A City on Edge
Solaris was no longer merely celebrating Aira Flameheart. It was beginning to depend on her.
Ever since her duel at the festival and her record-breaking trial through the Ember Coil, her name had become synonymous with "hope"—and for some, "danger."
The air was thick with tension. Monsters were behaving erratically in nearby dungeons. Small-scale attacks on outposts were being reported. Beast patterns were breaking norms.
The whispers of a Beast Tide—long feared, rarely spoken aloud—were beginning to circulate again.
But Aira wasn't focused on that just yet.
She had reached Level 15.
And the system was ready to evolve her further.
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System Notification: Talent Acquired
> Level Milestone Achieved: Level 15 New Talent Unlocked: Scorchstep — Teleportation via Fire Trails
> Scorchstep allows user to instantaneously travel between two or more flame anchors created in the environment. Maximum range: 30 meters. Cooldown: 8 seconds.
> Advanced Feature: Flame Recall — teleport instantly to any existing fire left behind within the last minute.
Aira stood alone on a high ridge outside the city walls, fire dancing between her fingertips. She smiled, testing the edges of her new power.
With a flick of her hand, she launched a spark onto a dry patch of earth twenty meters away. The fire blazed to life.
Then, she vanished.
In the next instant, she reappeared in the middle of the blaze, completely untouched, her crimson cloak swirling behind her.
> "Fast. Clean. Beautiful."
Scorchstep wasn't just a tool. It was a game-changer.
---
Back at Blazing Dawn
Kael was trying to meditate, Mira was cooking, and Korin was halfway into a drinking match with a mercenary when Aira returned.
"Guys," she said, fire still curling from her boots.
They all turned.
"I can teleport now."
Kael dropped his spellbook. Korin nearly choked on his drink. Mira just stared, wide-eyed.
"No way," said Kael.
Aira raised a hand.
"Watch."
With a smooth motion, she stepped into a summoned flame ring and appeared directly behind him.
Kael yelped.
"Okay okay okay, that's terrifying!"
Aira laughed. "Now we're ready for faster tactics. You move, I move faster."
---
Dungeon Challenge: The Howling Furnace
To test Scorchstep in real combat, the team chose a challenging new dungeon: The Howling Furnace, a mid-B-rank volcanic cavern known for aggressive fire elementals and heat-based traps.
It was the perfect crucible.
The Guild, still watching closely, approved the request—though with an unusually high number of official observers.
> "They want to see if I lose control," Aira muttered.
Inside the Howling Furnace, temperatures were nearly unbearable. Lava rivers divided platforms, and spouts of flame shot up randomly.
Kael was nearly incinerated during an early ambush, but Aira blinked across the battlefield, dragging him out with a Scorchstep just in time.
"Okay," he panted, "this skill might actually be unfair."
"Don't tell the Guild," Aira said with a wink.
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Tactical Mastery
Scorchstep wasn't just a movement skill. Aira quickly realized it could be used offensively.
She planted three fire anchors during a skirmish, circling a group of flamehounds.
When they charged, she Scorchstepped between them, striking from different angles in rapid succession, never staying in one place long enough to be hit.
By the time Mira's healing barrier went up, Aira had already downed the alpha beast.
Korin just stared.
"Have you been reading battle manuals in your sleep or something?"
"No," Aira said. "The fire teaches me."
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Guild Interference (Again)
After clearing the dungeon, an envoy from the Guild arrived in person.
This time, it wasn't Varien Thorne. It was an up-and-coming official named Lyria Vale, a high-level water mage known for her control and grace.
She wore an embroidered Guild coat and greeted them with a practiced smile.
> "Ms. Flameheart, congratulations on your new milestone. The Guild would like you to undergo a formal combat assessment. Against an elite unit. Standard protocol."
Aira folded her arms. "You mean another test."
"It's for the records."
Kael growled. "You people never stop."
But Aira nodded. "I'll do it."
---
The Mock Battle
In the Guild's private dueling arena, Aira faced off against five elite members of the Enforcement Division. Each specialized in counters to elemental talents.
One carried frost shackles. Another wielded a wind suppressor.
"Begin."
Instantly, they moved to surround her.
But Aira had already lit the floor.
Within seconds, flames erupted at key junctions—each one a teleport anchor.
The first soldier lunged.
Scorchstep.
Aira vanished from his reach and reappeared behind him, slamming him into the ground with a burst of flame.
The second and third tried to pin her with a combination of wind and frost.
Scorchstep. Flame Pulse. Flame Recall.
She danced between them like a ghost of fire.
Only the last one remained—a spear-wielder with anti-magic armor.
He charged.
Aira didn't move.
At the last moment, she exploded the fire around his feet, causing him to falter.
Then Scorchstepped above him, descended in a spinning flame kick, and knocked him out cold.
The arena was silent.
The official nodded, begrudgingly impressed.
> "Scorchstep evaluation complete: High-grade strategic mobility. Classified as elite-tier talent."
She smiled. "Told you."
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A New Path
Back at their quarters, the team celebrated. Kael mixed drinks (badly), Mira baked lavaweed biscuits, and Korin tried to spar with the innkeeper's cat.
Aira sat apart, watching the fire in the hearth.
She felt something shifting.
Her power was evolving. Her instincts were sharper. Her enemies more cautious.
And far, far away… something was calling.
A dream of ash and roars.
> "The tide is coming," she whispered to herself.
And her flame would be ready.
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System Notification (Private)
> You have mastered: Scorchstep. Hidden Path Unlocked: Ashstep (coming at Level 25)