‘Do they know each other?’ Caroline was wondering this for a while. Inside the large, cold cave, just meters away from the thing she wanted most, the girl waited patiently for how things would develop. ‘Could they be friends?’

“You need a wake-up call Mr. hero, no, a Goddamn beating! My God, it’s been a long time coming. Blue missus, you stay out of this.”

“O-ok.” Caroline could take a hint. She retreated to a corner of the cave, sat on a rock and watched with interest.

The flame in the middle of the cave then became smaller and smaller, until it was just big enough to cover the enemy’s entire body. His/her frame was highly muscular, six feet tall and with the proportions of a bodybuilder. The flames didn’t allow Finn to distinguish a gender, though it was way too buff to be considered female. The energy inside the fire flowed like tiny rivers, like the flames themselves were alive, with their own channels and pathways.

“My name is Andrew Finn. Do you know me?”

“Nope, I most certainly do not. But I know one way to jog our memories…”

The flame person disappeared. Finn’s right palm moved to block a kick to his head when he felt a fist plunge itself into his sternum.

The blow was so powerful it shattered the bone, sent Finn flying into a nearby wall and created a hole almost three feet deep.

“Shit. I should’ve punched harder.”

Finn crawled out of the hole and spit a mouthful of blood while his sternum healed. “Why punch harder?” he smirked. “Were you holding back?”

“In fact I was. But since you’re all fine and dandy, then it’s time I take it up a notch.”

The flame person took on a short stance and clenched its fists. The fire molded tighter around its body. Finn could see the mana pathways coil around the enemy like a living, breathing suit of magical armor. The energy inside the flames stirred the one inside the enemy’s body and vice-versa, causing an explosive back and forth reaction which heightened the user’s abilities to a terrifying degree.

‘How is that possible!?’ Finn’s jaw went agape. Immediately, he summoned flames around his chest and tried to replicate the magic. However, the energy around his body clashed with the one within. It caused almost 100 tiny explosions to tear through his chest, causing dozens of fractures to his ribs and spine, and turning his skin into something resembling a fish net.

“Fuuuck!” Finn shouted. ‘I can’t replicate it. This magic is beyond me.’

Suddenly, he lifted his left arm right when a punch slammed into it. Before he could lift the other, the flame-person shattered his jaw, and then kicked him so hard he made another hole into the cavern, this time deeper.

“Seven feet, ha!” And while the hell are you flapping your jaw in the middle of a fight?”

“It’s not like it won’t heal,” Finn grunted while crawling out of the cave. “You’re the same, aren’t you? I’m not sure which of my friends you are, but you should understand…”

“You can’t heal forever, dumbass! There are enemies out there you can’t mess around with.”

“Maybe,” Finn took a deep breath. “To be honest I’m not even sure anymore. I’m more than strong enough now to blow 20 demon hands, and that’s almost a full body, isn’t it?”

"Arrogant little…"

The flame person disappeared. 'Another kick,' Finn realized. He clenched his newly reformed jaw and headbutted the enemy straight in the nose.

He didn't even need to take a step. The second the flame-person tried to punch him, it left its face wide open.

The humanoid flame staggered backwards and then disappeared again. Finn lifted his arm to block a punch, but knowing it was just a faint, he then turned and kicked the flame person in the gut. A thunderous boom resounded through the cave and another hole was formed.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"That's about five feet," Finn smirked. "Congratulations, you still hold the record."

The flame person pulled itself out of the wall slowly. It was furious at Finn for his arrogance, furious at itself for taking a beating when it was trying to put the bastard back in his place.

"I see you haven't slacked off."

"Of course not. You seem to be misunderstanding something: I'm not being cocky or arrogant, I’m smart.

I wanted to fight you alone since you're the first person I can test my power against in the past two years and a half. I don't care if I get punched, because frankly, your punches are way too weak to deplete my energy. As for the insults, I'm not apologizing."

"What!?"

"How disappointing," Caroline whispered.

Finn turned his head towards her.

"I know you're not some freak of nature and I'm starting to realize there are mutants who mind their own lives, no different from us. However, that does not change the fact that hundreds of thousands of you bastards are attacking the empire as we speak.

I do not have the time, strength, or mental energy to pick the good mutants from the bad, to worry about things like vocabulary, or to hesitate when faced with an enemy just in case it might not try to murder me.

As far as I'm concerned, anything resembling a mutant is an abomination which I must put down. Even if it turns out differently later or I end up having to apologize to a corpse, it’s still the correct mindset to have during war.”

Finn expected an instant rebuttal to his spiel, but surprisingly, the audience was silent. Caroline crossed her arms, although her face remained neutral, while the flame person just stood there, as if expecting a continuation. Eventually, seeing how nothing more came out, it placed its palms on its hips and in a jovial tone asked “Since when do you give long, drawn out speeches?”

“Since I’m strong enough to afford it.”

“You think you can beat me?”

“I am beating you,” Finn shrugged. “Be it three years ago or now, it doesn’t look like much has changed. You’re faster and stronger than I am, yet you’re so… predictable.”

Immediately, the flame person disappeared and Finn was forced to defend against a barrage of blows. The fire surrounding his enemy started to attack as well, giving the impression of dozens of punches, feet, knees, and elbows attacking all at the same time.

‘Michael?’ Finn wondered. ‘Their style is similar, but is this it?’

Finn summoned an energy shield around his body, expanded it into a dome, and after the enemy was pushed back, he shot a sun-ball straight at it. The flame person dodged, but it did not matter. When the sun was closest to it, he detonated the bomb, throwing the enemy across the cave and destroying one of its arms.

“Michael, I’m going to finish you off now. If you have anything else up your sleeves, I suggest you pull it out now.”

Finn tried to keep a straight face, to hide his disappointment, but it was honestly sad. ‘It’s been almost three years. Sure, I had a head start, but with his talent, he should’ve long overtaken me.’

He clenched his fists and lowered his stance. ‘And he had the balls to say I need a wake-up call.’

Suddenly, Finn disappeared before the flame-person’s eyes. However, he did not reappear a moment later like it had done before. Instead, Finn remained hidden for longer and longer to the point where even Caroline leaned forward as she lost track of his movements.

Instead of his body, multiple miniature suns popped up here and there, multiplying at a frightening rate and encircling the flame person in an ever shrinking cave.

“You can at least take this much, can’t you?” asked Finn.

“Hmph, your arrogance is gonna cost you.”

“Yes, yes, my death was foretold, but until that fateful day…”

More than 20 suns slammed into the flame-person, exploding with such strength it shook the entire volcano. The ceiling cracked and water started pouring in. While Caroline rushed to patch up the holes, a thunderous roar erupted from behind the twin metal door.

“Is that your pet?” asked Finn. “Hey, maybe that’s why you’re so weak. You spent the last three years subduing that thing. Is it strong? Eh? Stronger than Babel?”

“Shut up!”

The dust was starting to settle, revealing the remnants of a human. Whoever it was, it was now much thinner, as if its flesh and muscles had been trimmed down. Its height had dropped by several centimeters and even its fingers looked thinner than before. Seeing this change, Finn let out a sigh.

“For fuck’s sake Michael, I thought you at least got buff. Did you think I’d be intimidated by something like muscles?”

“Muscles are nothing. Lungs are everything.”

“Exactly, whatever the hell that means. You should’ve listened to Natalie’s weird quotes more. Now, get rid of those flames and surrender. What’s with that beast in the other room? Is it really your pet or what?”

“No.”

“It’s not?”

“This fight’s not over.”

“Excuse me?”

The flame person lifted a skinny, shaking arm and gestured Finn to approach.

“Come. Your lesson begins now."