The world shifted around Elias as he found himself standing at the center of the arena. The air was electric, charged with magic that hummed faintly beneath his feet. Without so much as a glance at his new ceremonial robes, a dangerous smile curled across his lips. Flames of varying hues—brilliant oranges, searing blues, and radiant whites—danced around him, licking at the air with untamed fervor.


    From the edge of the arena, Syn observed the spectacle, a smirk playing on her lips. Her casual stance belied the sharpness in her eyes. “Hold your horses, lil’ Firestarter,” she called, her tone light but commanding. “Even though we’re changing up the format a bit, there’s still a proper order to things.”


    Elias tilted his head slightly, the flames around him flaring momentarily as if mirroring his impatience. His smile didn’t waver, but the growing intensity of his fire spoke volumes about his barely contained excitement.


    Syn crossed her arms, cocking a brow. “First, produce your wand,” she instructed, her smirk deepening as her gaze locked on Elias.


    Elias grinned wider, his excitement spilling over into his flames as they surged in an explosive display, momentarily engulfing him in a blazing inferno. The two remaining hopefuls audibly gasped as the flames condensed rapidly, spiraling inward with a ferocity that seemed barely contained. With a sudden, almost violent motion, Elias thrust his hand forward, and the inferno coalesced in a blinding flash, leaving behind a wand seemingly forged entirely of fire. It crackled and pulsed with life, the air around it shimmering with intense heat as Elias held it aloft, his triumphant grin never wavering.


    “Now that’s more like it,” Syn said, her voice carrying an edge of approval and unmistakable excitement. Her eyes sparkled as she watched Elias’s creation, a fierce grin breaking across her face. “I knew it,” she murmured to herself, recalling the spiraling inferno she’d glimpsed earlier in the year—an untamed blaze that had appeared and disappeared almost as suddenly. She’d been waiting ever since for its creator to step forward, and ever since she first saw Elias in the arena, she knew he had that kind of raw firepower in him.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    From the sidelines, Lenara raised an eyebrow, her usual composure faltering slightly as she took in the blazing wand. Though she didn’t speak, her expression betrayed a mixture of surprise and grudging respect.


    Elias opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he raised the blazing wand before him. “Trust me,” he said, his voice steady despite the intensity in his expression. “It’s just getting started.”


    Syn chuckled, stepping back as her own magic began to swirl faintly around her. Her eyes flicked to Elias’s wand, and she tilted her head in mock curiosity. “What’s it made of?” she asked, her tone equal parts teasing and genuinely intrigued.


    “Fire,” Elias replied simply, holding the wand aloft.


    Syn’s eyebrows shot up, a grin spreading across her face. “Fire? That’s it?”


    Elias’s smile didn’t waver. “Not just fire,” he said, his voice steady. “It’s the essence of the flames I control. A spell and a wand, all in one.”


    Syn’s grin deepened, a flicker of admiration crossing her face. “Well, color me impressed. I knew you had something special when I first saw you in the arena, but That kind ingenuity? Rare.” She chuckled again “Good,” she said, her smirk transforming into something more serious. “Because you’re about to learn that fire isn’t the only thing that can burn.””


    She raised her hand, and the ground beneath her feet erupted with energy. Flames of her own—deeper, darker, and somehow heavier—spiraled upward, casting flickering shadows across the arena. Unlike Elias’s vibrant, untamed fire, Syn’s flames carried an almost oppressive weight, their intensity calculated and precise.


    Elias’s eyes gleamed with exhilaration. He gripped his wand tighter, the flames around him roaring to life. “Finally,” he muttered under his breath, the words almost lost in the crackling of the fire. “Let’s see whose flames burns brighter.”


    Syn was full on laughing now, the sound resonating through the arena. “That’s the spirit,” she yelled, flames coiling around her arms like living creatures. “Let’s get started.”