Aileen covered her hands in flame, her face contorted, her breath heavy. After covering her hands, she unleashed flames from her hands continuously, scorching the surrounding grass. It gave them a minute to catch their breath.

A tremor started in her legs, slowly creeping up to her spine until her entire body convulsed in a violent shiver. Her teeth clattered like a rogue typewriter, each chatter a Morse code of distress. Her breath ghosted out in front of her, a fleeting wisp of warmth swallowed instantly by the coldness that was spreading around her as she draw more fire from the surrounding.

She added a red, thin barrier around everyone. It seemed to help fight against the coldness that suddenly descended upon them. But Aileen felt weak. She felt as though ice had enveloped her body. At first it was only her feet that felt numb, but with every passing second her hands, face… eventually her whole body started to feel numb. Her body moved rigidly, resembling a machine with poorly oiled parts. She couldn’t move around much.

‘I need to be careful, slow down for a bit,’ she thought, ‘if this continued, I might freeze to death… maybe even freezing everyone with me.’

Some animals would occasionally would pass the fire circle but they wouldn’t make it far, as Brian and Garret would take care of them quickly. They would cut their body and hold them on the ground with their weapon until their bodies went still, and they were black like an overcooked meat.

‘They have it under control now. I can take a rest and recover.’

She sat down with her legs crossed and her hands drilled into the ground until she felt the warmth from it. She drew the warmth into herself. The warmth returned to her body, making her feel at ease. Her body sensation returned to her one by one. First it was her hand, then her feet, her face until she could feel her entire body again.

‘When will I become an acolyte? What am I missing to master fire? I already know how to make things freeze, taking all of its heat or making it melt by increasing its heat. So what is it I’m missing?’

She thought more and more, but no matter hard she thought, she couldn’t find out what she was missing to master the fire element.

Two dead vulpines unexpectedly entered the circle and pounced on Brian and Garret while she was lost in her thoughts. They tried to defend, but the vulpines were faster. Both of them were hit but the red, thin shield blocked the claws, making a screeching sound as the claws tried to rip it apart.

The shield held on long enough for Brian and Garret to kick both of the dead vulpines and create some distance between them.

The dead vulpines were burning, but not fast enough. With Aileen recovering and Raheem wounded, not even knowing whether he will make it or not. So, that left Alan to defend them from the dead animals but he was not good at close courter combats… especially when they came to fighting against multiple enemies and to top it all off they were dead animals who refused to remain dead.

Alan looked at his dagger, which was stained with the black blood that was coming out of these creatures.

The forest air thickened, a sharp humidity clinging to their exposed skin as the distant rumbling of thunder roiled overhead, echoing through the dense forest. The sky, once blue with the brightest sunlight, began to darken, heavy clouds swelled.

Between gasps of breath and the clash of steel against the hardened skin and bone of the dead, the wind shifted, carrying the scent of wet earth and ozone. The first drops fell, fat and cold, splattering against the leaves and soaking through their clothes and armor.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“We don’t have much time,” she muttered under her breath, raising her trembling hand, willing a small flame to life. It flickered weakly, barely holding against the dampening air as the rain picked up in a sudden, violent downpour. Sheets of water cascaded from the treetops, dousing everything in its path.

Nearby, Raheem groaned, twisting in feverish agony, as though battling unseen horrors in his sleep. His breath was shallow, erratic.

The flames that had been protecting them around their body started to flicker, and slowly the rain doused it. As the rain fell, it gradually put out the flame circle, causing the animals and vulpine to stop burning and screaming, and the fire on their body to vanish.

“Hold the line!” Brian shouted, his voice straining against the roar of the storm and the relentless assault of the creatures. The dead lurched forward as soon as the fire was out.

The fire sputtered, dimming with each gust of wind and each burst of rain. Her hands shook, barely containing the blaze.

“I can’t… the rain—” she faltered, her eyed widened with desperation.

“You have to!” yelled Garret, fending off the vulpine with a blooded arm. “It’s our only chance.”

But the storm had no mercy, drowning out her small flickers of hope. As more of the dead creature passed in, they started to retreat to the center of the forest. Alan carried Raheem while Brian and Garret covered their retreat. Sometimes, Aileen used her fire to push back some of them, but the rain extinguished it almost immediately. So, she ran beside Alan and helped him carry Raheem.

******

Mark’s mind was a mess. All he could think about was to burn everything to ashes. Images of a world on fire filled his mind - the streets, the people, the animals, the forests. Anything in that world was burning. The people burned as they watched their loved one’s burn with them, filling the world with screams and cries of agony and despair.

At the heart of the world, where the fire was the hottest, stood a figure that was taller than a mountain. A fire seemed to have formed itself into the shape of a man. His entire eye was blue and staring at Mark, who was looking up at him with astonishment and fear.

The figure was emitting an aura that was affecting Mark, making him think only about burning everything. The figure’s mouth moved, its sound shaking the world like a violent earthquake. Despite the flames around the world rising up and burning more intensely, Mark couldn’t comprehend a single word it uttered. But it brought him images of earth, his life there, and his family, but in the next second, all of it went up in flames.

Two worlds were now burning in front of him. Another figure rose from earth and it looked exactly like the other figure. Both figures were now staring at Mark and saying something. But Mark still couldn’t understand what they were saying, but he felt immense fear and sadness when he saw Earth bathed in flames and the figure rose.

He turned and run as fast as he could while the worlds shook violently. But no matter how fast or how far he run the distance between them never decreased, it always stayed the same.

Both figures came to a sudden silence, their hands rising simultaneously. With a gripping motion, the space between Mark and the figures vanished, leaving him suspended between them. As they locked eyes, it seemed they were engaged in a silent conversation.

Attempting to pull Mark towards themselves, both figures struggled for dominance. The sensation of being pulled in opposite directions was excruciating, causing Mark to fear he might lose consciousness or even his life. Yet, neither outcome befell him.

After a brief moment of locking gazes with Mark, the figures turned to face each other, keeping him suspended in mid-air as they clashed.

Their battle caused the very fabric of space to contort, and the two worlds began to unravel slowly. Each movement sent tremors through the air, accompanied by a deafening roar. What was truly astonishing, however, was their incredible speed. They traversed through space in mere nanoseconds, leaving behind afterimages that created the illusion of multiple versions of themselves fighting simultaneously.

Eventually, the first figure emerged victorious, forcing the second one to retreat amidst a torrent of fiery blood. Similar to its defeated opponent, the first figure bore numerous wounds, its body emanating flames that flickered between shades of orange, red, blue, and various other colors. At times, the flames overlapped, creating a mesmerizing display of hues.

The figure then turned to Mark and stretched his hands and grabbed Mark. He put him in its mouth and swallowed him. But a white flame covered Mark’s body and burned everything else and brought him back to the darkness he was familiar with. He saw the white ember burning in a distance. Slowly, he gained control of his emotions and calmed down.

He used energy eye. He saw two creatures that looked like fox carrying another one of their kind and two more behind them, fighting numerous enemies.