Kaelen's footsteps echoed against the cold stone walls as he trudged down the winding corridor, away from the ritual grounds. Every bruise and burn from Vyre's fire seemed to throb in time with his racing thoughts. The other tamers were still behind him, murmuring, some offering him pitying looks, others smirking in quiet satisfaction at his failure.
Elder Sorin's words hung heavy in his mind. A true bond cannot be forged through dominance alone.
Dominance had always been the way of his people. Beasts were weapons, tools to be wielded by those strong enough to command them. Yet Vyre had looked at him not as an adversary, but as something lesser—someone unworthy. The thought stung as much as his scorched skin.
He turned into a smaller hallway, hoping for some quiet, but a familiar voice brought his steps to a halt.
"Well, that was... interesting." Liora stepped out of the shadows, leaning against the wall with a slight smirk. She was younger than him by a year, yet her reputation as a tamer had already spread across the guild. Unlike Kaelen, who'd always seen taming as a pathway to greatness, Liora had always seemed more curious than ambitious, and her calm, calculating gaze irritated him.
"What do you want, Liora?" he muttered, too tired to hide his frustration.
She shrugged, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, just wanted to see the mighty Kaelen after his… victory." She let the last word hang, teasingly, and Kaelen felt his jaw clench.
"If you're here to gloat, go find someone else," he snapped, shoving past her.
"Gloat? No, no. I'm here to give you some advice." She kept up with his quick steps, her voice annoyingly level. "You know, when you tried to force Vyre to obey, I thought maybe you'd spent too much time listening to your own legends and not enough time learning how to actually bond with a beast."
Kaelen stopped, turning to face her, the dim light casting shadows across his scowling face. "And what would you know about bonding with a beast like Vyre?"
"A lot more than you, apparently," she said, unfazed. "You can't just march up to a creature like that and demand obedience. Vyre isn't some tame dog you can whistle for. He's ancient, powerful, and if you haven't noticed, he doesn't care about your titles or your family name."
He opened his mouth to argue, but the words died on his tongue. Deep down, he knew she was right, and that made her words sting all the more.
"Then what should I have done?" he muttered finally, his pride dented but his curiosity piqued.
Liora looked at him, the mocking glint in her eyes softening. "Respect him, for one. You can't expect him to follow you just because you want him to. A bond like that has to be earned, not demanded."
He frowned, crossing his arms. "So you think I should just bow to him? Let him decide?"
"No, that's not it," she said, sighing. "It's not about submission. It's about understanding him—understanding why he resists, what he values. You need to learn what makes him, him, and why he'd even want to be bound to you."
Kaelen stared at her, the truth of her words sinking in slowly. She wasn't asking him to give up control, but to approach Vyre from a place of respect, not fear or force. He wasn't sure he could do that. Power had been his goal for as long as he could remember. It was what had driven him through years of training and sacrifice. And yet… the idea of truly understanding Vyre stirred something within him, a strange curiosity, a hunger to know more.
"So, what would you suggest?" he asked reluctantly.
"Spend time with him," she replied, shrugging. "Get to know him outside of the ritual grounds. I know the guild isn't keen on tamers spending time with their beasts outside of training, but maybe that's exactly what you need. Find out what he wants, what he hates, what he fears. Then, and only then, try to bond with him."
"Spend time with Vyre?" The idea seemed absurd. But then, so was everything that had happened tonight. He supposed nothing about taming the Flame Wyrm would be straightforward.
"If you're scared, I'm sure someone else would love to try," Liora teased, grinning.
Kaelen scoffed, his pride flaring. "I'm not scared," he snapped, though the thought of facing Vyre alone did unnerve him. "Fine. I'll spend time with him. But don't think this means I'm giving up on taming him."
"Good," she said, nodding approvingly. "Then maybe there's hope for you yet."
With a final smirk, Liora turned and left, leaving Kaelen alone in the dim corridor, her words still echoing in his mind.
Later That Night
Unable to sleep, Kaelen made his way back to the ritual grounds, now empty and shrouded in darkness. The silence felt heavy, as though it were holding its breath, waiting for something. In the center of the grounds, where Vyre had stood earlier, Kaelen saw a scorch mark burned into the stone, the only reminder of their encounter.
He sat on the edge of the circle, his thoughts churning. He had wanted power, had craved it his whole life. But tonight had shown him the limits of that desire. Vyre was powerful, more powerful than anything Kaelen had ever encountered. And yet, there was something about him that made Kaelen feel… small.
"You know, you didn't have to come here," a voice crackled in his mind, low and smoldering.
Kaelen froze, looking around, but he was alone. Slowly, he realized the voice was coming from within his own head, from the connection that had been forged, however briefly, during the ceremony.
"Vyre?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes," the voice rumbled, filled with amusement. "And I'm surprised. I thought you'd be licking your wounds after our last encounter."
Kaelen bristled. "I'm here to understand you," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I don't know why you resist me, but I'm going to find out."
Vyre's laughter echoed in his mind, deep and resonant, like the crackling of a distant wildfire. "So, the little tamer seeks to understand. Tell me, why the change of heart? You seemed so eager to break me before."
Kaelen hesitated. "I… I don't know," he admitted finally, feeling strangely vulnerable. "But I need to understand why you don't want to be tamed. I thought beasts wanted a bond, wanted power."
"Power?" Vyre's voice was filled with disdain. "You think power alone is what drives us? Foolish boy. I have no interest in serving the whims of some self-obsessed child who sees me as a weapon. I am not yours to wield."
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Then what do you want?"
There was silence for a moment, and then Vyre's voice softened. "Respect. Freedom. Perhaps even companionship. But never servitude."
The words struck Kaelen deeply, igniting a flicker of understanding. Vyre was not simply a force to be controlled; he was a being with his own desires, his own needs. And if Kaelen was going to bond with him, he'd have to see him as an equal, not a tool.
He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of Vyre's gaze on him even from a distance. "Then maybe… we can try again. On different terms."
Vyre's voice was unreadable, as if considering his offer. "Perhaps," he said finally. "But remember, Kaelen: I am not here to be tamed. I am here to see if you are worthy."
With that, the voice faded, leaving Kaelen alone in the quiet night. Yet, as he stood to leave, he felt a strange warmth settle within him—not from fire, but from a fragile, newfound hope.