The underground chamber beneath the station felt like a tomb—wide, dark, and breathing heat like it had lungs of magma. Faint veins of glowing red pulsed through the cracked stone floor. The air shimmered with residual heat. I wiped sweat from my brow before training had even begun.
"Welcome to the kennel," Cerberus muttered, tossing a massive chunk of concrete aside like it was a pebble. "Was a bomb shelter, once. Now it's mine."
Aria stood near the edge, arms crossed. Watching. Judging. Probably praying I wouldn't get gutted by a hellhound today.
"Take off your jacket," Cerberus barked.
"What?"
"You're sweating like a pig in a sauna. Take. It. Off."
I obeyed.
He cracked his knuckles. "Let's start with basics. Show me that little fire trick of yours. No pressure. Just don't burn my floor. Or yourself."
I focused. The memory of the golden flame still buzzed in my fingertips like static. I raised my palm—and tried.
A flicker. A weak spark.
Nothing more.
Cerberus scratched his head. "Wow. That was... embarrassing."
I grit my teeth. "It worked before."
"Yeah, when you were about to die. That wasn't control. That was panic. Survival instinct. You don't own your fire yet. Right now, it owns you."
He circled me like a wolf assessing meat. "You think Lucifer won the respect of Hell because he could shoot flames from his hands? Fire's not power. It's will. Flame is only the expression. Understand?"
I didn't. Not really. But I nodded.
Cerberus stopped. "Alright, Ashling. Let me ask you a question."
"Okay?"
"What's the first thing fire does?"
I blinked. "It burns?"
"No. It consumes." He stepped closer. His voice lowered. "Fire eats everything in its path. Good. Evil. Wood. Flesh. Bone. It doesn't discriminate. You don't become strong by learning to shoot fire. You become strong by choosing what to let burn."
That…hit.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Ready for wha—"
He lunged.
A blur of muscle and fury. I barely raised my arms before his fist crashed into my side. I flew across the chamber, slammed into a stone pillar, and crumpled.
Stars danced in my vision. My ribs screamed.
"What the hell?!" I wheezed.
Cerberus walked toward me slowly. "Lesson one: Pain teaches faster than words."
I struggled to my feet. "You're insane."
"And you're slow. Again."
The next blow came lower. I ducked—barely—and tried to punch back. It was like hitting a wall. He didn't even flinch.
"Where's your flame, Ashling?" he roared.
"I can't summon it on command!"
"Then make it angry!"
He slammed a fist into the floor. A shockwave of heat exploded outward. I was flung backward again. My knuckles were bleeding.
I was exhausted. Broken.
But…
There it was. That ember again. In my chest. In my soul.
It wanted to come out.
I stood—gasping—and screamed.
Golden fire erupted around me in a wild arc, not in a blast, but like wings spreading open. The heat didn't scare me this time. It welcomed me.
Cerberus stepped back, eyes gleaming.
"Better," he growled. "Still sloppy, but better."
The fire dimmed, and I dropped to one knee.
Aria finally stepped forward, her voice cautious. "He's just beginning. Don't push him too fast."
Cerberus didn't look at her. His gaze was still on me. "He's got more in him than just fire. I can feel it. Smell it."
I looked up. "What do you mean?"
He crouched beside me, voice lower now. "Lucifer wasn't just flame. He wielded wrath like a blade. Commanded shadows. He walked through dreams, Kai. Touched memory. Fire was only one of his gifts."
My breath caught.
"You've inherited more than you know," Cerberus said. "But you'll only find it through battle. Through pain."
I looked at my bruised fists. My scorched arms.
And nodded.
"Good," he said. "Now get up. Training starts now."