They moved to the workbench, where the stone and the dagger Alexander had purchased at the market lay waiting. "That doesn't sound good," Lira picked up the stone, examining it closely, her brow furrowed in concern. "Let's put that aside for now and focus on controlling your dark power. Until we figure out what that stone really is, it's best not to mess with it."
"Agreed," Alexander nodded. "This dark power inside me… it's growing stronger. I could feel it more clearly after our last mission."
With that, Alexander extended his hand and began to chant a spell with a few whispered words. A moment later, a small, swirling ball of black fire appeared in his palm, its flames flickering with an intensity that seemed to absorb the light around it.
Lira's eyes widened in fascination as she watched the black fire dance with an unnatural energy. She reached out as if to touch it, but Alexander quickly stepped back, alarmed. "Careful! It's more dangerous than regular fire. It's nearly impossible to extinguish, and it burns at a much higher temperature."
"Let's start by studying its properties, " Lira nodded, retracting her hand and pointing towards a target on the opposite side of the room. "Try attacking the target over there. I want to study the characteristics of this fire."
Alexander turned towards the target across the room and focused his energy. With a deep breath, he sent the black fireball hurtling toward it. The fire collided with the target, enveloping it in dark flames that crackled and roared with intensity, and sent waves of heat radiating through the room.
Lira adjusted her glasses and observed the fire carefully, noting how it consumed the target with a methodical intensity. The fire didn't spread or flicker as normal flames would; instead, it seemed to concentrate its energy, burning through the target with focused precision.
After a few moments, the fire consumed the target, leaving nothing but smoldering ashes in its wake. Lira nodded, impressed. "This fire is definitely different. It's almost… alive, in a way. The way it burns, it's like it has a purpose, a will of its own. As if they're feeding on its essence."
Alexander nodded. "I've noticed that too. It's like it responds to my emotions, growing stronger when I'm angry or desperate."
Lira moved closer, her expression serious. "Then let's not waste any time. We need to conduct a series of tests, starting with the basics. We'll figure out the limits of your control and work from there."
For the next several hours, Alexander and Lira worked tirelessly, conducting experiment after experiment. Lira meticulously recorded the results, noting how the black fire reacted to different materials and how it behaved under different conditions. Alexander focused on maintaining control, testing its limits and trying to push it to its breaking point.
"Try mixing it with a basic elemental spell," she proposed. "Let's see if it can coexist with another element."
Then Lira conjured a small ball of water in her one hand. With a slight movement, they merged the two spells together. The black fire and the water intertwined for a brief moment before the water dissipate not in the form of water vapor, completely absorbed by the flames.
"What about ordinary flame magic or shadow magic?" Lira proposed, her curiosity piqued.
Alexander nodded, he raised his hand and attempted to summon a simple flame, but the moment he chanted the spell, the fire that appeared was not the familiar warm orange, but the same ominous black fire that had become his signature. It crackled with malevolence, its dark tendrils lashing out as if eager to consume everything in its path.
After seeing that, Lira decided to take a different approach. She chanted a spell of her own, summoning an ordinary fireball into existence. The bright, orange flame hovered in the air between them, its warmth a stark contrast to the cold, consuming nature of the black fire.
"Let's try combining them," Lira suggested, a mix of excitement in her tone.
Alexander cautiously brought his black fire closer to Lira's fireball. The moment the two flames touched, the result was instantaneous and alarming. The black fire lunged at the ordinary flames, devouring them in a heartbeat and growing stronger in the process. The room darkened as the enhanced black fire swelled, its intensity increasing as if it had absorbed the very essence of the ordinary flames.
"This is simply the nemesis of House Ignis!" Lira exclaimed, her eyes wide with a mixture of gloating. "If word of this got out…"
She didn't finish her thought. Instead, she quickly moved on to the next part of the experiment, summoning a shadow snake with a wave of her hand. The creature slithered into existence, its inky form twisting and coiling as it emerged from the shadows.
However, as soon as the shadow snake sensed the presence of the black fire, it recoiled, its instincts driving it to flee. The black fire, as if sensing the shadow snake's fear, broke away from Alexander's control, leaping across the room in pursuit. It caught the shadow snake within seconds, and the creature was engulfed entirely, devoured as quickly as the ordinary flames had been.
The sight left both Alexander and Lira silent, the weight of what they had just witnessed settling heavily between them. Alexander quickly dismissed the spell, extinguishing the black fire before it could wreak further havoc. His heart pounded in his chest as the implications of this power sank in.
"That's… unsettling," Lira murmured, writing down her observations. "It seems that the dark power consumes everything it touches, even other magic."
"Yeah," Alexander agreed, his voice tinged with concern. "It's like it's trying to take over, no matter what I do."
Lira removed her glasses and rubbed her temples, then set down her notes and turned to Alexander. "There is another question that It looks like you can't even produce regular flames anymore, because of the black fire."
she noted, her voice calm but laced with a new level of concern. "Alexander, if you can't control the black fire, it's going to be a huge problem—especially in the upcoming duel. You can't use this in front of everyone. It's too dangerous, and it could reveal more than we're ready for."
Alexander nodded, the reality of his situation becoming clearer. "I know," he admitted. "I need to find a way to suppress it, or at least find a substitute. But right now, I can't even summon regular flames… What am I supposed to do?"
"We're not going to solve this in one day," she said, her voice tired but calm. "We've made some progress, but there's still a lot we don't understand. We should rest for now and come back to this with fresh minds."
Alexander nodded, feeling the weight of the day's work. "You're right. Let's call it a day."
As they cleaned up the research room, Lira looked over at Alexander, her expression thoughtful. "You know, Alexander… I believe we can figure this out. We just need to keep at it."
Alexander smiled, appreciating her confidence. "Thanks, Lira. I couldn't do this without you."
Lira returned his smile, a warmth in her eyes that made Alexander's heart skip a beat. "We're in this together, Alexander. We'll find a way to control your power. And who knows? Maybe this dark power of yours will become your greatest strength."
With that, they left the research room, the day's work behind them.