Rising With My Mystic Power

THE EMBER’S GARDEN

The cavern trembled with the beast’s roar, the sound bouncing from wall to wall until it seemed the entire earth was screaming. Mordaine staggered back, shielding his eyes from the shards of crystal raining from the ceiling.

The creature loomed before him a hulking mass of molten rock, its chest pulsing with rivers of glowing magma. Jagged wings scraped against the cavern walls, showering sparks with every movement. Its eyes two burning furnaces locked on Mordaine.

The guardian had awoken. And it was not pleased.

Lyra grabbed Mordaine’s arm. “We have to run’’

Before she could finish, the guardian’s clawed hand came down like a falling mountain. Mordaine shoved her aside, rolling across the rough ground as stone shattered where they had been standing.

Heat blasted his face. The creature’s molten breath hissed against the air.

Mordaine’s instincts screamed to flee but the flame inside him surged, urging him forward. He could feel it tugging at him, like a chain pulling taut.

The guardian lumbered forward, wings spreading wide, filling the chamber with a storm of embers.

Mordaine rose, chest heaving. His hands shook, not from fear, but from the pressure building beneath his skin. The fire wanted out.

Lyra’s voice cut through the chaos. “It’s bound to the Ember! That thing won’t stop until one of us is dead or until you prove yourself!”

Her words sank like a dagger. Prove myself?

The guardian roared again and swung its tail. Mordaine leapt aside, barely avoiding the stone crushing force. His heart thundered in his ears.

No weapon. No spellbook. Just me.

The flame stirred. For the first time, he didn’t resist it. He opened himself, and the fire surged through his veins like liquid lightning. His hands lit, wrapped in blue fire that shimmered brighter than the guardian’s molten glow.

The guardian paused, its furnace eyes narrowing. It recognized the flame.

Mordaine exhaled, the heat spilling from his mouth like smoke. He raised his burning fists.

“I don’t know what I am,” he muttered, more to himself than to Lyra, “but I’m not going to die here.”

The guardian struck first. A clawed arm descended, glowing with magma. Mordaine dodged, flame sparking from his hands as he slid beneath the strike and slammed his palm against the creature’s rocky leg.

The cavern shook as fire exploded from his touch.

The guardian staggered, stone cracking along its molten veins. It howled, the sound shaking Mordaine’s bones.

For the first time, he had hurt it.

Lyra’s eyes widened. “You can fight it keep going!”

The flame inside him surged higher, threatening to consume him. His vision blurred at the edges, but his focus sharpened to a single point: the guardian’s glowing chest, where the magma pulsed strongest.

The heart.

Mordaine braced himself as the beast roared, drawing back for another devastating strike. His fire flared brighter, eager, hungry.

If I miss… if I lose control…

He didn’t let himself finish the thought.With a roar of his own, Mordaine charged straight into the guardian’s path.

The guardian’s claw swung down, fast as falling thunder. Mordaine threw himself forward, the heat in his chest surging until it felt like his ribs would crack. Fire burst from his palms as he dove beneath the strike, rolling across the glowing stone floor.

The beast’s talons raked sparks where he’d just been.

Mordaine didn’t hesitate. He launched himself upward, fire coating his fist, and struck the guardian’s chest with all his strength.

A thunderous crack split the air. Flames erupted where his fist connected, burning across the molten veins like wildfire racing through dry grass. The guardian roared, staggering back, its furnace eyes blazing with fury.

Mordaine gasped for breath. His hands were shaking violently, the skin glowing faintly blue from the flame inside. He could barely hold it it wanted to consume everything, even him.

“Control it!” Lyra shouted, her voice sharp. She had drawn a dagger, its silver edge gleaming faintly in the heat. “If you let it loose, you’ll burn yourself alive!”

“I don’t have a choice!” Mordaine snarled, his voice breaking.

The guardian reared back, magma boiling across its wings. It slammed both claws into the ground, and the cavern split open with rivers of molten fire. The chamber shook violently, sending rocks crashing from the ceiling.

Mordaine’s knees buckled, but the flame inside him surged to meet the challenge. He could feel its will wild, ancient, demanding. It wasn’t just power. It was hunger.

The guardian lunged.

Mordaine screamed and let the fire pour through him. His body blurred with heat, blue flames wrapping him like armor. He dashed forward with impossible speed, slipping past the guardian’s molten strikes. The cavern itself seemed to bend with the force of his momentum.

His target was clear: the glowing chest, the beast’s heart.

With a final surge, Mordaine leapt. His fist blazed brighter than the guardian’s magma, a star erupting in the dark cavern. He struck the heart dead center.

The impact was blinding.

A shockwave ripped through the cavern. Stone walls cracked, magma rivers exploded into steam, and the guardian let out one last deafening roar. Its molten chest shattered, flames and molten rock spewing outward like the eruption of a volcano.

Mordaine was thrown back, crashing into the ground. Pain shot through his body. The fire still burned inside him, but now it raged out of control, spilling flames across the cavern floor. His vision blurred, his chest tightening until he could barely breathe.

“—Mordaine!”

Lyra’s voice cut through the haze. She was at his side, her hand pressing against his chest. Her silver dagger glowed as she whispered words he couldn’t understand old, sharp syllables that cut through the fire in his veins.

The flames recoiled, hissing as if in protest. Slowly, agonizingly, the burning in his chest dimmed to a steady glow. Mordaine gasped, the world snapping back into focus.

The cavern was quiet. The guardian lay in pieces, its molten veins cooling into black stone.

He had won.

But at what cost?

Mordaine sat up slowly, still trembling. “I… I almost lost myself.”

Lyra’s face was pale, her hand lingering on his chest longer than necessary. “You would have, if I hadn’t—” She cut herself off, withdrawing her hand. Her eyes were sharp, guarded again.

“You know more about this power than you’re telling me,” Mordaine said hoarsely.

For a heartbeat, she didn’t deny it. Her silence spoke volumes.

Then she stood, sheathing her dagger. “Get up. We don’t have time to linger. If the guardian was here, it means someone wanted to keep you away from this place. And if you destroyed it…” She glanced at the shattered beast. “…others will know.”

Mordaine pushed himself to his feet, every muscle aching. The flame still pulsed within him, quieter now, but not gone. Never gone.

He met Lyra’s gaze. “Then I guess I just made myself a target.”

Her expression softened for a fraction of a second. “You already were.”