Isaac felt the pull of sleep take hold, dragging him into the strange, familiar darkness. Unlike normal dreams, this place felt purposeful, as though it existed outside the confines of his own mind.
---
[Dream Synchronization Engaged]
Reliving memories of Isaac the Flame Warden.
Progress: 20%. Stage: Beginner.
---
A spark of light flared in the void, and from it emerged a figure with an easy grin, leaning casually against a wall made entirely of flickering flames. He looked Isaac over, his sharp eyes glinting with amusement.
"Oh? Is it my time already?" the man said, stretching his arms above his head lazily. His voice carried a faint lilt of amusement, as though the entire situation was a joke meant for his own entertainment. "You must be me from the another universe right ?. Let me guess—broody, serious, probably no sense of humor?"
Isaac blinked, taken aback by the man's casual tone, unsure how to respond. The man in front of him wore sturdy but well-worn robes, and a pair of steel gauntlets, charred at the edges, covered his hands. His entire demeanor screamed nonchalant, though there was a glint of sharp intelligence in his gaze.
"Don't worry, I'm not judging," the figure said, waving dismissively. "Okay, maybe I am. Just a little. Anyway, introductions! I'm Isaac the Flame Warden—martial artist extraordinaire, fire magic aficionado, and all-around misunderstood genius. Oh, and apparently, you're borrowing my memories. Lucky you!"
The Flame Warden gestured dramatically, conjuring a seat made of flickering flames before plopping himself onto it. "You're here to learn about me, right? The great Flame Warden? Don't be shy. Come closer. I won't bite—unless you're a fire elemental, in which case, I might make an exception."
Isaac crossed his arms, unsure how to respond to the sheer energy radiating from this alternate version of himself.
"Still broody, huh? Fine, fine. I'll take the lead," the Flame Warden said, leaning back in his fiery chair. "Let me tell you a story about how I became the legend you see before you today. Spoiler alert: it's not as glamorous as you think."
The void around them shifted, colors bleeding into existence. The Flame Warden grinned. "Time to rewind the clock. Watch closely, and maybe you'll learn something."
---
The scene solidified into a small, nondescript village. Thatched roofs sat atop squat houses, and fields stretched endlessly into the distance.
"Home sweet home," the Flame Warden said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Pretty, isn't it? I thought so too—for about five minutes. Then I realized it was the most boring place in existence."
"I grew up in this tiny village," the Flame Warden began, his tone shifting slightly as nostalgia crept into his voice. "Boring place, really. Nothing but fields, old folks telling stories, and the occasional festival that was, let's be honest, just an excuse for bad dancing and getting drunk."
A younger version of the Flame Warden appeared, sitting on the roof of one of the houses, staring at the sky with a vacant expression.
"That's me," he continued. "I was your average kid with no direction, no ambition, and no idea what to do with my life"
He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Now, don't get me wrong. I wasn't miserable or anything. Just… bored. The kind of boredom that makes you stare at the sky and wonder if you'll die of monotony before anything interesting ever happens."
The Flame Warden's grin returned, sharper this time. "Then there was my grandma. Sweet lady, but sharp as a dagger. She took one look at me moping around the house and said, 'If life is boring, then maybe you're the problem. Go out there and experience something!'"
He chuckled, the flames around him dancing with his laughter. "And I thought, sure, why not ? So I did. Packed my bag and set off to experience life or whatever that meant. Turns out, life had a lot to offer—and none of it made me happy."
The scene shifted rapidly, showing the young Flame Warden trying his hand at various professions.
"First, I tried being a warrior," he said as his younger self swung a sword clumsily at a practice dummy. The blade flew out of his hands, embedding itself in a haystack. "Turns out swinging metal sticks is harder than it looks. Next!"
The image blurred, reforming into the Flame Warden getting yelled at by a grumpy merchant over a sack of grain.
"Merchant? Not for me. I got yelled at by a merchant for five hours straight because I couldn't count change fast enough. Next!"
Another flash showed him carrying buckets of water to a blacksmith, sweat pouring down his face as the smith barked orders.
"Oh, and let's not forget the odd jobs. I once spent three days carrying water to a blacksmith in exchange for food. You'd think it'd be humbling or character-building or something. Nope! Just back-breaking, soul-crushing, and not remotely fulfilling. Let's skip this part."
The scene returned to the village, showing the young Flame Warden sitting dejectedly by the side of the road.
"Life was a long, tedious slog," he said with a shrug. "But then she showed up."
The scene shifted again, revealing a wide dirt road cutting through a forest. A lone figure strode confidently along the path, her fiery red hair tied back in a loose braid. She wore simple but elegant robes, and her staff, etched with glowing runes, was slung casually over her shoulder.
The flames around the Warden flared briefly, casting a warm glow as his expression softened. "She was just passing through, you know? A mage with a pack slung over her shoulder and the kind of swagger that said, 'Don't mess with me.'"
"She wasn't like anyone I'd ever seen," the Flame Warden said, His tone grew wistful. "She wasn't like the other mages like the bookish types who spent more time in libraries than on the battlefield. No, she fought with fire magic and her bare hands, a combination I'd never seen before. Imagine this: a goblin band ambushes her, and instead of casting from a distance, she wades right in, flames blazing around her fists as she punches them into the dirt."
The air shimmered as a group of goblins burst from the trees, snarling and brandishing crude weapons.
Isaac watched, captivated, as the woman didn't flinch. She planted her staff into the ground, flames bursting to life around her. Instead of retreating or keeping her distance, she ran toward the goblins, her fists igniting as she moved.
"She was a walking contradiction," the Flame Warden said. "A mage who fought like a brawler. A dancer surrounded by fire."
The woman ducked under a goblin's swing, her flaming fist colliding with its jaw. She spun gracefully, her flames forming arcs of light as she swept the legs out from another attacker. Her movements were fluid and precise, each strike a perfect blend of magic and martial arts.
"She didn't just fight," the Flame Warden said, his voice almost reverent. "She performed."
The Flame Warden laughed, the memory vivid in his mind. "It was ridiculous. Beautiful, but ridiculous. I couldn't stop watching. And for the first time in my life, I felt it—a spark. Something about her lit a fire in me. Literally and figuratively."
Isaac could feel his alternate self's excitement as the young Flame Warden watched the battle unfold, his eyes wide with wonder.
"When she finished, I knew what I had to do," the Flame Warden said. The scene shifted to show his younger self running after the woman as she walked away, her pack slung over her shoulder.
"Take me on as your disciple!" the young Flame Warden shouted, his voice cracking slightly with enthusiasm.
The woman didn't even glance at him. "No," she said simply, her tone flat.
I didn't give up. For days, I followed her, repeating my request at every opportunity. "Teach me! I'll work hard. I promise!"
Her refusals were as varied as they were blunt:
"No, you're weak."
"No, I don't take students."
"No, you're annoying."
"And yet," the Flame Warden said, his grin returning, "I didn't stop. I was like a stray dog that wouldn't leave her alone."
The scene showed him stumbling after her through forests, over hills, and across rivers, his persistence unwavering. Finally, the woman stopped, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and irritation.
"You want to learn from me so badly?" she snapped, her fiery hair practically glowing in the sunlight. "Fine. I'll teach you. But if you can't keep up, don't come crying to me."
"She didn't go easy on me," the Flame Warden said, his tone fond despite the harshness of the memories. "But for the first time in my life, I wasn't bored. I wasn't just existing—I was living."
The image of his younger self flashed through various moments of training, his movements becoming sharper, his flames brighter.
"She taught me to fight, to channel my magic through my body. But more than that, she taught me discipline. Passion. Purpose."
The Warden leaned back, his smile tinged with a rare sincerity and nostalgia. "She called me annoying, stubborn, and reckless, but she never gave up on me. And in return, I gave her my absolute best. Because for the first time, I wanted something. I wanted to be like her. No—better than her."
The flames around the Flame Warden flickered as he stood, his grin widening. "And that's how I became the man you see before you. Not bad, huh?"
The fiery scene began to fade, the colors bleeding back into darkness.
"Well, that's enough storytelling for now," the Flame Warden said, stretching. "Can't give you all the good stuff in one go. Gotta keep you coming back for more."
He winked at Isaac. "See you in the next dream sequence, kid. Try not to screw things up too badly before then."
With that, he turned, his figure dissolving into embers as the dream ended.
---
[Dream Synchronization Complete.]
Progress retained: 20% (Isaac the Flame Warden).
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Isaac woke with a start, the Flame Warden's voice still echoing in his mind. He stared at the ceiling, his fists clenching as he recalled the mage's fiery movements.
"Passion, huh?" he muttered. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
This dream felt different from the others—more vivid, more personal. As he lay back down, he wondered what lessons the Flame Warden still had in store for him.
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A/N: Thanks for reading this. You can suggest skill idea or item so i can put it in the gacha. Don't forget to add the book to your collection and leave a powerstone ;)