The Fist That Broke the Flames

Inside the underground spring, Alex, Rachel, Melissa and Sakura were still huddled together under the dome-shaped barrier Alex had built. The wall of earth and energy held firm against the roaring fire outside, but every second felt heavier. The flames slammed against it like a storm, the heat inside rising, suffocating them. If the barrier slipped for even a moment, they’d all be burned alive.

Rachel pressed her palm against the barrier, sweat dripping down her forehead. “How the hell do we get out of this situation?”

Melissa glanced around desperately. “Do we have any other magic users? Maybe water magic? Anything?”

Sakura shook her head, her voice rising as panic slipped through.
“Only Alex and I can use magic! But it’s just earth and fire—nothing that can stop his flames! We don’t have water, we don’t have ice!”

Sakura's breathing was ragged, panic clear in her eyes. Her hands trembled as she clutched her chest. It had never once occurred to her that she’d stand against Ignis—or whatever that thing was. Ignis’s fire magic was something she had always seen from the safety of his side. She had trusted it, trusted him. She never thought she’d face it like this, turned against her.

“Sakura, get yourself together!” Melissa snapped, her voice cutting through the panic.

“I—I…” Sakura stammered, biting her lip, but her fear wouldn’t settle.

Meanwhile, Alex was on his knees, both palms pressed to the ground, sweat streaming down his face as he poured everything into the barrier. His voice strained. “Guys… I don’t know how much longer I can hold this. My mana’s running out—fast.”

The dome trembled as another wave of fire smashed against it. The air inside was burning hot now, each breath heavier than the last.

Then—suddenly—the sound outside shifted.

The fire stopped hammering. For the first time since the onslaught began, there was silence. Then came muffled noises—movement, commotion. Voices.

“Hey… what’s happening?” Melissa whispered, eyes wide.

Sakura's panic spiked. “What if it’s more of them? Shadows—like that fake Ignis? What if he has backup? Oh my god… we’re done for—”

“Shh.” Rachel cut her off sharply, her hand raised. “Listen.”

The muffled noises grew clearer. A harsh thud. A grunt. The unmistakable sound of fists colliding, bodies slamming. A fight. Someone was fighting outside.

Then came a loud BAM, like a body hitting stone. And after that—

“Guys! Are you in there?”

The voice was sharp. Familiar. Solid.

Alex’s head shot up. Rachel’s eyes widened. Melissa gasped.

“…Ren?” Alex whispered, not daring to believe it.

“REN!!!” Alex, Rachel, and Melissa shouted at the same time, voices breaking in relief.

The barrier flickered as Alex dropped it, his mana finally giving out. The dome dissolved slowly, the light fading until nothing stood between them and the outside.

And there he was.

As the dome of earth crumbled away, three figures stood revealed. Ren was at the front, coat torn and fists bloodied, but his eyes were sharp and steady. Beside him, Lisa stepped forward with her blade drawn, her expression tense yet relieved to see them alive. Marie stood with them as well, staff gripped tightly, her gaze wary as it swept the scorched chamber. Behind the trio, faint burn marks scarred the stone floor—evidence of the battle they had just endured.

They were relieved, finally breathing properly, finally able to let out the air they had been holding in for what felt like forever. The flames were gone, the suffocating heat had vanished, and they were alive. Just that fact alone was enough to make them laugh in shaky relief, their voices trembling between exhaustion and happiness. For a moment, inside that underground spring chamber, they were celebrating their survival.

“Hey… how did you beat that… whatever that thing was?” Alex asked Ren, still catching his breath, his voice carrying a mixture of awe and disbelief.

“Yeah,” Sakura added quickly, her eyes still wide as she recalled the sight of that monstrous fire. “Its flames… they felt even stronger than the real Ignis. How did you even manage to stand against that?”

Marie shook her head in disbelief, her voice trembling as she remembered what she saw. “Even I was shocked. Ren just… charged straight through the fire it threw at him, like it was nothing. He didn’t even slow down. He just punched it, over and over, until it stopped moving. Aren’t you… aren’t you burned at all?”

The truth was something none of them understood yet. Ren’s body didn’t bleed, it didn’t cut, it didn’t burn. He was invincible—but they didn’t know that.

Ren looked at them calmly, wiping the ash from his fists as if it were nothing. “No. I’m fine.” His tone was casual, almost too casual for what had just happened.

Rachel stepped forward, her relief turning to curiosity. “How did you even find us? This place is like a maze. We thought we were completely trapped.”

“We didn’t,” Ren said simply. “We just kept moving forward. We heard the flames, the impact, the sound of a fight. That led us straight to you.”

Lisa nodded beside him, lowering her blade now that the immediate danger had passed. “If it weren’t for the noise, we might’ve walked right past without even realizing. You were lucky.”

Melissa’s voice cracked as she stepped forward, tears pricking her eyes. “Thank god you came when you did, Ren… I thought we were going to burn alive in there. I… I thought it was over.”

But then Lisa’s expression shifted, her tone turning grim. “And you’re not the only ones who had to fight a fake shadow.”

Rachel froze, blinking. “What do you mean?”

Lisa looked directly at her. “We had an encounter with… another you. A fake Rachel. Just like you all had with Ignis.”

Rachel’s blood ran cold. “What? Another me? So… there’s something down here that can create copies of people? Stronger versions of them?” Her voice trembled between fear and curiosity.

Marie nodded grimly. “That’s what it seems like. These things… they don’t just mimic people. They fight like them, but stronger, faster. As if they were made to surpass us.”

Ren’s eyes narrowed, his voice low. “Do we know anything about Kazuma and the others? Where they ended up?”

Rachel shook her head. “No… we’ve been separated from them since we got stuck down here. I haven’t seen or heard anything from their side…” She trailed off, her eyes suddenly widening as a terrifying realization struck her.

“What is it?” Ren asked, his gaze sharpening.

Rachel’s voice was tight, every word carrying weight. “If we had to fight a fake Ignis… and you had to fight a fake Rachel… then what if Kazuma and the others… also ran into one? What if they’re fighting one right now?”

The silence that followed was heavy. No one wanted to answer. No one wanted to imagine who—or what—the others might be facing.

“…It could be possible,” Marie finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

The group fell quiet, the weight of the thought pressing down on them. Ren, Rachel, Melissa, and Alex all exchanged looks. Their expressions had shifted from relief to something darker. A realization none of them wanted to say out loud but all of them felt.

Marie tilted her head, confused by the sudden silence. “Hey… what’s with you guys? Why are you all looking like that?”

Melissa swallowed hard, her voice low, serious, almost afraid. “…I just hope the fake they’re facing… isn’t who I think it is.”

To be continued...