"Your flame is not yours alone. It carries every choice, every loss, every soul you've ever burned for."
— Yna, Dominion Analyst
---
STORM IN THE BLOOD
Rain slammed against the Ignis Dominion's dome like the world itself wanted in.
But this wasn't weather. It was consequence.
When too many aura flames clashed inside the mountain—especially after Trial Week—the Dominion's inner pressure triggered a storm. Not symbolic. Scientific. The kind that fried birds mid-flight and carved lightning glyphs into the sky.
Inside, the mess hall felt like a different planet. Warm. Buzzing. But heavy. As if every student could feel the burn lingering in the air.
Renzo sat alone.
The corner booth, under the flickering amber lights, had become his refuge. His tray steamed with bland, nutrient-dense meat cubes and rehydrated rice paste—flavorless, functional. Fuel, not food.
His upgraded wristband blinked softly beside the tray.
> Flame Class: Igniter — Yellow. Stability: 81%.
Most students were still Red, maybe Orange at best. Yellow made you visible. A signal flare in a room full of embers.
People noticed now.
They didn't speak to him. But they stared. Whispered. Paused their training sims when he walked past.
They'd all seen what happened in the Pyre Pit.
They saw him win.
But it didn't feel like victory.
It felt like weight. Like walking with a target on his back.
---
NEW BONDS
Kael dropped into the seat across from him, somehow balancing a tray stacked with three steaming protein bowls.
"You looked like death two days ago," Kael said. "Now you just look like someone who pays rent. Progress."
Renzo gave a tired half-smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Yna slid in next to Kael, holopad already glowing in her palm, charts dancing.
"Your flame readings suggest you're pushing into upper Yellow resonance already," she said without preamble. "At this rate, you could spike into White Class within six months. Maybe less."
Renzo blinked. "Is that… good?"
Kael choked on a noodle. "That's insane."
Yna nodded, not looking up. "Most initiates spend years trying to stabilize Yellow. Yours is evolving like it's chasing something."
"Or running from something," Kael added.
Yna finally looked up. "Flames don't run. They consume. His just happens to be… hungrier than most."
Kael leaned forward, voice lower now. "You're not the only one who's noticed. There are… others."
Renzo's eyes narrowed. "Others like me?"
Kael hesitated. Then:
"There's one. The transfer student. Came in last night."
---
RIVAL FLAME: DREI LUCENT
The training yard fell quiet the moment the gate opened.
Even the rain dimmed against the energy field as the new figure stepped forward—hooded in gray, silver hair tied back with obsidian cord. He moved like a shadow given discipline.
But his flame gave him away.
Not red. Not orange. Not even yellow.
Blue.
Cold. Controlled. Monstrously precise.
Frost formed beneath his boots as he walked—ice laced with flickering sapphire flame. Like winter had learned how to burn.
Yna's breath caught. "Drei Lucent," she whispered. "Transferred from the Icelandic division. Blazer Class. Top combatant in his rank."
Kael muttered, "They say his flame formed the day his twin brother died. Blue's rare. Only deep emotional repression can freeze a fire that hot."
Renzo watched as Drei moved toward the center of the yard without speaking. He extended one hand and flared his aura.
The training dummies around him exploded into snow and ash.
Their eyes met.
Drei looked directly at Renzo—not with challenge, not with interest. With recognition.
Then, silently, he turned away.
---
FLASHBACK – VERUS' SANCTUM
> "Give him a rival," Verus had ordered. "One who'll fan his flame… until it burns everything."
In a vault where the stars bled into data, the god Verus leaned over the inert form of Drei Lucent.
He didn't speak commands. Didn't implant thoughts.
Just... seeded intent.
A whisper of celestial directive.
Find the boy. Test him. Break him, if he resists.
---
TRAINING: SYNCHRONIZATION DRILL
Instructor Dal stood like a statue before the assembled class, the training dome humming behind him.
"Today, we begin synchronization exercises," he barked. "Mastery of Shadowsidian armor requires dual-resonance attunement. You'll pair up and attempt flame harmonization."
Kael grinned and nudged Renzo. "Let's sync up, bro. I run hot, you run hotter—what could go wrong?"
But Dal raised a hand.
"No. Renzo pairs with… Drei Lucent."
The murmurs started immediately.
Even Yna glanced up from her pad, eyes narrowing.
Drei said nothing. He simply stepped forward, blue flame already flickering along his fingertips.
Renzo hesitated, then followed him into the Synchronization Chamber.
The room sealed with a hiss. Glyphs lit up across the floor.
> Initiating Sync Drill. Warning: Emotional dissonance may cause flame repulsion or spontaneous backlash.
They pressed palms together.
Blue met Yellow.
It was like clashing thermonuclear cores.
For a moment, time itself seemed to stall.
Then—
CRACK.
A backlash detonated between them. Renzo was hurled into the dome wall. Sparks rained from the ceiling. Drei stood unmoved.
Dal shook his head. "Zero compatibility."
Yna's voice came quietly through the comms.
> "Renzo's flame doesn't just reject Drei. It recognizes something. Like it's… warning him."
---
NIGHTFALL – RAIN CONTINUES
Renzo stood at the edge of the observatory tower, eyes locked on the storm rolling across the sky.
The rain didn't touch him. A thin shimmer of flame formed a shell against the elements.
But inside, his flame pulsed uneasily.
Not in anger.
In warning.
He exhaled, breath steaming. The silence around him wasn't empty—it was pregnant. Loaded.
Then, a whisper behind him:
> "You're not ready for what's coming."
He spun around—flame flaring on instinct.
But there was no one there.
Just the wind. The echo of a whisper that had never been spoken aloud.
Above, hidden beyond the storm clouds, Verus watched from his sanctum.
He saw Renzo's flame now—brighter than before. Almost... defiant.
He curled a golden fist over the astral chart, cracking the crystalline constellation.
> "Let's see how brightly you burn," Verus whispered,
"when I send my Seraphim Hunter."