Flames danced around Aira's hands, flickering not from spellcasting—but from existence.
She sat alone atop the academy's northern training cliff, her legs folded beneath her as glowing embers circled like lazy fireflies. The sun hadn't yet risen, but the sky was tinged violet, and the air held the crisp stillness of dawn.
LEVEL: 5
Talent Unlocked: Phoenix Heart
→ Passive Regeneration: +5% HP/sec when in proximity to fire
→ Immunity to fire and heat-based damage
→ Awakening Potential: 1%
"The Phoenix never dies—it burns to be born again."
The moment she crossed Level 5, something inside her had cracked open. Not violently. Not painfully. Like a locked door swinging wide.
Since then, the fire no longer felt like a force she controlled.
It felt like a limb.
She closed her eyes and focused on her hand. Sparks flared to life along her skin, wrapping her forearm in a layer of controlled flame. Her mana didn't drop. Her body didn't strain.
It felt… natural. As if she'd been born in a volcano.
Phoenix Heart: Stable
Regeneration Active
Current HP: 100%
Mana: 97%
Flame Affinity: Enhanced
She took a slow breath, letting the fire roll down her arm and pool into her palm. The warmth was soothing, like being held.
Then the stillness shattered.
CLANG.
A fireball exploded in the air above her—not hers.
She sprang to her feet just as a bolt of compressed flame whizzed past her head and slammed into the stone wall behind her.
From the edge of the ridge, a figure stepped out—grinning.
"Impressive control," said Zayden Voss, a third-year prodigy and heir to the Crimson Crest Guild. His uniform was lined with enchanted embroidery. His eyes glinted with confidence—and cruelty.
"You're the SSS brat everyone's obsessing over?"
Aira's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"Nothing much. Just curious. Thought I'd see what happens when a candle like you meets real fire."
Another blast came at her, faster this time.
She didn't dodge.
Instead, she walked through it.
The flame bent around her like mist.
Zayden blinked. "What the—?"
Aira's body glowed faintly, embers flickering along her skin.
Phoenix Heart: Flame Immunity Confirmed
External heat source detected: Fueling passive regeneration.
Her wounds, even the small scratch from training earlier, vanished instantly.
"Cute tricks," she said calmly. "Want to see what real flame looks like?"
She raised her hand.
FWOOOOOM.
A torrent of fire erupted, but not as a typical blast—it curved mid-air like a living serpent, slammed Zayden's barrier from the side, and cracked it open with sheer heat.
He staggered back, coughing. "You—!"
But she was already in front of him, heat radiating like a furnace.
"I'm not a candle," she whispered. "I'm the spark that starts the blaze."
Zayden's next spell fizzled before he could even finish it.
The fire around Aira consumed ambient mana. Not violently—but possessively.
His fire, in her presence, didn't obey him anymore.
Later, word spread like wildfire—literally.
Aira Flameheart walked through another flame user's spell and didn't flinch. She heals in fire. She is fire.
And tucked away in her system interface, a new notification appeared.
Phoenix Resonance: 25%
Next Awakening Threshold: 50%
"When your heart burns brighter than your fear, you will rise again."
She wasn't just growing stronger.
She was transforming into something no one had seen in generations.