Arknights: The Life Inside-Chapter 66

Tossing the empty can aside, Saria turned forward. "Ifrit was in the underground lab, but the explosion destroyed the base. Her exact location is unknown. You'll have to find her yourself."

"Understood."

"I'll use my Originium Arts to part the flames temporarily. This is your only opening—after that, you're on your own."

She pulled a Source Stone from her pocket.

Closing her eyes, a pale green light flared around her. The entire stone dissolved in an instant, its energy surging into her. The ground trembled as a gale picked up, swirling around her.

Then, Saria opened her eyes, raising her hands toward the sky. The wind howled, growing into a monstrous tornado.

Sand and debris lifted into the air. The sky darkened.

Yoren crouched, shielding himself from the violent storm. The sheer power of Saria's Originium Arts was staggering—if unleashed in battle, it could rival the destructive force of Frost Nova's ice magic.

A flicker of determination flashed in Saria's eyes.

She brought her hands down in a decisive motion.

"Boom!"

A green tornado ripped through the sea of fire, parting the flames and carving a narrow path through the inferno.

Saria turned to Yoren. "This corridor won't last long—go!"

"On it!"

"Promise me you'll come back alive."

Yoren smirked. "I bloom in the midst of slaughter and—"

"Just go."

"Oh."

Pushing forward, he bit his lip. The pain sharpened his focus as black energy seeped from his body.

With the Originium in one hand and Saria's injection gun in the other, he charged into the fire.

Saria watched him disappear, her heart heavy with worry. The sheer power she had unleashed without an Arts Unit had left her weakened. She could only pray now.

The moment Yoren entered the fire, his senses were overwhelmed. The heat wasn't just pain—it was a complete assault on his body and mind.

The air was devoid of oxygen, suffocating him instantly. The roar of the flames was deafening, yet everything felt eerily silent.

His clothes ignited almost immediately.

This wasn't a normal fire.

Fear clawed at his mind. He wanted to run. Instinct screamed at him to turn back. Burning to death was far worse than any other fate.

But he clenched his jaw.

This was his choice.

[I bloom in the midst of slaughter and am reborn in the flames.]

The first half of that phrase was borrowed. The second? He had made it up on the spot.

Whether he'd be reborn or not, he had no idea.

But he was definitely blooming—his burning clothes looked like petals unfurling in the fire.

The exit behind him was still open. He could still turn back.

But he wouldn't.

He couldn't.

Hemer's devastated face flashed in his mind. The thought of her disappointment was worse than death.

Yoren would not regret this.

He took another step forward. "Go!"

With a roar, he plunged deeper into the inferno.

Time blurred.

He didn't know how long he had been running.

He had lost all sound. His vision blurred. His body had long since stopped feeling pain—his nerve endings burned away.

His clothes had fused with his skin. His hair was gone. His once-proud face? Likely unrecognizable.

But he still moved.

Somehow, he was still alive.

Perhaps the power of the Black and White Twins was counteracting the fire. Or perhaps he was just too stubborn to die.

It didn't matter.

Only one thing mattered.

Finding Ifrit.

In the heart of the inferno, sorrow and rage intertwined.

The Fire Demon's flames could consume all things. But they also embodied the deepest loneliness.

Enemy, friend, family, lover—anyone who approached would turn to ash.

Yoren didn't know the full truth of the Fire Demon's past.

But maybe... Ifrit's last wish before disappearing was to embrace someone she loved, just once.

His steps slowed. His eyes widened.

Ahead, a familiar figure stood at the very core of the flames.

The little fire dragon, arms outstretched, flames pouring from her small body, a storm of destruction raging around her.

She was unharmed. Her eyes were closed. She seemed to be sleeping.

Yoren, now little more than walking charcoal, dragged himself forward.

The injection gun in his grip was nearly melted.

The fire lashed at his face like a howling beast. But the pain no longer reached him.

He stopped in front of her.

And, for the first time, he knew.

This choice had been the right one.

Every step, every agony, every moment of terror—it had all been worth it.

"Sizzle."

The syringe pierced Ifrit's neck.

Surrounded by flames, Yoren opened his arms and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Some say that flames represent hope.

At night, fire dispels darkness, fends off the biting cold, and brings warmth to the world.

Others say that fire signifies despair.

It devours everything, reduces dreams to ash, and steals lives away.

Fire is both hope and despair.

In the heart of the inferno, Yoren finally found Ifrit. In the last moments before losing consciousness, he held the little fire dragon tightly in his arms.

Everyone standing outside the fire witnessed a sight they would never forget.

The flames engulfing Base No. 4 erupted violently. The chaotic inferno twisted and reshaped itself, taking the form of a colossal, fiery beast.

It stood a hundred meters tall, its entire body composed of living flames. Two horns crowned its head. For a fleeting moment, it was impossible to tell whether it was real or a phantom born of fire.

"Roar!"

A deafening wail echoed through the sky.

Then, the fire beast began to disintegrate. The flames slowly dissipated into the air.

Saria's eyes flickered, and she murmured to herself, "That kid... he did it."

[June 5]—a date permanently recorded in Rhine Life's archives. On this day, Experimental Base No. 4, located in the Buda region of Columbia, vanished from the map. Along with it, dozens of staff members who failed to evacuate were lost.

The material loss was incalculable, but the greater impact was something far beyond mere numbers.

In a past era, wars ignited by the four ancient stones had destroyed an entire civilization. The power sealed within these stones far exceeded the destruction of Base No. 4. It was precisely this power that drove Rhine Life to take such extreme risks in their experiments.

Due to the base's remote location, Rhine Life's top management quickly contained the spread of information. The very next day, major media outlets across Columbia released a prearranged statement.

According to the reports, on June 5, Rhine Life Labs—a leading biotechnology research institution—had conducted a controlled fossil fuel disposal operation in the Buda region. Citizens were assured that this was a routine, safe procedure and there was no cause for alarm.

Following the incident, Rhine Life classified all related information. With the exception of key figures such as Hemer and White-Faced Owl, all scientists involved in the project were placed on indefinite leave and discreetly relocated to an undisclosed island, completely cut off from the outside world.

This event was sealed away in Rhine Life's highest-level confidential archives under a single name—

The Flame Demon Incident.

According to reports from the Defense Department's special response team, they entered the remains of the site shortly after the flames were extinguished.

In the charred ruins, they found Subject 019 standing at the center. Miraculously, she bore no visible injuries.

Nearby, they discovered a blackened, humanoid figure. It looked like a lump of charcoal and gave off the distinct aroma of grilled meat.

After multiple confirmations, they identified the figure as Subject 020—the one who had entered the fire.

His name was Yoren.

Unconscious, his fate uncertain, Ifrit and Yoren were loaded onto a transport vehicle and sent to Rhine Life's Experimental Base No. 3.

June 9—Four days since Yoren's arrival at Base No. 3.

Unlike Base No. 4, which specialized in dangerous experiments, Base No. 3 was a medical research facility dedicated to human recovery. It was relatively open compared to the other bases, occasionally receiving emergency patients alongside its research efforts.

Snowsant sat outside the ward, dark circles under her eyes, her body slumped against the wall.

Nearby, Hemer was speaking to a man in a white coat.

"Dr. Gran, you have to think of something!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hemer. We've done everything possible. The fact that he's still alive is already a miracle."

"Is there really no hope?"

"His body is covered in deep burns, and the infection is spreading uncontrollably. I'll be honest with you—there's nothing more we can do. He won't make it."

Snowsant curled into a ball, burying her face against her knees.

June 17—

Snowsant still sat outside Yoren's ward, unmoving. Ifrit, now awake, approached and silently offered her a piece of candy.

At that moment, two doctors stepped out of the room, their conversation drifting into the hallway.

"How is he still alive?"

"I have no idea. His body tissues are regenerating on their own, but not nearly fast enough to outpace the infection. Honestly, considering how bad his burns were when he arrived, he should have died days ago."

"Right? I've never seen anything like this. Maybe he's some kind of freak."

"Doesn't matter now. He won't last another two days."

Snowsant's lips quivered. Her eyes dimmed.

Ifrit, standing behind them, narrowed her eyes. Without hesitation, she lunged at one of the doctors, clawing at his head and biting his hair.

"You're a terrible doctor! Take it back!"

"Ahhh! Whose kid is this?! My hair!"

During this time, Hemer and Saria visited countless times. Despite being an expert in Originium studies and mineral diseases, Hemer's knowledge didn't extend to treating severe burns or repairing human bodies. She could only ask her colleagues for updates.

The answers never changed.

After more than ten days of treatment, Yoren's condition hadn't improved. In fact, it was worsening. It wasn't a failure of Rhine Life's medical technology—his condition was simply beyond saving. By all logic, a man whose body had been reduced to charcoal should not even be alive.

Everyone who visited wore the same expression.

Hemer, Saria, Aina, White-Faced Owl, Snowsant—even Melantha, who barely knew him—all looked at him with sorrow.

Base No. 4 had been obliterated by the power of the Fire Demon. That much was irreversible. But in the face of destruction, Yoren had saved Ifrit.

That was why their grief was even deeper.

Because unless a miracle happened—

Fire Feather Yoren was doomed.

And miracles... don't exist.

June 24, Rhine Life Experimental Base No. 3

A soft, milky-white glow appeared in the ward, spreading outward, dispersing the clouds above, and fading into the sky.

Snowsant, still stationed outside the room, had been dozing against the wall. She was forbidden from staying inside for too long due to concerns about air contamination. Despite Hemer arranging a proper room for her, she rarely left this spot.

"Creak."

The door swung open.

Snowsant's ears twitched. She blinked sleepily and turned her head.

Wrapped from head to toe in bandages like a mummy, Yoren stood in the doorway.

He raised a hand, tore off the gauze from his face, revealing smooth, unblemished skin beneath.

Frowning, he looked at Snowsant and spoke, his tone unimpressed.

"What are you doing here? Laying eggs?"

Snowsant wasn't laying eggs.

But her mouth slowly formed the shape of one.

Then, after a long silence—

She screamed.