Chapter Forty-Nine:

“Trial by Fire”

The fires burning in the square of Emberwood Village crackled softly, their glow warming the early morning haze.

The scent of burning cedar lingered, mixing with the crisp mountain air as the village prepared for another day. But today was different.

Today, Roland and Keira were being tested.

A small gathering had formed at the village’s training grounds, a broad clearing bordered by towering trees, their bark blackened from years of fire magic being channeled through the air. Wisps of smoke curled up from the charred soil, the remnants of past trials still lingering. This was where warriors were shaped in flame.

They both stood near the edge, watching as the Fire Sages assembled before them.

Elyndra, the calm and wise leader who had welcomed her to Emberwood was joined by four others.

Sage Kaelith stood like a living anvil, broad, immovable, forged in fire. His eyes, winter fires, watched without mercy.

Sage Elysia, her auburn hair cascading in waves, eyes burning with the kind of warmth that could soothe or consume.

Next was a figure wreathed in faint, searing heat. Fire Sage Renvar was as sharp as a blade pulled from the forge, all heat and tension. And the last, a quiet presence with the air of a scholar, Sage Varin, a fire-wrought staff held firmly in his grasp.

Rachel leaned toward Tobias, whispering, "Okay, but do they all have to look so terrifying?"

Tobias, ever grinning, nudged her. "You’re the one who insisted on watching."

David chuckled. "Yeah, but they’re not wrong. You feel the heat coming off them? It’s like standing next to a forge."

Chris, sitting on a log, let out a slow breath. "At least this means we get to see a cool fire show."

Roland took a step forward, cracking his neck, his gaze steady as it passed over the gathered sages. "I want to learn. Just tell me what needs to be done." The cockiness he once carried into the Dive was gone, replaced by a quiet, unwavering resolve.

Kaelith met his gaze, then turned toward Keira. "Today, the fire decides whether you’re worthy to wield it. If you falter, you will burn. If you hesitate, you will fail."

Elysia nodded. "You both have come seeking the strength of the flame. But fire does not give its power freely. It must be earned." She stepped forward, her gaze locking onto Keira’s. "You, who once fought against the flames, will learn that fire is not just destruction, it is also life. It is a force of renewal, and it will test you."

Renvar turned to Roland. "And you, warrior of ice and steel, will learn that flame is more than just heat. It is passion. It is control. And it will break you if you let it."

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Varin’s grip tightened on his staff. "Your trials begin now. Survive, and the fire will be yours."

The earth growled beneath them. Heat surged, thick and oppressive. Sparks snapped to life, watching, waiting.

The trial had begun.

The heat thickened, pressing against Roland and Keira, testing them before a single command was given. A charged stillness settled over them, tension heavy in every breath.

Kaelith stepped forward, watching Roland closely. "Fire is not given, it is taken. If you hesitate, it will reject you."

A plume of flame erupted from the ground a few feet away, surging violently before settling into a controlled pillar of blazing glory. "Reach out. Take it into your hands. Make it yours."

The intense heat reached towards his skin, his instincts screaming at him to step back. He had barely begun to understand magic, and fire was unlike anything else, wild, untamed, refusing to submit.

Keira stood beside him, drawing a slow breath as she steadied herself. She had felt the power of fire before, had called upon it in battle, but this was different. This wasn’t just a weapon she could hurl at an enemy. This was something she had to master.

Elysia turned to her. "For you, the flames are already within. But raw fire is only destruction. You must learn to shape it, to make it more than just a weapon. Raise your hands, Keira. Form the shield."

She lifted her palms, and the heat rose to her fingertips, eager, waiting. She could feel it. This wasn’t about force. It was about control.

Rachel, Tobias, David, and Chris watched from the sidelines, silent now. The flames reflected in their wide eyes, tension keeping them rooted in place.

Roland shifted his footing, bracing himself. He had stood in the cold in the ration lines of Manhatton, He had let frost weave into magic in Eldoria, but fire? Fire was something else. It burned. It consumed. But he would not step back.

His hand moved toward the pillar, and the heat surged forward, hungry for him.

The fire lashed out as Roland's hand moved closer, snapping at his fingertips, challenging him. His instincts screamed at him to recoil, but he didn’t. He held steady, sweat beading down his brow as the searing heat wrapped around his fingers like a living thing, testing his resolve.

Keira’s breath came slow and controlled as she raised her hands, shaping the energy pooling at her fingertips. The fire didn’t fight her, it waited. It recognized something in her, something that had always been.

“Good,” Elysia murmured, watching her. “But fire does not wait forever. Give it form.”

Keira pressed her palms outward, thinking about all the people back in Boston she had failed to protect, and the flames obeyed, stretching into a curved barrier before her. The air solidified with heat as the shield took shape, a protective wall of gold and crimson.

Across from her, Roland fought through the burn, his fingers fully engulfed in the fire now. It should have hurt. It didn’t. The pain was there, but beyond it, something else, power, waiting to be claimed. He forced his hand forward, closing his fist around the heart of the inferno.

The fire twisted, resisting for a breath, then surrendered. It dimmed, retreating into his palm, waiting to be called again.

Kaelith nodded, a glimmer of approval in his smoldering eyes.

Roland exhaled, steadying himself. The heat had not rejected him. It had accepted him. Became one with him.

Keira glanced his way, her shield still standing, the steady glow casting a deep contrast over her determined expression.

"Think fast." Roland lifted his hand, summoning a small fireball in his palm. Before she could react, he tossed it toward her. Keira twisted, her flame shield swinging with her, intercepting the playful attack. The fire dissipated harmlessly against it.

“Not bad,” she admitted.

Roland smirked, shaking the last of the lingering embers from his palm. “You either.”

Before they could say another word, footsteps pounded against the scorched training ground.

Rachel reached them first, grinning wide. "That was incredible! I mean, seriously, you just grabbed ahold of fire like it was a solid object!"

Tobias let out an impressed whistle. "Guess we’re really doing this, huh?"

David gave a nod, crossing his arms. "I still can't believe you just pulled that off. Feels like we might actually be getting the hang of this place."

Chris, standing a little further back, just shrugged. "About time."

For the first time since coming to Eldoria, they all felt it, they weren’t just surviving anymore.

They were becoming something more.