Transcendence Volume 2: Awakening

Chapter 9: Empyrean Trials (Part 2)

[Ridan 15, 0100 A.R., Khyonia]

[Empyrean Spire, Floor 1 – Luna]

The entire floor erupted in flames as Shinn was blasted back from the resulting explosion, causing Shinn to kneel in exhaustion. He shot a look of amusement at the Austerian before him, at first glance he initially thought he was just an Austerian Noble who wanted to duel him, but he knew full well that there was more than that.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought," Shinn said standing up as he stood up and faced the Austerian as everything around them burned. "Ozman."

Ozman smiled, Shinn knew from the start that the man he was facing the last owner of Flameclaw. And while Ozman himself did not deny or confirm it, he did not even bother to try and hide it.

"To be fair I was not myself when we fought Shinn," Ozman said with a chuckle as he lunged at him and performed a downwards slash causing an arc of fire to be released from the Sword as Shinn countered it by doing the same thing causing the fire to be dispersed but left Shinn and Ozman with minor burns with Ozman taking a knee down on the ground while Shinn was sent into a smaller crater.

"I can tell," Shinn commented with a chuckle as he looked around, the more he thought about it the more it becomes clear that he wasn't in some random dungeon, but rather the Moon of Luna. Zerundus had two moons, which was Luna and Miro and while the two are of the same size the latter was much closer to Zerundus.

"So how are you able to face me?" Shinn asked as he and Ozman ran towards each other with Shinn going for a vertical slash while Ozman went for a horizontal one this time it lacked the sparks of fire that both Shinn and Ozman had relied on when using Flameclaw.

"Truth be told I'm a fragment of the Original Ozman," Ozman said as they locked blades, with both versions of Flameclaw began to glow bright orange from the heat of both swords and eventually Ozman overpowered him and kicked him on the face sending him back. "One can say I'm more of a spiritual representation of the previous owner within Flameclaw."

"As for the last question," Ozman said as Shinn aimed Flameclaw at Ozman and released a stream of fire who simply countered the flame with a single slash of his Flameclaw. "I'm here to test if you're worthy to become a Disciple of Strea."

"How am I doing then?" Shinn said after rolling to the side and drove his Flameclaw on the ground causing the cracks on the ground to burst into flames from the heat, with some of the rocks on the ground melting from the heat all the while Ozman walked towards him unbothered by the flames while Shinn's armour began to slowly melt dealing more damage to him than to Ozman.

"Badly," Ozman said his laid back smile was gone and was replaced with a serious glare almost similar to the one that Shinn saw in his corrupted form as he swung a wide cleaving through Shinn's already deteriorating armour and slammed his fist against him.

"The path of the Dawnguard is one of duty and responsibility, to become worthy you must prove yourself that you are willing to overcome any obstacle to protect those around you," Ozman said walking towards Shinn as he stood up with Flameclaw in his hand. "Show me the same Shinn Vesna that killed me in the Astralta."

"The one that killed you there, huh?" Shinn said as he stood up and took a deep breath and activated [Tranquility] in the process. He then kicked the dirt behind him as he sprinted towards Ozman as his Flameclaw began to release a stream of flames so hot that the sand around them began to turn into glass and in a circular arc he slashed at Ozman who attempted to stop it with his bare hands and...

Missed...

Ozman stared at the side as Shinn's cut hit the dirt causing the sand around them to form massive boulders of glass separating Ozman from his version of Flameclaw and that he planted on the ground just now and spun as he swung both swords forming a swirling tornado of flames, as a result, forcing Ozman to move away from the newly formed canyon out of Glass that they both made from the flames.