The first thing Irwyn noted was the almost suffocatingly dry air. As if there was not a shred of moisture left in the atmosphere. The second was the sheer heat, which washed over his skin before he even fully entered through the archway. Irwyn did not burn nor feel hot, but he could still recognize that just the air itself was hot enough to boil most people. The source of that became soon apparent.

  What sprawled before them was much like Irwyn imagined the heart of a volcano would look like. Rivers of liquid fire covered the majority of the ground, then sprouted into hundreds of geysers across the massive chamber. Some exploded intermittently, others continuously. Even the heights they reached were not constant. In between them lay islands of white-hot metal, seemingly half melted from just the ambiance, yet barely holding onto their form. Some as small as stepping stones in between the flows, while others would comfortably fit a small festival. Not that footholds were the most relevant, given both Irwyn and Elizabeth were quite accustomed to flight and wouldn’t get burned by the lava.

  Maneuverability would likely not be an issue, at least - the walls were very far away and actually hidden behind layers of that white metal. Visibility could, though. While not blinding, the show of shifting eruptions was greatly distracting, not to mention the thick black smoke rising up in places. Irwyn could use All is seen to remove mundane obstruction from his line of sight, yet that came with explicitly filtering them, which could result in missing other things… and possibly accidentally taking an embarrassing dunk in pitched battle.

  “Why is there no announcement?” Elizabeth questioned beside him. Usually, their golem observer would have spoken as to what their objective was by that point. The interruption of that well-established pattern was disturbing.

  “We will likely have to explore then,” Irwyn guessed. “At the very least, a change might indicate this to indeed be the final test.”

  “The environment is not magical,” she frowned. “Are we supposed to somehow set it up for the battle anyway?”

  “I will fish,” Irwyn shrugged, walking towards the clear lava. The scorching metal dented a bit with his steps.

  Elizabeth, in the meantime, vanished into the local Void. That was her first role whenever it came to scouting. It was rare, but sometimes a few nasty surprises were hiding on that side of reality. Meanwhile, Irwyn used his magic to see through the metal and liquid fire.

  It became immediately apparent that the ‘lake’ was quite deep. Kilometers beneath them was the furthest Irwyn could see, without finding an end. That made him frown. Without Finity, the range of his ocular spell should be practically infinite. Not to mention mere kilometers, he had used it during the Trial to spot individual threads of a web placed a nation’s length away. But there was no clear interference either.

  “I think Finity applies here again,” Irwyn said, as soon as he felt Elizabeth reappear behind him.

  “And the localized Void is not nearly so detached,” she nodded. “Unlike before, I can feel the true Void beyond it. Still separated by an immutable barrier, but just barely out of reach. Yet that is a big step from the full severance of before.”

  “What do you make of that?” Irwyn nodded.

  “That we are probably much closer to our Realm than we had been at any point before during this Trial.”

  “Agreed. Close enough to let Finity take hold again.”

  “Is it fully active or just partially? Is there even a middle ground?”

  “I have no way to really test. My idea of what level of restraint the law should cause is too far out of sync with my strength now.”

  || Fully. || A familiar 'voice' sounded in their ears, then vanished just as quickly as it had sounded. Neither of the two even bothered trying to turn; there would be no spotting their overseer anyhow.

  “That might be why we are not thrust into battle immediately,” Irwyn quickly concluded. “If Finity applies again, we need to rework our strategies. Get actually used to limited effective areas and durations.”

  “You more than me,” Elizabeth grinned. “I should be barely affected.”

  “Still best to double-check for any mishaps,” Irwyn shrugged. “You never know what other Realmbound law could interact strangely with one of our spells now.”

  And that is exactly what they did. To Irwyn’s displeasure, he found that many of his spells were rendered significantly weaker. In particular, those meant to deal with large groups. Some of his horde slayers became outright obsolete, given that most had the kinds of self-replication and durations that Finity punished harshly. He salvaged what he could in a few minutes, but those kinds of magic were not his focus anyway.

  If their dreaded suspicion proved right, they would not be fighting many targets anyhow. Instead, Irwyn put extra attention into his more focused spells. Also, his barriers and mobility options. Some small adjustments had to be made, but most of those were not strongly affected. After all, they were generally spells designed to remain directly under his command so that he could funnel endless magic into each, and spells still controlled by the caster were not affected by Finity’s limits on duration.

  “Everything is fine on my end,” Elizabeth also affirmed.

  “Should we prepare traps?” Irwyn suggested.

  “Do you have any ideas for something actually useful?”

  “Probably not,” Irwyn admitted after a moment. Neither of them were well suited for more permanent magic. Finity only made that worse. Anything he could imagine them making would be practically worthless. “I can at least prepare a first strike.”

  And so he did, channeling unholy quantities of magic through his body into a new construct. His old spell, Empyrean blood, worked in conjunction with several other effects to make the process as efficient as possible. Starfire conduit further amplified his already extreme affinity, making his skin glow gentle gold. Meanwhile, Sunlike witness took over his eyes, an alternative to his perception spell, which he either had to switch out or split into different eyes. The effect was worthwhile, though, as the spell amplified the results of any magic he beheld landing.

  All three of those relied mainly on his new Concept of Empyreankind. There were a few more minor enhancements happening as well, but their effects were a lot smaller and without a clear visual indication that would empower them further. With their help, Irwyn took only a few seconds to manifest a blazing orb of Starfire above his head.

  The diameter was five times his height, and all that power was condensed, then recondensed as far as he could manage with several Concepts. Desolate Starfall and Starfire were obviously the main participants. Desolation did not fit as its purpose would overlap with the other concept, but Irwyn did coat the outermost layer with Manaburn, meant to leave lingering damage past the spell’s primary impact.

  It was just about his limit without truly pushing himself. The spell was also not complete, just 95 or so percent of the way there. Another trick the Trial had forced him to learn. The inside of the construct also swirled with invisible patterns, echoing the shape of his Conceptual carvings. Another brick in the foundation of firepower. A chant should be next, but Irwyn would actually leave that until he needed to bring the sun-replica down on something’s head.

  “Where to?” Elizabeth asked once he was finished. “Whatever we are facing, it has left no imprint in the Void.”

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  “I have glimpsed something strange that way,” Irwyn pointed in a direction. The only actually magical thing he had noticed. It had been far enough away that his spell couldn’t get a good look and the ever-expanding geysers blocked mundane sight. At least it had been on the surface so they wouldn’t have to dive.

  Floating over those came as easy as breathing. No more clumsy platforms. Those were almost embarrassing to Irwyn in hindsight. Instead, both him and Elizabeth enveloped their bodies in a thin film of magic, using that to smoothly lift themselves into the air. Placed just underneath his innermost barrier, it allowed for rapid and dexterous flight. Although the Concept of Empyreans unreachable performed far worse for any non-boundary magic, it was more than enough to reinforce his body against the strain of mere extreme acceleration.

  Whatever the limit he could withstand on that front was, Irwyn was not capable of flying or maneuvering fast enough to even feel physical strain. Even if the Concept of Skystride allowed said acceleration to reach ludicrous heights. Borrowing even a fraction of natural sunlight’s speed was still humongous. Over long distances, he could even outpace Elizabeth, who had long been focused on her body - her magic was much better at short bursts and shortcutting distance through the Void.

  “I think it is a barrier of sorts,” Irwyn concluded when they got closer.

  Soon enough, they could both see there was an unnatural bubble covering an area the size of a sprawling estate - all the gardens included. It did not seem to react as they approached, though it seemed clear that their challenge awaited them somewhere within. There was still no real trace of magic that they could detect, though, nor could they interact with the obstruction through their own. Even Irwyn’s supernatural affinity with Flames seemed wholly neutered. With no other real choice, he eventually touched the bubble directly, which caused it to suddenly pop.

  Within was a large stretch of the same terrain, with a single surprise. Almost right in the middle, seated on one of those metal islands some 40 or so meters ahead, stood a scaled egg. Though Irwyn almost hesitated to call it that despite the distinct shape, because it was formed entirely out of flowing Flame. But purer than the lava. So much more unblemished, surging with barely contained magic that called to Irwyn like a siren.

  It was, perhaps, the most potent Flame he had ever felt, far surpassing even his own. The boundaries that denoted the edges of the Trial were likely stronger, but those were completely beyond proper perception - nor did he count a half-remembered dream of a past life. The egg, though, was just barely on the edge of what he could understand in its wholeness. Every one of those surface layers was filled to the brim with secrets.

  Each of the egg’s scales contained individual meaning, a singular facet of a greater whole. There, Flame that burned endlessly, a raging inferno Irwyn had become acquainted with. Then elsewhere, the blaze of rebirth - a maker of ashes from which something new would always rise. Another was the sauntering of a wound before it could turn foul - then the next was its brother, burning away marrow deep rot. So many distinct meanings, Irwyn was struggling to take them all in. Some were just a bare step detached from their neighbor, while others blazed strange and esoteric. The mesmerizing mix awoke a hunger of sorts in Irwyn, demanding his eyes and senses take more. All they could!

  Then the egg shattered.

  In between instants, those intricate meanings were drained away as wide cracks opened across its entire surface, carelessly cutting across the once magnificent scales. A library of a thousand stories evaporated into thin air. But those meanings had not vanished. Instead, they were being consumed by the creature that soon emerged, forcing its way through the cracks. With its first breath, the egg began to vanish, quickly dispersing like sputtering smoke. All the true magic had already been taken from it, after all.

  The monster did not follow it in disappearing. Instead, it took its first steps, dazed as a newborn creature ought to be. The shape was nothing strange, just four evenly distributed legs, a pair of leather-bound wings, as well as burning crimson scales across its entire torso - which actually couldn’t be longer than three people were tall, even with the long neck and tail included. Far from the phantasmagorias Irwyn had been made to face before. It still sent a shiver down his spine. After all, how could he not recognize that of all creatures, they would face a dragon.

  In the wonder of the moment, Irwyn had almost forgotten what the Trial demanded of them.

  || Slay the hatchling ||

  “Monsterbane comet”

  The miniature Sun impacted the monster a split second later. While not quite the absolute limit of force Irwyn could bring to bear, it was not that far from his strongest singular strike. The monsterbane part of the name was simply a sensible addition. Literally everything they had faced so far in the Trial’s dedicated combat sections had been monsters. It had demanded slight changes to the full chant, but that was barely a cost for getting some additional power against their expected kind of foe.

  The Starfire exploded, but not in all directions. The blast was focused, collapsing in on itself to maximize the damage inflicted on their foe. A roiling implosion of starborn plasma, which should by all means crush, incinerate, and tear apart whatever it hit. When the blast faded, all its magic spent, the dragon re-emerged from the blast, flinching. Several of its scales had cracked or been torn away, revealing flesh and cartilage as the creature bled liquid fire a thousand times hotter than the lava.

  A moment later, a thin black blade struck the underside of its neck, punching a third of the way through before coming to a clinking halt. There was no particular sound to nothingness exemplified striking scales of living fire, but the impact was potent enough to make both the air and the fiery lake beneath tremble. The monster seemed to finally grasp that it was under attack, and swiped its front claw several times at where the strike had come from. The onslaught was so fast Irwyn was barely able to perceive any motion despite his ludicrously fast thoughts and perception, yet Elizabeth was thankfully long gone before the counterattack had even started.

  Five more impacts were already being inflicted across the monster’s body by that point. Irwyn knew that it was technically only one swing from an old discussion, merely twisted through Void geometry to strike many separate places. Possible weak points, like kneecaps, the underbelly, or the wings. It would be weaker, but that was fine when just fishing for any indication of vulnerability, since an outright beheading seemed off the table.

  Irwyn, in the meantime, had naturally not been idle. He was retreating, slowly floating further away from their foe while casting more magic. As soon as his first strike had gone off, he had started coalescing a vista above his head. Tiny golden dots appeared one by one. If placed against a dark background, they would look very much like the glimmers of a night sky - as was their inspiration. By the time the probing attack from Elizabeth ended, a barrage was already on the way.

  “Rain of Stars”

  Orbs of Starfire the size of a needlepoint, travelling at such velocity that their glimmer left an afterimage, thus appearing closer to short hairbreadth beams. More than swift enough to match the earlier swipe. Unfortunately, it had been impractical to accommodate a ‘monsterbane’ aspect in the name, thus Irwyn had relegated it to the extended chant after some experimentation. That he no longer pronounced it meant far less as long as one existed in his memory.

  Irwyn was also searching for vulnerabilities. Given the minuscule size of his projectiles, they focused on penetration rather than impact. And a big chunk of them struck the only apparent weakpoints: The eyes. Two orbs filled with blazing vermilion inside its elongated skull. As expected, they were far easier to pierce than the natural armor. Irwyn grinned as his target was shredded, rendering the monster blind so early in the fight. Even if it had other senses, experience had shown him that basically anything with eyeballs got at least somewhat disoriented once they were removed.

  Then, to his baffled surprise, the dragon changed. In between instants, layers of scale mail sprouted, burning a darker crimson than the rest of the body. With too much speed to react to, the armor covered the entirety of the monster’s body. In particular, the throat where its greatest wound had been inflicted became enveloped by a great gorget half as thick as Irwyn’s arm was long. Worse were the eyes. The two within its skull remained shredded, yet three dozen more sprouted to replace their functions. Ocular organs growing anywhere from the top of its jaw, through random places across the torso, to the one at the end of its tail. The armor did not obstruct them any either, naturally bending around these new growths as they perfectly melded into a single coherent form.

  Then the creature roared, a deafening screech of pain and fury that set the very atmosphere ablaze, even ambient mana igniting in a turbulent cascade. That was completely negligible to what else was contained in the bellow. Like a meta-physical shockwave, it flew through the boiling air, completely ignoring Irwyn’s barriers as it tried to smother his very Soul.

  Not because it was particularly suited for that task, but because of its sheer intensity. Much like a concrete bunker was not technically a bludgeoning weapon, but would be quite adequate for that purpose if someone had the strength and grip to use it as such. Had it been anyone else, they likely would have combusted from within, their very essence reduced to ash. He certainly hoped Elizabeth was hidden deep enough in the Void to dull the impact. Because while Irwyn didn’t burn, he still flinched from the sheer potency.

  FLAME

  How does one go a step beyond a horde of monsters at the very peak of Conception? The answer was blatantly obvious, yet also ludicrous. The Trial was, after all, clearly meant to be surmountable. Everything they had faced so far had been precisely measured to be at the far end of possibility, but never over the edge. A tremendous challenge, but a surmountable one. Yet now they stood, given an impossible task. How could they possibly defeat a dragon with a Domain?

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