Embers and Shadows

Hibiki stood in the middle of the clearing, arms raised, eyes locked onto the stone in front of him. The air around him was still, silent, waiting. His breath came slow and steady.

Focus. Feel it. Guide it.

He reached deep inside himself, past the exhaustion, past the frustration, to the ember that had begun to burn within him. The spark answered. A flicker of heat danced along his fingertips, curling into a small, glowing flame.

The elf watched from a distance, arms crossed. “Now, break the stone.”

Hibiki hesitated. He had barely managed to summon fire at will. Breaking a solid rock was beyond him.

But hesitation had no place here.

He tightened his fingers, shaping the fire, willing it to become more. The warmth intensified, growing hotter, wilder. His chest tightened, sweat beading on his forehead.

Then, with a sharp thrust of his palm, he released it.

The flame struck the rock. only to fizzle out on impact, leaving behind nothing but a faint scorch mark.

Hibiki’s stomach twisted. He had failed. Again.

The elf sighed. “Pathetic.”

His jaw clenched. “I am trying.”

“Trying is not enough,” she said, stepping closer. “You think fire is just heat? Just destruction?”

Hibiki looked at his hand. “Is it not?”

She flicked her fingers, and a blue flame sparked to life above her palm. It did not burn wildly. It did not rage or consume. It hovered there, calm and controlled, like a living thing.

“Fire is hunger,” she said. “A starving beast. It does not listen to the weak. It does not serve the uncertain.”

She closed her hand, and the flame disappeared as if it had never existed.

“You do not command fire. You become it.”

Her words sank into him, deep and heavy. He looked at the rock again. It was not just a test. It was a challenge. A wall he had to break.

He exhaled slowly. This time, he did not try to force the fire. He did not demand it to obey.

He let it consume him.

The heat surged, flowing not just from his hands but from every part of him. His blood, his breath, his very thoughts. It roared to life, no longer a flicker but a blaze.

With a single motion, he thrust his hand forward.

The fire shot out, larger than before, brighter, fiercer. The moment it touched the stone, a deafening crack split the air. The rock did not burn.

It shattered.

Hibiki’s breath came fast and ragged. His arms trembled. He looked down at his hands, fingers still tingling with raw power.

The elf was silent for a long moment. Then, finally, she spoke.

“Better.”

That night, Hibiki sat by the fire, staring at his hands. They still felt warm, even long after the magic had faded.

For the first time, he had felt true power.

The elf sat across from him, sharpening a dagger with slow, deliberate strokes. “You are learning faster than I expected.”

Hibiki looked up. “Because I have no choice.”

She smirked. “Now you understand.”

A gust of wind passed through the trees, making the flames flicker. Shadows danced across the ground. Hibiki could not remember the last time he had spoken his full name aloud. The last time he had been anything more than a lost child.

But he was not lost anymore.

The kingdom that had destroyed his home, that had stolen everything from him, was still out there. Untouched. Unpunished.

His fists clenched.

He was not strong enough yet. Not even close.

But he would be.

The ember inside him had become a flame.

And one day, it would burn everything.