Though the sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, the molten pond still burned with a dim, restless glow—its surface pulsing like a slow-beating heart. The wavering orange light spread across the clearing, staining rock and skin alike, making the darkness seem thinner than it was. Shadows rippled with each flicker, never fully still, as if wary of what slumbered below.

  “I’ll be the bait,” Aaryan said at last, his tone calm but edged with something unreadable.

  The faint, uneasy smiles that crossed the faces of the other group betrayed both relief and curiosity.

  He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “But even bait should know what it’s walking into. Tell me what I’m facing.”

  Their leader—a broad-shouldered youth with fair skin—studied Aaryan for a long, assessing moment. The molten light caught the outline of his jaw before he gave a small nod. “All right. Ask.”

  “How dangerous are the lava beasts?”

  The youth’s voice dropped lower, roughened by memory. “Depends on size. Ten to twenty feet—Qi Condensation realm. Thirty feet, and you’re looking at mid-Foundation strength. Beyond that…” He exhaled slowly, gaze shifting toward the molten surface. “We don’t test our luck. But rumour says one of the lakes here houses a Core Pillar beast.”

  Aaryan’s brows knit briefly, the faintest crease between them. He asked a few more questions—sharp, measured—but the answers that came back lost their weight, blurred into vague assurances. They knew more than they’d admit. That much was clear.

  He let the silence stretch, then turned away, bare feet scraping against the charred stone as he approached the lake. The air thickened near the edge—heavy with heat and a faint, metallic tang. He stopped just short of the glow, the molten light spilling across his bare feet, painting his skin in copper and gold.

  For a moment, he simply watched. The surface stirred only now and then, bubbles rising with quiet insistence before breaking into soft, ashen bursts. Each pop released a ghost of burnt air that clung to his tongue, bitter and dry. Nothing else moved.

  But stillness could lie.

  He drew a slow breath, then exhaled, silver Qi rippling from his dantian. Threads of light shimmered across his skin, wrapping him in a fluid cocoon. The heat bent around it, unable to touch.

  Without ceremony, he stepped forward—and dropped in.

  The molten surface parted with a subdued hiss, swallowing him whole. Rings of firelight spread outward, fading as quickly as they came.

  Behind him, the group stared—some with surprise, others with grudging respect. Their supposed bait hadn’t flinched. Spear shifted, feet braced; quiet rustles followed, each motion deliberate, each breath drawn a little shallower.

  The molten weight pressed in from all sides as Aaryan swam deeper, his form cutting through the liquid fire with quiet precision. The pond seemed endless—an abyss painted in shades of red and gold. Everywhere his eyes turned, the world warped in waves of heat and colour—thick, shifting, without clear direction. Visibility lingered in faint outlines, just enough to sense motion, just enough to stay wary.

  He moved without haste. Each stroke measured, each breath a controlled thread of Qi. Down here, recklessness meant death. The molten pressure gnawed at his shield, whispering reminders of what would remain if his energy faltered—ash, then nothing.

  The gleam thinned as he descended, the distance swallowing light until even flame seemed hesitant. Shadows grew thicker, more alive. For most, this silence and heat would have blurred into terror. But Aaryan had another set of eyes.

  From the mark at his wrist, Vedik’s small form stirred—silver scales reflecting faintly against the crimson murk. The dragonling’s gaze pierced the depths ahead, unbothered by heat that could melt stone. He tilted his head, then drifted forward with ease, guiding the way as though swimming through air.

  Aaryan followed, trusting the creature’s instinct more than his own sight. Down here, sight was a trickster; warmth, a lure; stillness, a warning.

  Soon, a vast silhouette loomed—a molten shape pulsing with dull light, fifteen feet at most. A Lava Beast. Its ridged spine glowed faintly, breath rising in slow bubbles that broke the surface far above. It hadn’t sensed him yet.

  He could’ve turned back now. Surface. Lure it up. Let the others strike. That was the plan—simple, safe.

  But plans had never fit him well.

  His eyes narrowed. If he wanted to learn, he had to risk the unknown. And with Vedik’s presence steady at his side, the danger felt less like threat, more like invitation.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Drawing close, Aaryan stilled his breath, coiling strength within his arm. The molten current curled around his body as silver Qi surged beneath his skin. Then—swift as thought—he struck.

  His fist met the beast’s skull in a burst of heat and force. Smouldering Vein Art flared, golden lines racing up his arm, fracturing the creature’s form from within. The beast convulsed—then shattered, breaking apart into a spray of glowing fragments. They melted into the lake’s flow, leaving behind a single pale-red crystal, gleaming faintly in the haze.

  Aaryan caught it, slipping it away before moving on.

  The depths stretched wide before him now—vast, silent, and alive with unseen motion. He passed other beasts, smaller, slow to react. They stirred faintly as he drifted by, bound by instinct, not thought. Easy enough to avoid.

  Then Vedik shifted again, tail flicking toward the darkness below. Multiple tunnels branched outward—a maze of molten veins threading into unseen caverns.

  So the lakes were one body after all.

  Aaryan paused, lips curving faintly. Whatever path he chose, the heart would remain the same.

  His worries sank with the light as he swam onward.

  Most cultivators crowded near the main lake, drawn by greed and danger alike. Aaryan felt no rush; fools could fight over scraps. The network beneath these lands was vast; every smaller pond fed into the same fiery veins. Through those channels, one could surface anywhere—if they were lucky, or skilled enough to survive the journey.

  The cost would be steep. Qi drained quickly in molten terrain, and a single mistake meant ruin. But he wasn’t alone. Vedik’s presence, steady and sure—was like a living compass amid the molten dark.

  He drew in a slow breath, letting the noise of his thoughts settle until only intent remained. Show me the path, he murmured within, the words rippling through their bond.

  For several breaths, nothing stirred. The lake pressed in, silent and waiting. Then, Vedik’s head lifted, silver eyes glinting faintly. The dragonling’s tail flicked toward a narrow channel splitting off into the depths.

  Aaryan followed.

  The tunnel curved sharply, the heat thickening as he descended. Flickers of pressure brushed against his senses—uneven, pulsing, alive. Then, from the right, a sudden tremor. Faint, but wrong.

  He froze. Sight was worthless here, and even his soul sense faltered beneath the molten weight. Yet instinct whispered danger. Muscles tensed. Qi gathered at his core.

  Beside him, Vedik gave a low trill—more amused than alarmed. The little creature tilted its head, then darted off into the crimson haze, chasing a faint shimmer before he could react.

  The water—or what passed for it—stirred. Dull echoes rippled through the tunnel, followed by the brief shimmer of scattered light. Then silence returned.

  Vedik came back moments later, eyes bright, clutching five small crystals in his claws. Two of them gleamed darker than the rest, deep red laced with black threads.

  Aaryan raised a brow. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

  Vedik’s answering chirp carried a hint of smugness.

  Tossing four crystals into Aaryan’s waiting hand, the dragonling kept the darkest one for itself. The gem shattered between its claws, red Qi flowing out in liquid ribbons that wound around its form. The molten light wove through its scales, pulsing in rhythm with its breath.

  Aaryan watched quietly. Within a few heartbeats, Vedik’s aura flared brighter—hungrier.

  “Enough,” he said, voice calm but firm. “We’re not here to feed.”

  Vedik hissed softly, reluctant. Only after a second crystal was offered in bribe did it relent, shrinking back into its small silver serpent form. It coiled tightly around his wrist once more, scales cool against his skin.

  Turning upward, Aaryan began the ascent. The tunnel stretched long and quiet behind them. If his planning held—and luck lingered a while longer—this journey would not be wasted.

  He glanced once at the dim glow below, then let it fade into distance.

  Above the molten pond, the group waited—poised, silent, and tense. Weapons gleamed faintly in the glow, each cultivator fixed on the crimson surface where ripples had long since vanished.

  Seconds stretched thin. Then minutes. The quiet pressed against their nerves.

  “Did he die down there?” the spear-wielder muttered, voice edged with impatience.

  The woman beside him snorted. “Hmph. Walked in like he owned the lake. Let’s see how that worked out.”

  A third man—the one who had entered before Aaryan—said nothing, but the curve of his lips told the rest. He’d struggled to survive that descent himself. Seeing another risk it so easily—it pricked something sharp and mean within him.

  Their leader’s gaze swept across them, irritation flickering behind his eyes. He opened his mouth to silence them—

  —but the lake stirred first.

  A ripple. Then a surge.

  The crimson surface bulged, and in the next breath, Aaryan broke through, molten droplets scattering like sparks as he landed lightly on the ashen stone.

  The four readied on instinct, Qi shimmering faintly across their forms. But Aaryan made no sudden move. He simply straightened, silver sheen fading from his skin, eyes calm and unhurried—as though he’d merely taken a stroll rather than vanished into a lake of fire.

  Their gazes lingered on the surface a heartbeat longer. When no beast followed, they finally turned back, confusion breaking into irritation.

  The earlier diver stepped forward, words curling with scorn. “Didn’t even manage to lure one out? What were you doing—sleeping?”

  Their leader said nothing, though his jaw tightened. The man’s frustration echoed his own. Time lost. Energy wasted. Hopes of free crystals fading fast.

  The woman drew breath to join in—but Aaryan moved first.

  His smile never wavered as he flicked his hand. Two faint streaks of light arced through the air.

  The leader caught them by reflex—two molten-red crystals, still warm to the touch.

  Silence followed, thick and startled.

  Aaryan’s voice cut through it, calm as still water. “That should count as good bait, shouldn’t it?”

  He turned to leave.

  “You… you killed two lava beasts?” The leader’s voice trembled—not with fear, but disbelief.

  Aaryan didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

  The others exchanged glances, the truth settling heavy between them.

  Killing those beasts on open ground was one thing—brute strength could carry the day if one moved fast enough. They weren’t thinking creatures, only instincts bound in molten shells. But beneath the surface… it was different. Down there, sight faltered. Qi drained like water through a sieve. To find, fight, and return—with trophies intact—

  That was no feat of luck.

  Only cultivators from great sects, the kind whispered about in markets and taverns, managed such things.

  And this man—this stranger—had done it with a smile.

  Fellow Daoists,

  Destiny Reckoning has stirred your Dao heart even a little, I humbly invite you to leave behind a few traces of your passage — a comment, a follow, or even a favorite. These gestures may seem like mere pebbles, but to this wandering author, they are spirit stones paving the road forward.

  review would be as treasured as a heavenly-grade soul fruit — rare, potent, and deeply nourishing.

  Patreon gates stand open. Tread boldly... but beware the cliff’s edge.

  The Silent Monarch. His story unfolds in the same universe as Destiny Reckoning. Unlike Aaryan’s blazing rise, the Monarch’s path is cold, ruthless, and silent… yet destined to cross with Aaryan’s one day.

  follow The Silent Monarch as well, and be there when their worlds finally collide.

  and thank you — sincerely — for walking this path with me. ???