even if they managed to, the heat alone could severely injure or kill them.

Thankfully, my blood wasn’t ordinary.

At least, that’s what my father had always told me.

The heat shouldn’t kill me.

I hoped.

I stepped inside the tower and entered a vast circular chamber.

Large golden circles covered the floor, filled with runes that glowed faintly beneath the firelight above.

Apollina’s successor had built this place a thousand years ago, after her death.

I looked up.

The burning sun hovered directly above, reached by an ancient spiral staircase winding endlessly upward.

The stairs looked dizzyingly high.

No time to hesitate.

I began climbing.

And God…

The climb felt worse than the heat.

This soft, heavy body of mine was not built for physical effort. Each step demanded too much.

My thighs burned not from the Flame, but from pure exhaustion.

This was beyond embarrassing.

“Come on…” I grunted, gritting my teeth as sweat poured down my face and back, soaking the robe I wore.

But I kept going.

This was the only path forward.

If I couldn’t even climb a damn staircase, how was I supposed to outrun my fate?

Until now, I had spent my entire life running from responsibility.

I had been a coward.

I hadn’t believed in myself.

But that had to change.

It had to fucking change.

I needed to prove everyone wrong.

More importantly, I needed to prove myself wrong.

My greatest fear wasn’t death.

It was disappointing my father.

Watching this kingdom crumble.

Watching my family die.

There was nothing worse than that.

After ten agonizing minutes that felt like hours, I finally reached the top.

The heat intensified instantly.

Before, it had been uncomfortable.

Now, it was dangerous.

I was fairly certain any ordinary person would have already turned to ash where I stood.

My eyes locked onto the burning sun.

The light was so intense it nearly blinded me.

I raised my arm to shield my face from the light and heat and stepped forward.

The air grew hotter with every inch.

When I finally stood at the edge, nothing between me and the Flame but scorching air I lowered my hand and forced myself to look directly at it.

Pain exploded across my exposed skin.

I felt my flesh beginning to burn. Second-degree burns spread across my chest and arms. My robe disintegrated into ash.

The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils.

Oh fuck.

Now I was genuinely afraid.

I could die here.

I might actually die.

But if I turned back now, if I crawled down those stairs and returned to my comfortable bed I would die anyway in that cursed game.

I would never survive this world with that weak mentality.

If I were just some random fat noble, maybe I could hide.

But I wasn’t.

I was Lumiel Helios.

Heir of the kingdom.

Now its king.

If I had to die, then dying while attempting the ritual was far more honorable than being murdered in my sleep or poisoned like in the game.

“Apollina,” I called out to my ancestor.

I had never prayed before.

She was treated as a demigoddess in this kingdom, though I had always thought of her simply as extraordinary.

“Bless me.”

I spread my arms wide.

Closing my eyes, I let myself fall forward headfirst into the sun.

The burning sensation consumed me instantly.

Pain beyond comprehension.

Every nerve ignited at once.

My scream died before it could form.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

Then… after a split second that felt eternity…

The pain vanished.

Gone.

As if it had never existed.

“What the—?”

I opened my eyes and immediately threw a hand up, blinded by brightness—but not the violent blaze of the Flame.

This was soft.

Gentle.

The light of a clear blue sky.

Wait.

Wasn’t it pitch black just a second ago?

Pressing my palms against the ground, I felt cool grass beneath my fingers.

“What in the hell…”

I looked around.

A prairie stretched endlessly in every direction.

Grass swayed in a quiet, cool breeze. The horizon seemed infinitely distant, blending seamlessly into a perfect, cloudless sky.

“Is this heaven?”

“I would hope not.”

A soft giggle shattered the silence, making me jump.

I spun around so fast I nearly snapped my neck.

A woman stood there.

My jaw went slack.

I had never seen anyone so beautiful.

And I had met many beautiful women in my past life.

Her long golden-blonde hair, almost pale, cascaded down her shoulders like liquid sunlight. Her eyes burned amber, like twin molten suns, much like my own.

“This is not heaven,” she said, amused.

I blinked twice, making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

“Who are you?” I asked carefully.

She extended her hand toward me.

Her lips curved into the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen.

“Apollina.”

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