Chapter 9: The Flame Sovereign’s First Mistake

Flame Sovereigns never made mistakes.

At least, in the recorded history of the Flame Domain, there had never been a clear example.

They were the executors of the Flame Order, the incarnations of rule itself—the ultimate proof of what the flame permitted to exist.

But this time—

They misjudged.

Inside the sealed chamber of the Flame Domain Council.

The Flame Order Disk rotated slowly, projecting countless intricate trajectories of flame patterns into the air.

Nine Flame Sovereigns sat in a circle.

The atmosphere was heavier than during any previous calamity-flame deliberation.

“The anomaly source remains locked in the Flame-External Wasteland,”
the Flame Sovereign in charge of divination spoke.

“But—we cannot pinpoint it precisely.”

“As soon as flame flow approaches, it diverts. All flame-based detection techniques fail.”

Another Flame Sovereign spoke coldly:

“Then it is not an enemy.”

“It is a blind spot in the rules.”

Those words should have set off alarm bells.

But the one who delivered the final judgment made the first mistake.

“Since flame cannot intervene, there is no need to handle it.”

“The world will repair itself.”

The decision sounded reasonable.

After all, throughout countless calamity-flame incidents in the past, the Flame Order had always re-covered every anomaly.

But they overlooked one thing—

This time, the anomaly was not a problem of flame.

It was something outside of flame altogether.

The final ruling was issued.

The anomaly in the Flame-External Wasteland was classified as low priority.
High-ranking Flame Sovereigns were prohibited from intervening personally.
Only Flame Envoy–level patrols were to be dispatched for remote monitoring.

This was the Flame Sovereigns’ first mistake.

Not because they were weak.

But because they could not comprehend something that did not involve flame.

Three days later, a Flame Envoy squad arrived at the edge of the wasteland.

Five people.

All at the Flame Soul Realm.

In the Flame Domain, this was power sufficient to suppress an entire city.

They did not enter the wasteland’s core.

They merely stood at the boundary where flame qi still lingered and set up a monitoring flame formation.

The array activated.

Flame patterns lit up.

The next instant—

The formation extinguished.

Not destroyed.

It dismantled itself.

As if the array had realized:

This place did not apply to it.

The Flame Envoys exchanged looks.

“Record the anomaly. Withdraw,”
the captain ordered calmly.

But the moment they turned—

The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

Not a flame explosion.

But a low-frequency, stable, continuous pulse.

Like the world itself… breathing.

Deep within the wasteland.

Lin Jin stopped walking.

He sensed the incoming disturbance.

It was not killing intent.

Nor hostility.

It was simply—

Flame, probing him.

He lowered his head and looked at his hand.

No flame.

No light.

Yet when he clenched his fist, the surrounding air twisted subtly.

Not power being released—

But existence itself exerting influence on space.

“So that’s how it is,”
Lin Jin murmured.

“It’s not that you can’t find me.”

“It’s that your methods can’t touch me at all.”

He turned, looking toward the direction of the Flame Domain.

This was the first time since awakening that he actively responded.

At the same moment.

At the center of the Flame Domain.

The Flame Order Disk suddenly shook violently.

Several flame patterns fractured.

The Flame officials in charge of monitoring went pale.

“Anomaly amplification detected!”

“Flame-External Wasteland—monitoring data… has vanished!”

All the Flame Sovereigns rose to their feet.

This had never happened before.

Detection failure could be explained.

But data disappearance meant—

The monitored target had actively severed the Flame Order’s observation.

“He… noticed us,”
one Flame Sovereign said quietly.

No one refuted it.

Because at that very moment, at the center of the Flame Order Disk, a symbol appeared—one that had never existed before.

Not a flame pattern.

But a single, extremely simple gray line.

Like a mark.

Or like—

A gaze, looking back.

The Flame Sovereigns fell silent for a long time.

Finally, someone spoke, slowly:

“We underestimated him.”

“Not a calamity flame.”

“Not an aberration.”

“But—”

He paused, his voice turning strained.

“An existence that no longer needs flame.”

The chamber fell into complete silence.

They finally realized—

The true mistake was not failing to act.

It was that when flame became invalid,

They still chose to use flame to understand the world.