Rex focused on the ember, extending a thread of his will toward it. The small fire didn't resist, rather it seemed to welcome his presence. He didn't even need to materialize his will into chains like the other two flames. Holding the ember with his mental power/will, he looked between it and the two other flames before guiding it toward the two larger flames.
As the ember approached, both the dark fire and the golden fire flared up in warning, their energies surging with renewed aggression. Rex gritted his teeth, tightening his mental grip on the chains.
"Stand down" he said firmly, his voice resonating in the inner world.
The flames hesitated, their movements slowing as the chains tightened on them. But it was enough for Rex to act. With painstaking consumption of mental power, he brought the ember closer towards the dark fire.
The moment the ember touched the edge of the dark fire, a ripple of energy spread outward. The chaotic black flames recoiled slightly, their movements less wild. It wasn't that the dark fire was calming down on it's own rather, upon contact with the dark gold ember, the flame was entirely controlled. Afterwards it became docile for the entirety of the time in contact with the dark gold flame.
Of course this was only but a test and the moment Rex moved the dark gold ember away from the dark flame, the dark gold flame immediately showed aggression as it tried to attack but was stopped with his control.
Next, Rex guided the ember toward the golden fire. When it made contact, the golden flames shimmered, their oppressive aura softening similar to the dark fire. Rex didn't know how the dark gold ember controlled the two flames but when he let it continue to do it's work, he didn't feel painful or rather he could feel connected to the dark gold flame similar to how the dark flame was before rather the connection between it and him was even stronger.
He could feel it get stronger. He could feel the ember asking him to allow it to eat the two flames. Rex thought for a while before deciding. He positioned the ember between the two fires, its balanced energy acting as a buffer. Slowly, he began drawing the dark fire and golden fire closer, their edges now touching the ember rather than each other.
The reaction was immediate. Instead of clashing violently, the two fires seemed to meld into the dark gold ember, their energies pulled inward rather than outward.
"It's working"
The ember began to grow, feeding on the energies of the two fires. Its colour deepened, the black and gold blending into intricate patterns that danced across its surface. Black tendrils spiralled through golden streaks, forming a mesmerizing scene.
Rex felt the strain on his will lessen as the chains dissolved, no longer needed. The dark fire and golden fire weren't fighting anymore. They were merging being used by the dark gold ember.
The ember pulsed with increasing intensity, its energy expanding to fill his inner world. Rex watched in awe as it transformed, becoming a blazing inferno that burned with unparalleled beauty. The once separate flames were now indistinguishable, their energies perfectly balanced.
The new dark gold flame radiated a presence that was both familiar and foreign. It carried both the primal ferocity of the dark fire and the regal authority of the golden fire, yet it was neither. It was something entirely new, something greater.
Rex extended his hand, and the flame responded, flowing toward him like a loyal companion. When it touched his palm, warmth spread through his body not the searing heat of battle, but a comforting warmth.
His entire body in his inner world was burning with the dark gold flames. Even though he was burning, he didn't feel any pain from it rather it felt comfortable. The mental energy he used before seemed to have recovered.
"I don't even need to control it like the black fire"
It wasn't the first time Rex had been to his inner world. He knew that his element specifically his fire element was special. Though cultivators had normal elements which varied from person to person for which element they were stronger at. There were at times variations from the normal element types. These were very rare occurrences and at times only known to the user itself. Some show themselves while element testing while others hide themselves.
As for Rex's own, it was the latter. He didn't know about it before he used it for the first time when he was young. He fell unconscious at the time after it's first appearance, arriving at the inner world where he had to battle with the flame.
__ __ __
{Flashback}
When Rex was just a child, after testing his talent and element, he was very happy to have gained a good talent. His strongest element was fire so he wanted to try it out as soon as he had the time.
Sitting in an lotus position on his bed, Rex concentrated. The image of fire sprang into his mind, and a moment later, black flames roared to life in his palm, flickering ominously.
'It's a variation'
Rex as a child never skipped out on his home schooled lessons and knew about these special variations that some people had.
'Fit for a person like me who is going to kick the butt of that old bastard and his stupid son'
The person in question was of course the person who was always talked about whenever he was concerned. Afterall he was still his son at least in name. There was a trace of anger on his childlike face.
'This will help me with my conquest'
Afterall special variations almost all of the time gave various benefits and boosted power. But his excitement turned to alarm. The flame turned wild the next second and consuming his mana, far beyond anything he had imagined. It surged out of his control, spreading rapidly and overwhelming his senses. Before he could react, the world went dark.
When Rex opened his eyes, he was no longer in the real world. Instead, he stood in a vast, empty void illuminated by the eerie glow of the black flame. It hovered before him, crackling from time to time.
"Where... am I?" he murmured.
The flame gave no answer. Instead, it lunged at him. Instinctively, Rex raised his arms to shield himself, but the attack hit him with overwhelming force. Pain wracked his body as he collapsed, gasping for air.
When he woke back in the real world, drenched in sweat and with a pounding headache, he should have been terrified. But Rex wasn't afraid. Rather it ignited his sense of conquest. The stronger the flame, the stronger he would become when he could wield it and the easier it would become for his conquest of teaching a lesson to the son and father pair.
From that day, Rex became fixated. Every time he summoned the flame, it would drain his strength and force him into the strange inner world, where the flame awaited him. It could not kill him so there was nothing he needed to be afraid of it.
The battles were relentless. Rex could do little to harm the flame. His attempts to strike it were met with failure, his physical attacks did nothing against its ethereal body and chaotic energy. Each time, the flame would overpower him with ease, and he'd wake up battered, drained, and aching. But he never gave up.
Rex already knew that brute force didn't work and this dimension where he was in should be connected to himself but he didn't know what it was. Through countless battles, he discovered the key, his mental power. The first time he discovered it was from his intent to want to have a fair fight with this flame and something appeared on his hand before disappearing. Soon after he got killed by the flame in his inner world but it sparked a way for him.