Elias stood rooted in place, his eyes narrowing as he watched Syn stroll back to the far side of the arena. She moved with the same casual confidence as before, the smirk on her face daring him to make a move. When she reached her starting position, she turned, her dark eyes glinting with mischief.
Then, with an exaggerated motion, she lifted her leg high and slammed it down onto the ground.
The impact sent a low rumble through the arena, the sound reverberating like a drumbeat. Elias flinched, his gaze darting around as he braced for the aftermath. But nothing happened. For a moment, everything seemed unnervingly still.
Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, the world around him vanished. The familiar boundaries of the arena dissolved into an oppressive void of absolute blackness. The watching hopefuls, Lenara, even Syn herself were gone. Elias’s breath hitched, his grip tightening on his wand as his mind raced to make sense of the abrupt change.
“What… what is this?” he muttered, his voice swallowed by the silence.
Before he could fully process the disorienting shift, the ground beneath him ignited. A wave of heat surged upward as the solid concrete floor was replaced by a seething ocean of flames. The fire spread in every direction, its colors vivid and alive, licking at the air with untamed ferocity. Elias stumbled backward instinctively, expecting the heat to scorch him.
It didn’t. Despite the intensity of the flames, there was no pain—only the overwhelming sensation of heat and light surrounding him. His breathing quickened, his instincts warring with the logic that told him he wasn’t in immediate danger.
“Panicking already?” Syn’s voice cut through the suffocating silence like a blade. The sound wasn’t coming from any one direction; it seemed to echo from all around him, disembodied and omnipresent. Her tone was teasing, almost mocking.
Elias spun on his heels, searching for her form in the sea of fire. “Where are you?” he shouted, his voice tinged with frustration.
Her laughter rang out, low and amused. “Everywhere, Firestarter. And nowhere. This isn’t your precious little arena anymore. This one is mine.”
Elias’s eyes narrowed. He tightened his grip on his wand, the embers of his own flames flickering to life around him. They danced erratically, their movements reflecting his agitation. “Fine,” he said, his voice steadying. “If you won’t come to me, then I’ll bring the fight to you.”
With a sharp motion, he swung his wand, sending a blazing arc of fire cutting through the air in all directions. The flames surged forward, their light illuminating the immediate area as they scorched a path through the infernal sea. But just as quickly as they appeared, the flames were swallowed whole by the fire beneath his feet, leaving no trace of the attack.
“Poor, lil Firestarter,” Syn’s voice returned, her tone dripping with amusement. “Did you think I’d make this easy for you? This isn’t just a fight. This is a lesson.”
He gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling to the surface. His flames flared brighter, their hues shifting from orange and red to searing whites and blues. With a fierce determination, he hurled another volley of fire into the abyss, each strike more ferocious than the last. Yet, each attack met the same fate, disappearing into the unyielding flames.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“You’re wasting energy,” Syn’s voice chided, now carrying an edge of seriousness. “You’re throwing fire into fire, expecting a different result. Is that what you think power is? Just more fire?”
“Shut up!” Elias snapped, his frustration boiling over. He swung his wand in a wide arc, unleashing a torrent of fire that surged outward like a tidal wave. The flames roared as they spread, engulfing everything in their path. But once again, the infernal sea devoured his magic, leaving him standing amidst an unbroken expanse of fire.
Syn’s voice softened, losing its mocking edge. “Fire isn’t just about destruction, Elias. It’s about intention, about control. You have all this power, but you wield it like a blunt instrument. What good is a force of nature if it has no purpose?”
Elias’s flames flickered, their intensity wavering as her words sank in. He clenched his jaw, his mind racing. She was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He’d been fighting like a wildfire—reckless, untamed, and ultimately ineffective.
“What are you waiting for?” Syn’s voice pressed him. “Think. Use that fire of yours for something more than just burning.”
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The chaotic swirl of his flames began to stabilize, their colors evening out into a steady glow. For a moment, he let his mind wander, contemplating the essence of fire itself. Was it only meant to destroy, to burn until nothing remained? Or could it be shaped, refined, used for more? He closed his eyes, blocking out the oppressive heat and the endless sea of fire. Instead, he focused inward, on the core of his magic—the wellspring of power that burned within him, searching for answers within the flames.
When his eyes snapped open, there was a clarity in them that hadn’t been there before. He raised his wand, twirling it deftly in his fingers. The flames around him responded immediately, coiling tightly around the wand like a serpent waiting to strike. Rather than simply hurling his fire forward, Elias channeled it through the wand itself, creating intricate loops and arcs that flowed in perfect synchronization with his movements. As he drew the fire closer, it condensed into a coiled sphere that hovered above his palm, pulsating with contained energy.
“There it is,” Syn’s voice said, her approval unmistakable. “Now, show me what you can really do.”
Elias tightened his grip on his wand, the memory of his previous attempt lingering in his mind. Instead of hurling the coiled flames wildly forward, he began spinning the sphere in place. With each rotation, the surrounding sea of flames seemed to react, pulling toward the spinning vortex as though drawn by an invisible force. The flames, instead of snuffing it out, fed into the sphere, making it grow larger and more ferocious. Slowly, the inferno beneath him began to part, creating a small, circular space where he could stand free of Syn''s oppressive fire. With a smile and an exaggerated thrust of his arm, Elias finally sent the coiled sphere forward. This time, it didn’t dissipate on contact. The spiraling flames carved a brilliant path through the void, gathering more of Syn''s flames and leaving a trail of clarity in their wake. For the first time, he felt like he was making progress.
But as quickly as his moment of triumph came, it was shattered. Almost the entire sea of flames surged upward, coiling around the sphere and violently crushing it in an instant. Her laughter echoed through the void once more.
“Better,” she said. “A lot better. But you’re still holding back. Think of your flames as more of an extension of yourself. Like a weapon you wield."
As she said this, Elias felt a massive quake through the void. Tightening his form in response, he waited as the rumbling drew closer and closer to him. Soon, the rumbling reached its apex as Elias watched a massive figure bathed in seemingly ethereal flames slowly trudge towards him.
Appearing in front of the towering figure, Syn stood expectantly, her form illuminated by the eerie glow of the ethereal flames. Her voice, though calm, carried an edge of authority as she addressed Elias. "Your task is simple," she said, gesturing toward the figure. "Overcome it. I want to see what you''d do in the presence of an overwhelming obstacle, one you can''t just throw fire at. Don''t worry too much though, It wont hurt you too severely."
Elias tightened his grip on his wand, his determination hardening. He didn’t need to think so hard anymore to understand that this was his chance to prove not just his power, but his growth. The flames around him swirled and coiled, responding to his will with increasing precision. The final phase of their battle had now truly begun.