The training ground of the Fire Academy shimmered beneath the weight of the mid-morning sun, its stone tiles gleaming like a furnace floor.
Even in the open air, heat clung to the courtyard as though the entire city of Pyrelith exhaled fire through its pores.
Students lined the ground in rows, their crisp uniforms spotless, their weapons polished to a mirror sheen some stood rigid with discipline, while others smirked with arrogance, their noble crests embroidered proudly onto their shoulders.
The air was taut with expectation, for today was no ordinary drill.
Today was the elemental affinity test.
It was tradition older than the Academy itself the test that separated dreamers from successors, pretenders from chosen flames.
At the far end of the courtyard stood the ritual brazier, a colossal bowl carved from blackstone, its edges etched with fire runes that pulsed faintly with dormant mana.
The flames within slept like a beast waiting to be roused, answering only to those who could command fire with their essence.
"In order!" barked Instructor Varian his hawk-like eyes swept across the lines, missing nothing his crimson cloak, the mark of a senior fire mage, whipped in the hot breeze.
"One by one. You will call upon your flame you will show your worth. Strength is praised, weakness is scorned step forward when called."
The first student strode out confidently, a noble boy with fiery red hair that practically screamed of lineage.
He raised his palm over the brazier and exhaled smoothly the flames answered instantly, leaping upward in a roaring column.
Cheers erupted from the nobles standing behind him.
"Ha! Just as expected from House Rynel!" someone shouted.
"His flame nearly touched the warding sigil!" another gasped.
Varian gave only a curt nod "Pass next."
A girl followed her flame flickered smaller, steady but weak. Whispers spread like gossiping sparks some snickered. Others muttered about "lowborn limits " Still, Varian's tone remained flat: "Acceptable Next."
And so it went flames of all sizes, from blazing infernos to pitiful sparks, drew cheers, laughter, or cruel jeers. The crowd's energy rose with each display, anticipation mounting for both brilliance and failure.
At the back of the line stood Alex.
His heart thundered against his ribs, a frantic rhythm that drowned out the noises around him.
His palms were clammy despite the sweltering heat.
He forced himself to breathe, but every inhale scraped like sandpaper through his throat.
"That's him, isn't it?"
The whispers slithered toward him, crueler than the sun's heat.
"The half-blood."
"The one who couldn't summon even a cinder yesterday."
"Pfft. Watch, he'll embarrass himself again."
Alex clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened he had grown used to whispers, to stares that weighed like chains. Yet here, in this courtyard where flame defined worth, their voices cut deeper than ever.
No. Not again. Not here.
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling Keal's steady voice during their forest drills.
"Balance your stance. Feel the ground. Fire isn't only destruction, Alex it's life, too. Guide it, don't fight it."
For a moment, the memory steadied him. He imagined his brother's hand correcting his grip on a practice sword, Mara's soothing lullabies when he was younger, Father's calm words about enduring storms. He clung to those fragments like lifelines.
But then "Alexander Eryndor."
Varian's sharp voice cut across the courtyard like a blade. Every head turned.
Alex's stomach lurched.
His legs felt like stone, yet somehow he willed them forward each step echoed too loud in his ears, as though the tiles beneath stretched into an endless gauntlet.
He reached the brazier, the dormant runes glowing faintly in anticipation.
"Place your hand above the flame," Varian ordered.
Alex raised his hand Trembling his skin prickled from the brazier's heat the runes brightened faintly acknowledging his presence, but waiting Demanding.
He drew in a breath, deeper than any before, and reached inward. Into himself. Searching.
…Nothing.
The brazier remained cold, lifeless.
Snickers broke the silence.
"See? Empty."
"Not even a spark."
"Hah! He's wasting everyone's time."
The laughter built like fire feeding on dry wood some students cupped their hands and blew into them mockingly, fake sparks flying as they doubled over in laughter. Others mimed coughing smoke, pretending to choke on flames that weren't there.
Alex's throat tightened. He bit his lip until he tasted iron. He couldn't let it end like this. He couldn't.
Again, he reached deeper. Past his fear. Past his exhaustion. He clawed inward, searching for even a scrap of warmth.
And then
A flicker.
The brazier pulsed faintly for a heartbeat, its runes glimmered brighter. A shimmer of light danced on the surface then died.
"Ahahahaha!" The laughter roared louder than ever.
"Did you see that? He sneezed on it!"
"Half-blood trash!"
Even some instructors shook their heads, disappointment plain.
Varian's eyes narrowed "Enough" The courtyard fell silent under his tone. "Alexander Eryndor insufficient elemental affinitn step back"
"Wait!"
Alex's voice cracked but carried his whole body trembled, yet his hand stayed raised over the brazier "One more chance please."
Varian's gaze sharpened. "This is not a place for begging you are capable or you are not."
But Alex refused to move his breath came ragged, his eyes blazing not with flame but with stubbornness.
I can't step backni swore for Keal, for Lyanna, for Mara ,For Father , For myself.
He screamed inwardly, a plea tearing at his soul please just once let me ignite.
And then
[System Notice: Hidden Quest Activated.]
Quest: Awaken the Flame.
Condition: Produce fire mana under life-threatening pressure.
Failure: Permanent Elemental Stagnation.
Reward: Flame Affinity (Minor), +50 EXP.
Alex froze the glowing words etched into his vision, burning with urgency.
Life-threatening pressure.
He shuddered, realization dawning the System wasn't going to hand him a spark he had to be pushed past breaking.
Varian studied him a moment, then exhaled slowly "So be it."
He raised a hand Mana surged the brazier roared to life, flames exploding upward in a searing torrent. Heat slammed into Alex's body like a wall, suffocating, merciless.
"Endure," Varian commanded coldly, "or fail."
The fire licked his skin, burning, blistering sweat poured in rivers. His breath came in gasps, lungs choking on heat every instinct screamed: run, flee, survive.
But Alex dug his heels in. His legs quivered, yet held.
I won't run. Not again.
Memories broke loose, flashing like lightning Keal's bloodied body shielding him from raiders. Mara's dying whisper: Live on. Lyanna's laughter, tiny hands clapping when he swung a practice blade. Father's calm voice: Stand, son even in the storm stand.
They were gone But they lived in him.
"AHHHHHH!"
He roared, thrusting his hand deeper into the blaze agony seared him but then something cracked open inside. A warmth surged, not from the brazier, but from his chest.
The flames bent.
Gasps rippled across the courtyard.
A shimmer appeared in his palm first smoke then a glow finally a flicker of fire.
Tiny ,Fragile , Trembling but real.
The courtyard fell silent even the cruelest voices choked off in disbelief.
The System chimed.
[Hidden Quest Complete.]
Reward: Flame Affinity (Minor) Unlocked. +50 EXP.
New Skill Obtained: Ember Spark (Lv.1).
[Status Updated.]
Name: Alexander Eryndor
Level: 5
HP: 65/65
MP: 45/45
Strength: 12
Vitality: 13
Agility: 11
Intelligence: 10
Charisma: 12
Swordsmanship: Lv. 5(45%)
Elemental Affinity: Fire (Minor)
Skill Unlocked: Ember Spark (Lv.1) – Conjure a small flame, weak but stable.
Alex's eyes widened the flicker wavered on his palm, fragile as a candle in a storm, yet it was his. Proof.
Tears blurred his vision he laughed a broken, breathless sound. It wasn't power. Not yet. But it was a beginning.
"He… he did it?"
"Impossible. He actually lit a flame?"
"No way… after all that?"
Whispers filled the silence, awe mixing with disbelief. Some sneered still: "It's barely a spark." But others watched with wary eyes, as if seeing him anew.
Varian's hawk gaze lingered for a long moment, unreadable. Then, at last, the faintest curve touched his lips. "A late bloomer… but not a failure."
Alex collapsed to his knees, cradling the flame. His chest heaved, his body screamed, but his smile blazed brighter than his flicker.
He had done it.
He had awakened.
And deep within, he swore: This spark… I'll grow it into a fire they can never laugh at again.