Spark

Ares sat in the dim cave, knees drawn to his chest. The cold was unbearable. His breath came out in shallow puffs, the air biting against his skin. He needed fire—badly.
But he had nothing. No lighter. No matches. No flint. Rubbing sticks together? That only worked in survival books, and he wasn’t about to waste hours trying.
His stomach twisted with hunger. The raw flesh from that cave beast had been barely edible. If he could cook it… if he could just make fire…A ping flashed in his vision.
System: [NOTICE] —[Unidentified organ detected in host's brain] [Organ is producing an unknown energy source] [ANALYZING…][ERROR—Classification failed][Possible energy output detected][Possible ignition source detected]

Ares blinked."Ignition? As in... fire?"
His mind immediately jumped to fantasy stories. Was this magic? Some kind of fire spell? A hidden ability?
His heart pounded. If this was like the books, then—what? Did he have to chant something? Focus really hard?
He hesitated. Then, feeling a bit foolish, he whispered, “Fire.”
Nothing.“Uh… Ignite?”Still nothing.
Ares exhaled in frustration. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.
System: [ERROR—Insufficient Data][Energy output may produce heat. Further testing required]
Ares frowned. “Produce heat…”
That wasn’t how magic was usually described. This sounded… scientific. Like a power source instead of a spell.
Still, if the System was saying the energy could create heat, maybe he didn’t need words. Maybe he just had to will it.
He focused inward.
At first, there was nothing. Then—something. A faint hum beneath his skin. A static-like tingle ran along his fingers.
System: [Redirecting unidentified energy to index finger…] [Minor heat buildup detected…] [OUTPUT STABILIZING…]
His fingertip warmed.Then—
System: [Generating ignition spark]

A tiny ember flickered to life at his fingertip.
Ares jerked his hand back in shock. His breath hitched. The ember had been small, barely there, but he had felt it—the heat, the spark.
His pulse raced. He tried again, pushing the energy outward. A second spark. Then a third. This time, they lasted longer before fizzling out.
On the fourth try—A small flame erupted at his fingertip.It was weak, flickering in and out of existence. But it was real.Ares stared at his hand, disbelief washing over him."This… this isn’t magic, is it?"Fantasy books never talked about magic feeling like this. It wasn’t a mystical force responding to chants—it was something inside him. Something real.
And for the first time since waking up in this world, he had control over something.
Now, he just had to figure out how to use it.