Defiance of the Fall

Kruta stuffed more of the acrid roots that’d kept him alive and tormented for so long into his mouth . He extracted what little spirituality they had left as he willed his feet to keep moving . His vision was distorted from the toxins , but his extended abuse had at least given him partial immunity . The dead attackers were soon left behind and forgotten , replaced by the constant worry that had filled him since being spat out in this hellscape .

Things hadn’t played out at all as he’d imagined . The young princess of the Tayns was nowhere to be found inside the Thousandflame Galley , or any other Tayn representative for that matter . Kruta didn’t even know if he was inside the warship , or if he’d been transported somewhere else during his two weeks in burning limbo .

This broken world was some sort of prison colony , where descendants of those who had angered Thousandflames Eccentric toiled away in ashen suffering . He still didn’t know how the Tayns had exposed their plans , but it was clear they didn’t approve . Every day , Kruta prayed he was the only one from the tribe who had been punished for their arrogance , and the fact that he still hadn’t ran into any of his tribesmen was his greatest source of comfort .

As for the treacherous whispers in the back of his mind that the tribe had been incinerated instead of captured? Kruta refused to listen . He held onto his faith , and the carrot dangled before him .

Kruta hadn’t encountered much trouble the first day , even if his mind had been a confused mess . He had been trying to make sense of the situation , and the fact that his Spatial Treasures were sealed didn’t help . It was in that state a trio of foragers had stumbled upon him . They’d been wary of this stranger but took pity on him and shared some of their knowledge .

The three eked out a living by digging through the ashes for spiritual roots . The ambient energy was abundant but filled with fire that would consume you from within if you imbibed too much . Besides , it was impossible for most to completely forgo normal sustenance . But in this kind of broken world , food was extremely scarce . Kruta had followed them for five days , and everything had been fine until something changed .

All three tried to murder him in his sleep , going so far as to sacrifice limbs and longevity to accomplish their goal . Kruta had already been prepared for a possible attack , and his superior training allowed him to pull through even without his weapons . At first , he’d thought they simply attacked him to rob his corpse , but questioning them exposed the truth .

The foragers had heard a voice just before attacking , and it had a simple message for the whole realm—freedom for death . Kill Kruta the Great before he crosses the Worldfall Ridge , and the sins of your ancestors will be forgiven . The foragers hadn’t hesitated to risk it all for a chance to escape their burning prison .

Since then , Kruta had become an enemy of the world , where every single native did everything in their power to eradicate him . Those who could survive this purgatory weren’t weak , and there were even Peak Hegemons in this world . Their training was subpar , and their equipment was garbage , but their numerical advantage wasn’t something you could just overcome with grit and skill .

But he’d survived . Days turned to months , and months to years as Kruta advanced toward the Worldfall Ridge . He lost count of the times he’d narrowly escaped death , either by avoiding traps or narrowly eking out a victory against powerful and desperate foes . His only shot at survival was to win the cruel game set up by the Thousandflame Eccentric .

Kruta didn’t mind . He cherished the opportunity , which had turned into his mental support . The Tayns loved to test fates . It still wasn’t certain his suffering was solely meant as a punishment . He’d never received any message , but it was possible he would be let go if he survived . He already missed the opportunity to join his buddy in the Left Imperial Palace , but he didn’t care so long as his people weren’t hurt .

And he was almost there . He could hear the voices draw closer and summoned strength he didn’t know he had as he kept climbing . His body was drained beyond a breaking point , his pathways like charred strings . His ancestor had nothing more to give , and Kruta was forced to seal the spirit inside his mind to prevent it from collapsing . Yet his legs kept going , fueled by desire and iron will . He resisted the suppression , and the peak was soon in view .

Then there was nothing more to ascend . The winding path turned into sheer wall , a black rock so hot that smoke created a curtain that hid his presence . His feet were lead , and they refused to move again now that they had stopped . He threw away his commandeered balsawood swords and grabbed the wall .