Chapter 5812

“Yes.” Reiner’s answer slipped out on a sigh, carrying the wistful echo of a glorious past.

He drew a breath, eyes reflecting flickers of invisible flame. “Lucas was born unbridled,” Lennox said. “Straight as a sword, crooked as a storm. Rules bored him. He chased the power inside fire-the madness that destroys everything, then plants the first seed of something new.”

“To reach that truth, he set his own flesh alight again and again, dancing along the razor edge between life and annihilation until he forged the awe-inspiring Demonflare Art. When he strode out as the Fire Demon Lord, worlds trembled. Demons knelt, immortals whispered his name with fear.”

“Flegel, though, was warmth itself,” Reiner continued, his tone gentling. “He heard in every ember the promise of light, comfort, and renewal. To him, fire was the cradle of civilization, the lantern that keeps despair at bay.”

“His Blazewraith Technique could purge corruption and nourish barren lands. In time, he was hailed across the star- fields as the Fire Spirit Lord, steward of a whole constellation, worshipped as the very source of hope’s first spark.”

A tight, bitter smile pinched Reiner’s mouth. “And I possessed neither Lucas’ savage insight nor Flegel’s boundless grace. I stood beside twin suns and understood only enough to feel my own smallness. Their brilliance forced me into the cracks, where I groped for a path that was half sword, half flame. Each step felt slower than the one before.”

He exhaled, shoulders sinking beneath the weight of private regret.