Bloody orange flames haunted the night sky. Acrid smoke suffocated the air and blocked out any signs of the moon. The slumbering bloodwoods, once majestic and stoic, became torches. Their massive bodies crackled as fire consumed them with a mesmerizing and terrifying ferocity. Embers swirled around me like angry moths, landing on the ground and igniting smaller fires that quickly spread.

The fallen trees groaned and cracked as if they were crying out. Fire sang with the wind, pushing, pulling, and pulsing. The beat was fast and hungry, and the haunting sounds of laughter joined the choir.

I stood alone in the sea of fire. It didn't take long in my retreat to realize there was no safety, or more precisely, I was the safest place to be. I refroze my life preserver and kept him close as I battled flame with ice. No matter how hard we struck at one another, neither of us could find an advantage. I created ice walls only for them to be melted. Ice spears extinguished rogue flames only for a new flame to take its place. Tornadoes appeared, and I severed them with my sword. Amidst the inferno, firewalkers manifested.

The demons of flame stood at my height with vague bodily features. They loomed around in the flame, circling my position.

I made sure to cut down every single one of the demons that got close, pelting them with a volley of ice spears. It took ten spears to down one fire fury, and there were dozens of them. I drove past the pain burning within; I was at a dangerous level of mana exhaustion. After the fight I could think of safety. Until then, I had to put down the monster—a monster I created. I kept my brick of ice behind me as I battled and continued to restore its protective barrier.

My ice armor proved to be ever-resilient against the flames. Even fighting amidst the fire, I didn't fear burning. There was no way I was surviving otherwise.

Flames ceased spreading, and tendrils of the orange mana collected pieces of its body. I threw all of my power into the heart to no avail. The ice melted before it ever got near. As I waded into the deep orange sea with my frozen body in tow, I broke through another barrier of my ice armor. I could manipulate water once more. I drenched the grounds, stepping closer and closer.

The heart was within sight. It was smaller than a common core and as bright as the sun. It pulsed with life and energy, each wave spreading its desire for more. Flames rushed into the heart, temporarily satiating the lust. When the hunger for power came, there was never enough.

The burning ember noticed my presence.

It was an odd sensation to be seen by something that wasn't sentient or even had eyes. I didn't know if what I felt was real or part of a terrible illusion. At the same moment, I could hear the faintest whisper calling for me, beckoning me to join it—to become one. To unite.

I took a step forward, but a painful bite to my leg stopped my next step. I pulled back and saw the armor had melted. I took another step back, and my protection reformed. I was disappointed to learn I wasn't invulnerable in my armor; however, it was good to know the limitations of my skill. Hearty fires were a no-go. I took another step back.

The whisper got louder. Come, it prodded.

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I threw water instead. It evaporated ten feet away. The fire hissed and repelled and then surged forward. I repeated my assault, straining my will. Massive fists of water formed around my hand and nub. I hammered back the surging fire with jabs, crosses, and hooks. My relentless assault cleared the way for me to step toward the center. I pushed forward, draining my well at an incredible speed.

The heart called for me louder. Unlike the flame, it didn't back away from my water. It accepted the rebuttal and lurched forward.

Five more feet.

My armor dripped. Steam wisped off my body, evaporating entirely as soon as it left. With gritted teeth, I poured the remainder of my mana into a spear and rammed it into the fire's heart.

Yes.

I was beginning to melt. I pulled my spear back and stabbed the heart again and again. I was shouting. The fire laughed.

Flames rushed around me, pooling into the heart. I mustered the last of my strength and once more stabbed, screaming at the top of my lungs. I ran my spear deep into the core.

The heart pulsed once inward.

Time froze.

Energy exploded.

Violent and unstable orange mana washed over me. As I was tossed several yards away, a chilling sob rang in my ears, and my armor was destroyed. I smacked the ground with a heavy thud, followed by painful cracks and another scream of anguish. My limp body rolled several feet, then slid to a stop.

The scratching of the scorched ground on my raw skin was as terrible as the broken bones. I struggled to breathe. There was no mana in my core to call upon. I couldn't turn my head. I couldn't move at all.

I opened my eyes and witnessed the black earth around me. First, charcoal, scorched soil, and a hideous smoke caught my attention. Then, it was the white snow that fell all around me. In a matter of seconds, a layer of ash blanketed the ground.

Smoke and ash entered my airways. I tried to avoid the cough building, placing all my wishes on a better outcome. My wishes were in vain. I coughed several times. Tears struggled to streak down my face as the soot absorbed the moisture, becoming a paste. I waited sixty heartbeats before I opened my eyes again. I might be a disaster, but I won.

Get strong, get hurt, and survive. Body cultivation may be simple. Simplicity didn't make the process any less of a bastard.

As the tears cleared from my eyes, my vision became less blurry. I couldn't see or sense any fire around me. I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

Come.

My heart pulsed. I scanned all around me, my eyes darting back and forth, searching as far as their limited vantage allowed them. I couldn't see past the log, but there was no glowing orange background. Was the voice in my head? I pushed out my senses once again and found no trace of mana outside of my body. The land was barren.

I will come to you.

Never before had I moved my eyes so rapidly. They darted back and forth. There was no fire. Only ash and soot could be seen.

Wait for me.

I ran... at least mentally. I needed to get out of here. I tried to squirm away. My body didn't respond. In my pathetic struggle to escape, my head regained a sliver of movement. I nudged it to the left, trying to pull myself away from the spark.

I need you. The voice was chirpy, desperate, and hungry. I will give you power. Together, we will burn the world. A cold-insidious chill ran down my back.