The monstrous creature towered above him, its claws slashing through the air with terrifying speed. Victor barely had time to react before the beast lunged, its jaws snapping shut mere inches from his face. His heart raced, the heat of the **Eternal Flame Ember** pulsing through his veins like molten lava.
Victor stepped back, narrowly avoiding the creature's vicious bite, and raised his hand high, the ember glowing brighter with each passing second. The air around him crackled with energy as the fire within him responded to the threat, swirling into a vortex of incandescent flame.
"You think fire alone can defeat me?" the creature snarled, its voice a guttural growl that echoed through the forest. Its eyes burned with the same golden hue as Seris's, and Victor realized with a jolt that this beast wasn't just a mindless monster—it was a test. A test he had no choice but to pass.
With a fierce cry, Victor slammed his hand to the ground, unleashing a wave of fiery energy that erupted from the **Eternal Flame Ember**, sending the creature staggering back as the inferno consumed everything in its path. The flames licked at the air, tearing through the beast's dark hide like paper, but the creature was not so easily deterred. It roared, its skin healing as fast as the flames could burn it.
Seris stood off to the side, watching the battle with a cold, calculating gaze. Her golden eyes shone brighter with each strike, each clash of fire and fury. "You are not simply fighting for survival, Victor," she called out, her voice carrying over the battlefield. "You are fighting for control. The **Eternal Flame Ember** will not bow to you unless you prove you can command it. You are the one who must bend before the fire, not the other way around."
Victor's chest tightened as the weight of her words settled on him. The creature's relentless assault forced him to keep moving, but as he dodged and countered, the ember's power surged within him, growing stronger, but more erratic. The heat in his hand burned through his skin, and the air around him shimmered with the intensity of the flames.
He was losing control.
The beast lunged again, this time aiming for his throat. Victor barely had time to react as the creature's claws raked across his chest, drawing a line of blood that instantly sizzled as the flame from the **Eternal Flame Ember** burned at the wound. Pain surged through him, but he refused to back down.
Victor gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain, and he called upon the ember with everything he had. This time, it was different. The power didn't just flare up—he felt it respond to his will, guiding his movements, molding itself to his desires. He could feel the connection between them deepening, the ember and his very soul fusing in a way that felt almost… right.
As the creature lunged again, Victor raised both hands, palms open, and the fire exploded from him in a massive surge of heat and light, a blast that sent the creature flying back with a deafening roar. The flames twisted around the beast, pinning it to the ground as they burned through its flesh, but the monster fought back with all its might, its claws scrabbling against the earth as it struggled to escape.
Victor's heart pounded in his chest as he focused, drawing on the ember's power with every fiber of his being. He could feel the beast's will, a force of pure destruction, pushing against him, but the flames were his now—his to command, his to shape.
He raised his hands high, calling the fire to him, commanding it to burn hotter, fiercer, and faster. The **Eternal Flame Ember** blazed with such intensity that the very air seemed to warp, and in an instant, the creature's roars were silenced as the flames engulfed it entirely, reducing it to ash in a matter of moments.
The battle was over.
Victor stood, panting, the fire still crackling in his hands, his body trembling with the exertion. The ground around him was scorched, the remnants of the beast reduced to nothing but a faint smoldering scent of burnt flesh. The **Eternal Flame Ember** flickered weakly in his grip, but it was still alive, still burning, its power now fully aligned with his will.
Seris stepped forward, her eyes glowing brighter than ever, her expression unreadable. "Impressive," she said, her voice filled with something that almost resembled approval. "But this was only the first trial. There are many more ahead of you, Victor. The **Eternal Flame Ember** is a weapon of unimaginable power, but it will not be tamed so easily. The path you walk is one of constant challenge, and only by mastering it will you gain the strength to control your fate."
Victor turned to face her, his chest still heaving with exertion. "What is this? A test of strength? Of endurance?"
Seris shook her head, a small smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "It is a test of will. Strength alone will not win you the power you seek. You must learn to master the flame within you, to bend it to your will rather than letting it consume you. Only then will you be ready for what lies ahead."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "And what lies ahead, exactly?"
The smirk faded from Seris's face, replaced by something darker. "You'll find out soon enough. The **Eternal Flame Ember** is not the only force in this world that seeks to claim power. There are others who will stop at nothing to take it from you—others who understand what the ember truly represents."
Victor felt a chill run down his spine as Seris's words sank in. He had known, in some distant corner of his mind, that claiming such power would not come without consequences. But hearing it from her, from someone who clearly knew far more about the ember than he did, made the reality hit him with full force.
Seris turned to leave, her cloak fluttering behind her as she moved toward the trees. "I'll be watching, Victor. The next trial is closer than you think. Don't think for a moment that you have won. The **Eternal Flame Ember** will not be yours unless you earn it."
Victor stood alone in the charred clearing, his heart still pounding. He had passed the first trial, but something told him that this was only the beginning. The ember had been a test of power, but the true challenge would be mastering it—and facing the darkness that was sure to come.
He glanced at the **Eternal Flame Ember**, the fire within it flickering dangerously.
The flames had only just begun to burn.