The Silence after the Flame

A heavy blur danced before me, then faded, and the quiet hush of a room settled into my ears.

Mother was there.
She sat beside my bed on a wooden chair, asleep. Her head leaning gently against my chest.

I moved slightly. The creak of the sheets was enough.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up, startled. Then she smiled... worn, fragile.

"You're awake..." Her voice cracked. She tried to compose herself, brushing her hair behind her ear as if that would hide the tears in her eyes. "Thank you God!"
The corner of her eyes was slight reddish.

I blinked slowly. My whole body felt like it had been chewed up and spat out by some ravenous beast.

"What... happened?" I asked, though as the words left me, fragments of that moment began to return. The duel. Lumier. The duelling ground. The weight of Vulcan pulsing through my veins like molten iron.

"You collapsed," she said. "After the duel. You’ve been unconscious for a whole day."

A hollow throb pulsed at my head. I shut my eyes. I remembered...
The look in his eyes when I spared him.

"Lumier… Is he—?"

"Alive. There’s... more I’ll have to tell you. But not now." Her tone darkened slightly, as if the words she held back were too heavy to say yet.

I glanced at her, at the faint creases near her eyes, the subtle paleness in her golden fur. She hadn’t slept properly.

"You shouldn’t have waited here." I murmured.

She chuckled softly. "Try telling a mother not to sit by her son when he lies unconscious after nearly dying."

"Mother…" I began, unsure of the question forming in my heart.
"I… I didn’t mean to…" My voice faltered. "I didn’t want to hurt anyone."

Mother smiled faintly. "I know."

She leaned in and kissed my forehead, then placed a small, warm bundle into my hands.
Bread. Still fresh. Probably from the palace kitchen.

"I knew you’d be hungry when you wake up." she said softly.

I held the bread in my hands, staring at it as if it were something sacred.
Tears welled up at the corners of my eyes.

Silence followed. But it wasn’t uncomfortable.
I realized, for the first time in years, how close she was. How fragile.

***

Later, I came to know what happened after I collapsed.

Lady Temina had been the first to act, healing both me and Lumier.
Lumier regained consciousness almost immediately, but for some reason... I didn’t.

It turned out that Lady Temina had orchestrated everything.
The duel, she claimed, was meant to push me. To force Vulcan’s power to surface.

And...
...at that night, as I lay in bed, drowsy and sore, just about to fall asleep—

The door creaked open.
A shadow slipped inside without knocking.

I sat up, instincts kicking in. My eyes adjusted to the dim silver light filtering through the window.

It was her.
Lady Temina.

She stood silently by my bed, her face carved in moonlight. Eyes unreadable.

I blinked. "...Lady Temina?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she stepped forward, her voice cutting through the stillness like glass.

"Why? Why can you still call forth Vulcan’s power?"

What...? What is she talking about?

Before I could respond, she added, her tone more pointed, "How are you able to access Vulcan's energy till this day?"

I tried to piece together what she meant.
"...Well, as I heard from my elders, you, Lady Temina, were the one who bestowed Vulcan onto me."

"Don't try to avoid the matter!" Her voice got bold.

She strode toward me...
Grabbed my hand.

Her eyes widened as she murmured, "It is there... But I could not..."

I yanked my hand from her bind. "What's the matter Lady Temina? Why are you so distressed?"

Her gaze hardened. "Not something you need to concern yourself with. But first of all, summon Vulcan's prowess now."

"..." I hesitated.

"Hurry up!"

"But!"

"Now what?!"

"What if... what if I lose control like last time?"

She scoffed. "You don’t need to worry about that. I’m a Guardian, I can suppress Vulcan at any moment I choose."

I swallowed hard. Then nodded.
"...Alright."

I took a breath, closed my eyes, and focused inward.

Vulcan.
Just a little show of power. Nothing wild. Nothing arena-shattering.

...

Nothing happened.
I peeked one eye open.
Still nothing.

I cleared my throat, gave a confident nod. "Okay, this time for sure."

"...Flames of Vulcan, heed my call!"

Dead silence.
Not even a spark.

I forced a smug grin. "Hmph. No problem! Fully under control."
I turned my head slightly, trying to remain cool, even a drop of sweat slid down my neck.

Where are you, Vulcan? Don’t leave me hanging now...

Then I mumbled under my breath, with a nervous twitch in my eye,
"H-Hey... Vulcan? Buddy...? You there?"

No response.

Lady Temina's stare grew colder by the second.
Her silence was... sharp.

I coughed lightly. "...Ahem. Maybe he’s, uh... asleep?"

She finally spoke, her voice low. "I see."

And whoosh.
She vanished in the air.

Huh! What was all this about?

The room gained the silence of the still night again.
I laid down, trying to figure out the whole incident.

But, what lingered me the most...
...was my inability to summon Vulcan, again.

I was really... truly happy about achieving something greater, like my brother.
I thought, when he would return I can surprize him with this.
Hoping, to show him I had grown stronger.
That maybe, just maybe... I could finally stand closer to his level.

And yet...
I still am unworthy of his praise.

Vulcan!
Sorry... for becoming your vessel. I truly don't deserve you.
You believed in me after all these years, and I...
I just lost control and called a rampage, abusing you.
You are right to not answer my call.

The thoughts swirled endlessly in my mind, until tears quietly soaked the pillow beneath me. And eventually, sleep took me.

***

"...That is all from my side, Emperor Nyxarion."

A sharp laugh echoed through the otherwise silent, serious hall of the Emperor.

I had never seen him laugh before.

"Very interesting, Basalin. You fate is quite tangled that it is difficult to unravel, even for me," He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a strange mix of curiosity and caution. "So Temina... knowing you, I’m sure you’ve already prepared a countermeasure. Haven’t you?"

I folded my arms calmly. "It seems so. I have inserted a watcher inside him after the duel while healing him. It'll notify me whenever there will be slight instability within Basalin's spirit-zone."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice turning grave even beneath his grin.
"Just remember this, I don't care whatever you do from now on, just be sure to not kill this kid. He has something beyond our understanding."

I narrowed my eyes slightly, followed with a voice, cool but certain.
"Don’t worry. I was never in favor of your violent methods, especially against a child. What I need now... is to keep a close watch on him. Constantly."

"That’s fine by me," the Emperor said, shrugging. "But how do you plan on keeping his company constantly?"

"It's very simple, isn't it?"
I smiled faintly.
"I am gonna train him in my supervision.
And make him use his powers."