Lenara stood at the edge of the arena, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she gazed at the empty space where Syn and Elias had disappeared moments before. Her sharp eyes, normally so composed, betrayed a flicker of concern. She tapped her finger against her arm in a slow, deliberate rhythm.


    Syn doesn’t hold back, she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line. She never has, especially when she’s trying to teach a lesson. Lenara had seen Syn’s trials before. The academy’s top student had a reputation for pushing boundaries, sometimes to their very limits. This time was no different.


    Her gaze flicked upward to Caelus, who watched from his vantage point with an inscrutable expression. His calm presence only heightened her unease. He had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what a student needed—and what they could endure. But even he had to recognize the gamble of pitting Elias against Syn.


    Let’s hope he’s right about this one, she murmured under her breath.


    As her thoughts lingered on the trial, quiet murmurs rippled between the two hopefuls left in the arena, still watching and waiting. Neither of them could see what was happening, yet their focus didn’t waver. Lenara allowed herself one last look into the void where Syn had taken the candidate. Whatever happens in there... it’s in his hands now.


    The flaming sea beneath Elias''s feet flared brighter as the massive, flame-wreathed figure Syn had summoned loomed above him. Its movements exuded power, each step sending ripples through the fiery expanse, an undeniable reminder of Syn''s immense command over her flames.


    Elias felt the weight of Syn’s challenge bearing down on him like an inferno. The fiery colossus’s beaming white eyes pierced through him as flames licked across its massive frame, while Syn’s disembodied voice echoed in his ears.


    “You’ve come this far, Firestarter,” she said, her tone almost playful. “But here’s where we see what you’re really made of. Show me if your flames can match mine.”


    Elias took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his racing thoughts. The swirling inferno around him wasn’t just a test of power; it was a crucible. He couldn’t rely on brute force alone, not against someone like Syn.


    “Alright,” he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. “Let’s do this.”


    He raised his wand, and with a sharp motion, he conjured a spiraling vortex of fire. The flames coiled tightly, forming a concentrated helix of heat and light. With a fierce cry, he hurled it toward the towering figure. The attack streaked through the air like a comet, its radiant trail cutting through the darkness.


    The colossus didn’t flinch. As the attack closed in, it raised one massive arm, the flames around it condensing into a dense shield. Elias’s attack struck the shield with a thunderous impact, sending shockwaves rippling outward. For a moment, the flames parted, revealing a glimpse of the void beyond.


    But the shield held. The colossus lowered its arm, and with a low rumble, it retaliated. With a wide sweep of its massive arm, a wave of fire surged toward Elias, the heat so intense it blurred the edges of his vision.


    Elias reacted instinctively, slamming his wand into the ground. A dome of fire erupted around him, shielding him from the oncoming inferno. The two forces collided with a deafening roar, the sheer heat warping the air between them. Elias gritted his teeth, his arms trembling as he struggled to maintain the barrier.


    The massive colossus''s next move came with terrifying speed. The moment Elias blocked the wave of fire, its massive flaming fist bore down on his barrier like a meteor crashing to Earth. For a fleeting second, he wondered if it truly was a meteor, the sheer intensity of the attack leaving no room for doubt. But whether it was the colossus''s raw power or a force of nature, the outcome was inevitable. The barrier Elias had painstakingly crafted fractured under the impact, and the devastating force surged forward, shattering what little resistance remained.


    Elias was violently flung backward, the force of the impact slamming into him like a tidal wave. The heat seared through his body, and his muscles screamed in protest as he hit the ground with a resounding thud. For a moment, the air was knocked out of his lungs, leaving him gasping as the world spun around him.


    Every nerve in his body felt like it was on fire, yet Elias couldn’t afford to stop. The colossus loomed over him, its flames radiating a heat so oppressive it felt as though the air itself was trying to smother him. He scrambled to his feet, his wand clutched tightly in his trembling hand.


    The massive figure wasted no time, launching another devastating strike. Elias barely managed to roll to the side, the ground where he had been moments before erupting in a plume of molten fire. The force of the explosion sent him skidding across the flaming surface, his hands burning from the friction.


    This isn’t working, he thought desperately. I can’t keep up with it—


    Syn’s voice cut through the chaos, mocking yet instructive. “What’s wrong, Firestarter? Running out of tricks? You’re wasting all that potential.”


    Gritting his teeth, Elias forced himself to focus. His instincts told him to keep dodging, to avoid the colossus’s relentless attacks, but it was clear that defense alone wasn’t enough. Syn’s flames weren’t just a weapon—they were an extension of her will, precise and unyielding. He needed to think differently.


    The colossus charged again, its fiery steps shaking the ground. Elias darted to the side, narrowly avoiding another swing of its massive arm. Each movement felt heavier than the last, as though the oppressive heat was dragging him down. His mind raced, desperate for a solution. His eyes flicked to his wand, its faint glow pulsating in rhythm with his frantic heartbeat. The memory of his earlier clashes with fire returned to him. What more could fire do, beyond destruction? It could shield, it could guide—even inspire awe. But how could he channel that into a strategy?


    That''s when he saw it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Elias was mid-dodge when something unusual caught his eye in the void beyond the sea of flames. For a moment, he thought it was a trick of his exhausted mind—a mirage born from heat and desperation. But as his focus shifted from the colossus to the sight in the distance, his breath hitched.


    It was a wooden dummy, perched precariously on a pedestal just beyond the reach of the flames. The sight was so surreal that Elias almost didn’t register the colossus’s next move.


    The massive fist came down again, slamming into the spot where Elias had stood moments before. The shockwave sent him sprawling, his head ringing from the impact. Before he could fully recover, Syn’s voice echoed once more, sharp and unforgiving.


    “Give up, Firestarter. One more hit, and you’re done.”


    Elias groaned, pushing himself to his knees. His gaze flicked back to the dummy. A thought struck him, cutting through the haze of pain and fatigue.


    The trial has rules. And if that dummy is here... Syn has to follow them, too.


    A spark of determination flared within him as a plan began to take shape.


    Elias took a slow, deliberate breath, gripping his wand tightly. If Syn’s flames were meant to overwhelm him, then he would turn them into an advantage. Recalling the swirling motions he’d used before, he thrust his wand forward and began to weave fiery threads into the inferno surrounding him. Each thread shimmered as it extended, thin yet resilient, slicing through the oppressive heat.


    At first, the flames seemed to resist, lashing against the threads in an attempt to snuff them out. But Elias persisted, guiding each strand carefully, letting them draw power from the very sea of fire that threatened to consume him. The threads grew brighter, thicker, cutting through the flames like glowing tendrils of light. The air sizzled as they burned a path toward the pedestal.


    Elias braced himself against another blow from the colossus, its massive arm swinging down like a fiery hammer. He ducked and rolled, the impact sending a wave of heat rippling over him. His movements were ragged, each motion taking more effort than the last, but he refused to stop.


    The threads continued to snake through the inferno, drawing closer to their target. Elias could feel the weight of Syn’s attention, her presence pressing down on him even though she remained seemingly calm. The colossus loomed closer, its massive form casting flickering shadows across the void. Elias raised his wand, deflecting a smaller blast of fire as he pushed forward.


    Just as the first thread reached the edge of the sea of flames, Syn’s voice returned, sharp and amused. “Well, well. Clever boy. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever figure it out.”


    Her tone shifted, carrying a hint of something darker. “But did you really think I’d let you have at it that easily?”


    The air within the void grew thicker, charged with an intensity that pushed Syn into action. She focused all her energy on Elias’s threads, aiming to snuff them out before they could reach their target. Her flames surged with precision and ferocity, engulfing the threads as they twisted and danced through the sea of fire. Yet, despite her efforts, these threads did not dissipate like his earlier attempts. Instead, they shimmered, bending but never breaking.


    “Impressive,” Syn muttered under her breath, her smirk faltering as her flames seemed to waver against the stubborn threads. She pushed harder, her flames growing denser and more focused, seeking to overwhelm the threads through sheer force. The sea of flames surged upward, crashing against the threads like a tidal wave, but Elias’s creation held firm, weaving steadily through the fiery onslaught.


    The colossus, looming behind Elias, raised its flaming fist for another devastating blow. But as Syn continued her assault on the threads, she noticed something odd. The colossus hesitated, its attention shifting away from Elias and toward the threads as though drawn by an unseen force.


    Syn raised an eyebrow, her smirk returning. “So, you’ve managed to distract my little pet? Clever, but it won’t save you.”


    Her focus intensified, and with a wave of her hand, the colossus lumbered toward the threads. Its massive form cast a shadow over Elias, but its attention was now fixated on the delicate strands of fire that continued their relentless advance through the void. The colossus’s massive fists came crashing down, slamming into the threads with all the force of a meteor. The threads quivered under the assault, but they did not break.


    Syn narrowed her eyes, a flicker of frustration crossing her face. She redoubled her efforts, commanding the colossus to strike again and again. Flames erupted with each blow, but still, the threads held. It was then that she noticed a glint of movement out of the corner of her eye. Something small, spinning rapidly, arced through the void toward the colossus.


    Her eyes sharpened as she tracked the object, a realization dawning just a moment too late. It was Elias’s wand, hurtling through the air with purpose. Syn’s smirk widened as she understood his ploy. “Nice one, Firestarter,” she muttered, shifting her focus to the colossus.


    “Strike the threads again,” she commanded, “and snuff them out for good.”


    The colossus obeyed, its flaming fist crashing down once more on the threads. But as it moved, Elias’s wand struck its massive chest and detonated. The explosion was instantaneous and overwhelming, a vortex of flames erupting outward with blinding brilliance. The sheer force of the blast consumed the colossus, sending shockwaves rippling through the void.


    Syn shielded her eyes from the inferno, her smirk replaced with an expression of awe. The scene before her mirrored a memory—a spiraling inferno she had once witnessed and never forgotten. The flames twisted and danced in a chaotic yet mesmerizing display, the intensity leaving her momentarily breathless.


    “So,” she whispered to herself, “he’s the one.”


    But her admiration cost her. In her focus on the explosion, she failed to notice a single flaming thread slipping past her defenses. The thread shot forward with relentless speed, its target clear. It soared through the void and struck the wooden dummy perched upon its pedestal.


    The dummy ignited instantly, consumed in a brilliant blaze that illuminated the void. The trial’s rules had been satisfied, and the flames around Elias began to recede. Syn’s smirk returned, a mixture of respect and amusement dancing in her eyes.


    “Not bad, Firestarter,” she said, her voice laced with approval. “Not bad at all.”


    Back in the arena, Lenara watched as the lone wooden dummy suddenly burst into flames atop its pedestal. With a smirk, she announced the candidate''s completion of the trial, her voice ringing through the hushed arena. In the next instant, both Syn''s and Elias''s forms reappeared on the field, standing amidst the dissipating smoke of the trial''s conclusion.


    Syn beamed, a wide grin spreading across her face as she turned to Elias. "Thanks for the show, Firestarter," she said warmly. Her tone carried a hint of joy and admiration before she vanished in a burst of flames, leaving behind nothing but faint embers in the air. Lenara raised an eyebrow, clearly ready to speak, but the fiery woman was gone before she could say a word.


    Muttering under her breath, Lenara approached Elias, who was swaying slightly, his breath ragged and his form trembling. The flames that had once surrounded him were gone, but their toll was evident. His well was nearly empty, and exhaustion was etched into every line of his face. Lenara placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice calm but firm. "You''re done for now. Rest up."


    With a quick spell to ensure his vitals were stable, she stepped back as the teleportation circle beneath him activated. In a flash of light, Elias was gone.


    Moments later, he found himself submerged in a cool body of water, the sensation jolting him back to awareness. His head rested against soft sand as the gentle waves lapped at his skin, soothing the ache in his muscles. He lay there for a moment, staring up at the sky, his chest rising and falling with deep, steady breaths.


    A satisfied smile crept across his face as the memory of the battle played in his mind. Despite the exhaustion, despite the overwhelming challenge, he had stood his ground. And for that, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride.