The air between them shattered as Aarav and the black-armored warrior clashed once more.
Their fists met in a violent collision—fire against sheer brute force. The resulting shockwave sent bodies flying, splitting the very ground beneath their feet.
Aarav's vision burned red. His flames had never felt like this before—uncontrolled, untamed. They no longer obeyed him.
They wanted more.
The warrior grinned, blood dripping from his mouth. "Now this… this is a fight."
His next attack was a blur—a knee strike to Aarav's ribs, followed by an elbow crashing down toward his skull.
Aarav dodged—barely.
The elbow strike missed his head by an inch, smashing into the ground instead.
The earth beneath them ruptured.
Aarav twisted his body, his flames surging instinctively. He pivoted midair, planting his foot into the warrior's jaw with a devastating roundhouse kick.
For the first time, the warrior reeled backward.
Aarav landed, his fists blazing.
But something felt… wrong.
His flames, once an extension of his will, were moving on their own.
They weren't just attacking.
They were hunting.
The warrior chuckled, wiping the blood from his lip. "You feel it, don't you?"
Aarav didn't respond. He could barely focus. His own flames were whispering to him.
Demanding something.
More.
More fire.
More destruction.
More power.
Aarav clenched his fists. He wouldn't lose control. Not now.
The warrior exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That power inside you… it's not normal flame. It's something else. Something… ancient."
He grinned.
"Let's see how far you can push it."
Then, he charged.
And this time, he wasn't holding back.
The warrior's charge was relentless.
Aarav barely had time to brace before a maelstrom of attacks crashed into him. Each blow was like a war hammer, rattling his bones, shaking his insides.
Left hook. Aarav blocked, but his arm went numb.
A knee to the ribs. He twisted to avoid it, but pain still flared in his side.
Then—a brutal elbow strike to the chest.
Aarav's vision blurred as he staggered backward. His lungs screamed for air. He needed space—time to recover.
But the warrior wasn't giving him any.
The man moved like a storm, unrelenting, merciless. Every step brought him closer. Every attack carried the weight of a monster.
Aarav growled, his instincts screaming.
If he kept defending, he'd lose.
His flames surged, his blood boiling.
So he did the only thing he could.
He let go.
Let the fire take control.
And everything changed.
The next time the warrior swung—Aarav didn't dodge.
He stepped into the attack.
Fist met flesh. But this time, Aarav didn't feel pain.
His flames swallowed the force of the blow.
The warrior's golden eyes widened. Aarav's fire wasn't just burning anymore.
It was devouring.
Aarav exhaled, his body surging forward. His flames weren't just an extension of him now.
They were a part of him.
Unchained. Uncontrollable. Unstoppable.
The warrior chuckled, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"That's it." He cracked his knuckles. "Now show me what that fire can really do."
Aarav raised his fists, his flames roaring to life.
Fine.
If this was a trial by fire…
Then he'd burn through it.
The moment Aarav let go, the fire became something else.
It was no longer just an extension of him.
It was alive.
The flames surged like a living entity, twisting around his body in writhing tendrils. His skin didn't burn. His veins didn't rupture. Instead, he felt lighter. Faster. Hungrier.
And in front of him, the warrior grinned.
"Good." His voice was filled with anticipation. "Now fight me properly."
Aarav didn't hesitate.
He launched forward, the ground beneath him exploding into cinders.
The warrior braced, but this time—Aarav was faster.
He struck with pure speed, pure ferocity.
A right hook—drenched in flame.
The warrior blocked, but his gauntlet sizzled as Aarav's fire ate through the metal.
A knee to the gut—Aarav felt ribs crack.
A spinning kick—the warrior's head snapped to the side.
For the first time, Aarav was pushing him back.
The black-armored warrior stumbled. Smoke rose from his armor as Aarav's fire continued to burn.
Aarav exhaled, his breath like steam. "Not so untouchable now, are you?"
The warrior wiped blood from his lip, then laughed.
"Good. Good. That fire of yours… it's more than just power."
His golden eyes gleamed.
"It's hunger."
Aarav stiffened.
The flames around him flickered, almost in response to the warrior's words.
Hunger.
The fire wasn't just burning.
It was consuming.
And for the first time, Aarav wondered—was he wielding the flames… or were they wielding him?
The warrior's grin widened. "You feel it, don't you?"
Aarav's fingers clenched into fists.
He had no time for doubts.
If his fire was changing, then he'd master it.
Before it mastered him.
Aarav raised his fists again, his flames roaring.
"Enough talking." He locked eyes with the warrior. "Let's finish this."
Aarav's body felt like it was on the edge of something vast.
His fire was no longer just an ability—it was alive, breathing, waiting.
The warrior took a step forward, rolling his shoulders. His golden eyes gleamed with something raw, something primal. "Come, then. Show me if you can control it."
Aarav inhaled. Then he moved.
Faster than before.
The world blurred as he closed the distance—one second, two, and then—
Contact.
His fist slammed into the warrior's chest, but this time, the fire didn't just burn.
It pierced.
Flames coiled around his arm like serpents, driving through the warrior's armor, devouring it piece by piece.
The warrior staggered, his mouth parting in surprise.
Aarav twisted, launching a follow-up strike. A burning elbow to the ribs, then a spinning back-kick to the jaw.
Every strike landed.
The warrior reeled backward, armor peeling away like molten wax.
For the first time, he looked… mortal.
Aarav's breath came ragged. His flames wanted more.
More power. More destruction.
But he forced himself to stay in control.
The warrior wiped the blood from his lips. Then—he laughed.
A deep, thunderous laugh.
"Yes." He exhaled, straightening. "That's what I wanted to see."
Aarav narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The warrior simply grinned.
"You passed."
Then, he stepped back, lifted his arms—and let his body fall into the flames.
Aarav's eyes widened. "Wait—!"
But it was too late.
The warrior's body vanished, consumed by the fire.
And in his place, a mark etched itself into the ground—glowing, ancient, waiting.
Aarav's breath hitched.
A trial.
That's what this had been.
The warrior was never fighting to win.
He was testing Aarav.
And Aarav had no idea what that meant.
He stared at the burning mark, his flames flickering wildly around him.
Then, from somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered.
"Your fire is awake now, boy. But do you know what it means to wield it?"
Aarav clenched his fists.
No.
But he would find out.
---