Aira Flameheart: Rising Star or Growing Threat?
Solaris City still echoed with the name "Flameheart."
After the festival duel, Aira's name had become synonymous with rising power—SSS-level fire talent, Inferno Domain, Phoenix Heart. Children wore paper flames on their shoulders, pretending to be her. Posters and crude illustrations of her victory over Lord Cassian were sold at merchant stalls. Local performers reenacted her fights with exaggerated bursts of fire powder.
But not everyone celebrated her fame.
The upper echelons of the Dungeon Guild—an organization older than most nations—began asking a new question:
> "What happens when a flame grows too wild to control?"
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In the Halls of Regulation
Far beneath the main Guild tower in Solaris, a secret meeting took place. Five figures sat around a luminous crystal table. The walls shimmered with warding glyphs, ensuring privacy against even the most powerful eavesdropping.
Grand Investigator Varien Thorne, clad in obsidian robes with silver trim, addressed the room.
"She's advanced at an exponential rate," he said. "Inferno Domain activated by level ten. Phoenix Heart by level five. And now, after a public duel, she's destabilizing guild hierarchies."
"She's a beacon of hope," one woman countered, a member of the Guild's Outreach Division.
"She's a threat," muttered Varien. "Power like that bends laws of nature. We've seen what happens when such individuals go unchecked."
Another nodded grimly. "Order must prevail over chaos. Even when chaos wears the face of a sixteen-year-old prodigy."
The decision was unanimous.
Aira Flameheart was to be monitored.
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Observation Begins
It started subtly. A new guild liaison assigned to Blazing Dawn. Routine check-ins. Requests for battle recordings after dungeon raids. Then came the mandatory party registration logs. Guild-sent observers arrived at dungeon entrances.
Kael noticed first. "We're being tracked."
Korin snorted. "Good. Let them see how badass we are."
Mira was less optimistic. "This isn't praise. It's surveillance."
Aira? She said nothing. But her fire burned a little hotter that night.
At the inn they were staying in, Aira sat alone in the courtyard, staring at the sky. She'd always known power came with a price. But she didn't expect the Dungeon Guild to be this quick—or this coordinated.
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The Guild's Internal Memoranda
Within the Guild's internal network, encrypted scrolls began to circulate:
> "Subject: Flameheart, Aira – Close Monitoring Required. Recommend tactical evaluations and controlled exposure to higher-class dungeons."
> "Not to be provoked. Evaluate leadership influence over her party."
> "Possesses strong emotional control – unexpected. Dangerous if turned against Guild interests."
Guild officers began inserting themselves into Blazing Dawn's requests—changing dungeon assignments, issuing "mandatory evaluations," and occasionally redirecting them away from active hot zones with questionable excuses.
Some lower-level officials even began spreading rumors—whispers that Aira's power had dark origins. That she wasn't a gifted prodigy, but a vessel for something ancient.
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Guild Directive: Test and Tame
Weeks passed. The Guild's next move came cloaked as generosity.
A personal letter arrived for Aira.
> **"You have been selected for a unique challenge dungeon trial — The Ember Coil. Completion rewards include a Guild-sanctioned artifact and advancement certification."
Kael frowned. "That smells like a test."
"It is a test," Aira replied.
She accepted it anyway.
Blazing Dawn protested, especially Mira.
"What if it's a trap? They're isolating you on purpose."
"Then I'll burn my way out," Aira said, calmly.
---
The Ember Coil Trial
Deep within the Core Vaults, the Ember Coil was a labyrinth of enchanted flame meant to test fire-aligned talents. Built centuries ago by pyromancers and wardmasters, it responded dynamically to the mindset and emotions of its challenger.
Only one rule governed it:
> "Your flame must not consume you."
Inside, Aira was alone.
She faced illusions—visions of herself losing control, burning allies, scorching entire cities. Her Phoenix Heart pulsed rapidly. Her Inferno Domain flickered in resistance.
The heat grew oppressive. Her sweat evaporated the moment it left her skin. Shadows mocked her, mimicking her voice.
At one point, the Ember Coil summoned a holographic Kael, begging her to stop, blaming her for destruction she hadn't caused. Aira gritted her teeth, held her fire back, and whispered, "This is a lie."
The illusion vanished.
At the core chamber, she found a final trial: a mirrored clone of herself, twisted with arrogance and wrath.
"You're afraid," the clone hissed, eyes alight with chaotic fire. "Afraid you'll lose control. Afraid of your own power."
Aira didn't answer.
She unleashed her true Domain—not in anger, but in discipline. Her fire wrapped around her body like armor, condensed, precise.
The mirrored self burned to light.
The trial shattered.
> System Update: Phoenix Resonance 87% Title Gained: Ember-Balanced Gift Unlocked: Flamecore Mantle — Enhances flame resistance and emotional stability during overload.
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Post-Trial Evaluation
Guild records show Aira completed the Ember Coil in record time.
Varien Thorne reviewed the footage personally in the Hall of Mirrors.
"She's not losing control," he admitted to his assistant.
Then he frowned. "But she's not backing down either."
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Aira's Meeting with the Guild
The next day, during a mandatory follow-up meeting at the Guild tower, Aira stood before three high-ranking officers in a room lined with enchanted crystals and silencing wards.
They praised her.
Commended her.
Offered her Guild-provided equipment and future backing.
Aira accepted politely. Bowed.
Then said quietly:
> "I know you're watching. That's fine. But understand this—" "If you try to cage this fire, it will burn through everything."
She turned and left the hall in silence.
Behind her, the Guild officers exchanged looks.
One muttered, "I think we just got our warning."
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Guild Internal Report – Confidential
> Subject: Flameheart, Aira
Status: Active Threat Level - Yellow
Recommendation: Ongoing surveillance. Delay access to S-rank content until leadership influence is stabilized. Do not provoke.
Note: Maintain political optics. Public opinion strongly favors her.
Encrypted Addendum: She may be a candidate for containment, should external conditions shift.
---
In the Shadows
Outside Solaris, a cloaked figure watched a magical projec
tion of Aira leaving the Guild.
"She's ready," he whispered.
Beside him, a beast-shaped shadow rumbled. "Then the tide can begin."
The first signs of the incoming Beast Tide had begun to stir.