Chapter 3: The Flame Awakens
The day after Ethan's strange encounter, the academy was abuzz with excitement. A series of duels was scheduled between the students as part of the ongoing talent assessments, a tradition that tested not just their power, but their control and creativity in battle. It was a way for the academy to see who would rise and who would fall in the hierarchy.
Ethan stood at the edge of the training field, watching the early morning mist curl around the ground. The events of the previous night still lingered in his mind—the voice, the surge of power, the mysterious warning from Alexander. He had barely slept, unable to shake the feeling that something monumental had just begun.
"You alright?" came a voice from beside him.
Ethan turned to see Anna, one of the newer students, standing with her hands in her pockets, her usual carefree grin in place. She had only awakened her talent recently, and while she was still learning the ropes, there was something about her presence that always seemed to calm him.
"Yeah, just... thinking," Ethan replied, forcing a smile.
"You? Thinking? That's a first," she teased, elbowing him lightly. "You nervous about today?"
He shrugged. "Not really. Just... something weird happened last night."
Anna raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask further, the bell rang, signaling the start of the assessments. The students gathered in the courtyard, where Professor Graves, the academy's stern and no-nonsense combat instructor, stood waiting.
"Listen up!" Professor Graves barked. "Today's duels will determine your placement in the upcoming tournament for college admission. You will be evaluated not just on your power, but on your strategy and ability to work under pressure. Now, pair up!"
Ethan glanced around, his heart racing slightly. He wasn't worried about the duel itself—his power had surged last night, and he could feel it, coiled inside him like a waiting beast. But there was something else. He didn't know what he would do with it, or how far it would push him.
As the students paired off, Anna gave Ethan a playful punch on the arm. "You wanna partner up?"
"Sure," Ethan replied, feeling slightly more at ease with her.
The sparring sessions began, and one by one, the students engaged in their duels. Energy blasts, elemental attacks, and weapons summoned by talents filled the air, creating a chaotic but controlled atmosphere. The air was thick with tension as everyone was eager to prove themselves.
When it was Ethan and Anna's turn, they stepped into the ring, facing off with another pair of students: Jared, who could manipulate wind, and Cassandra, who controlled water. Both were formidable, but Ethan and Anna had developed a strong rapport over their months of training together.
"Let's see what you've got, Caldwell," Jared taunted, swirling a gust of wind around his fingers.
Ethan didn't reply. His focus was on the power simmering beneath the surface of his skin, ready to be unleashed. He could feel it—stronger than ever before—but there was something different about it. It wasn't the usual flicker of energy he had grown used to. This felt... wilder, almost dangerous.
The duel began.
Jared launched a sharp gust of wind, aiming to knock them off balance, while Cassandra summoned a wave of water, hoping to drench and disorient them. But Ethan was faster. He raised his hand, and with a swift motion, deflected the incoming wind with a burst of energy. Anna followed up with a fiery strike, her recently awakened Flame Veil talent roaring to life.
The fire she conjured was intense, much stronger than anything Ethan had seen her produce before. It swirled around her like a living entity, as though her talent had fully matured in an instant. The flames licked at the ground, and her eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Not bad," she said, casting a smirk at Jared, whose wind was quickly overpowered by the heat.
Ethan, meanwhile, found himself locked in a brief standoff with Cassandra, who was doing her best to counter his energy strikes with her water manipulation. But the water, while fluid and powerful, seemed to evaporate before it even reached him. It was as if his power had grown beyond the usual energy blasts he was used to.
"What the—?" Cassandra muttered, her control slipping as her water attacks vanished into steam.
"Something's different about you," Jared said, narrowing his eyes as he reoriented himself.
Ethan said nothing, his eyes focused, his hands crackling with energy that felt… different. Stronger. It surged through him like lightning, and it took all his concentration to keep it under control.
Anna moved in swiftly, launching another fiery attack at Jared, who deflected it with a gust of wind. But as they continued to spar, Ethan noticed something strange about Anna's flames—they weren't just reacting to her will. They were growing, intensifying, as if something deep inside her had been awakened.
"Ethan!" Anna called out, her voice slightly panicked. "I can't... control it!"
Ethan's eyes widened as he saw the flames around Anna grow hotter, larger, starting to spiral out of control. The air around her shimmered with heat, and for the first time, he saw genuine fear in her eyes.
"Get back!" Ethan shouted, raising his hand toward Anna.
But before he could act, a blinding light exploded from Anna's body, and the ground beneath them trembled. The intensity of her flames reached new heights, and in that moment, Ethan realized what had happened.
Anna's talent had fully awakened.
The flames around her burned with a brilliant, almost white-hot intensity, swirling into a vortex of fire that threatened to consume everything around her. Jared and Cassandra were forced to retreat, shielding themselves from the heat, while Ethan stood his ground, his mind racing.
He had to do something. Anna's power was spiraling out of control, and if he didn't act soon, the entire training ground could be engulfed.
"Ethan, help!" Anna cried, her voice trembling with panic as the flames raged around her.
Without thinking, Ethan stepped forward, raising his hand once more. He could feel the energy inside him reacting to Anna's flames, as if they were connected somehow. He focused, trying to calm the storm of power inside her.
"Just breathe," Ethan said, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "I've got you."
Anna's eyes locked with his, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to slow down. Ethan channeled his energy, reaching out with his power, and to his surprise, the flames around Anna began to subside. The firestorm gradually shrank, the heat dissipating as Ethan's power enveloped it.
Finally, the flames died down, leaving Anna standing in the center of the scorched earth, breathing heavily but unharmed.
"Ethan..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "What just happened?"
Ethan lowered his hand, his heart still racing. "I don't know," he replied. "But whatever it was... it's just the beginning."
As the smoke cleared and the duels resumed around them, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that something larger was at play. Anna's sudden surge of power, his own strange awakening... and the voice from his dream.
The world was changing, and it was only a matter of time before they discovered why.