Ashes of the star forge

Lirien flicked her small hand with a casual gesture.

Elara was pushed back gently but firmly by an invisible force, her body sliding several meters across the floor toward the entrance of the training room. She stumbled but caught herself, her alloy limbs whirring softly as she regained balance. Her eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and anger, but she held her tongue.

Lian lay on the ground, unconscious. His chest rose and fell in rapid, labored breaths. Sweat glistened across his skin, dripping from his brow and soaking his clothes. His body was still trembling faintly from the repeated trauma, muscles twitching as if still fighting phantom deaths. The white floor beneath him was stained with small drops of blood from his clenched fists.

Lirien waved her hand again. Lian’s body began to levitate slowly, rising a few feet into the air. His limbs hung limp, his head tilted slightly to the side. The little girl turned and walked calmly toward the entrance, Lian’s lifeless form floating behind her like a silent shadow. Elara quickly got to her feet and followed, her steps hurried and anxious.

When Lirien reached the door, she spoke softly.

“Training over.”

The lifeless replica of Lord Valerian Crowe vanished into black mist. The lights in the massive training room slowly dimmed, fading from bright white to complete darkness. The forcefield dissolved with a soft hum. The entire ship seemed to settle back into a quieter state, the only sounds the faint hum of systems and Elara’s quickened breathing.

..............................................................................................

Slowly, Lian’s eyes opened.

The light in the room was blinding at first, forcing him to squint as his vision adjusted. He tried to lift his hand to block the glare, but his arm wouldn’t move. He couldn’t move any part of his body. It felt as if he had been frozen in place, every muscle locked and unresponsive. Panic flickered in his chest.

Where am I? What is this?

He realized he wasn’t lying on anything solid. He was floating, suspended in mid-air inside a transparent glass tube filled with a clear, slightly viscous liquid. Thin wires and delicate filaments extended from the walls of the tube, connecting to various points on his body — his temples, spine, wrists, and chest. He was completely naked except for the storage rings on his fingers and the bracelet on his wrist. The liquid felt warm against his skin, almost soothing, but the helplessness of being unable to move sent a wave of unease through him.

He struggled, trying to break free, a scream building in his throat.

“Master, don’t move,” Lirien’s calm, childlike voice echoed softly around him.

He couldn’t turn his head to see her, but he recognized the voice immediately.

“Lirien... what is this?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“I am running a full diagnostic scan on Master’s body,” she replied. “To assess physical damage, mental strain, Qi flow stability, and the effects of the repeated deaths. Your body and mind have been through extreme stress. I need to ensure there is no permanent harm.”

Lian forced himself to relax, the tension slowly leaving his muscles. Then the memories flooded back — the endless cycle of dying, the pain, the terror. His heart rate spiked. The readings on the monitors outside the tube began fluctuating wildly. He let out a loud, raw scream that echoed inside the chamber.

“Master, please calm down,” Lirien said gently. “I can’t concentrate with your vitals spiking like this.”

But Lian wasn’t listening. The trauma was too fresh. “Explain what happened. What was that?”

“It is called the Death Protocol,” Lirien explained patiently. “It forces the user to experience the full reality of battle — every stab, every slice, every moment of death. You are not simply training. You are surviving. In real combat, a single mistake costs your life. By facing death repeatedly, you learn to move beyond fear. You learn to breathe with it. To accept it. To become something that death cannot touch. That was only part of the truth. The rest... you are not ready for yet.”

Lian was beginning to understand, even through the haze of trauma. The truth was bitter, but necessary.

“Master, to tell you the truth... you are weak,” Lirien continued, her voice soft but direct. “So very weak. If you fought the white-eyed man and his creature right now, you would not survive. He could kill you with a mere thought. You are nothing to him.”

The words struck Lian like a physical blow. He lay there, suspended and helpless, letting the truth sink in.

Lirien smiled faintly. “You or him — who is stronger?”

She let out a small, melodic laugh. “Me. Let me give you a reference. Just as you are an ant to him, so is he to me.”

The words sank deep into Lian’s mind. How strong is she? he wondered silently.

“Where is Elara?” he asked, his voice weak. “I haven’t seen or heard her.”

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc

Power Scale Reminder

Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Star 1.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Middle

Keep it as reminders

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