Wielder Of The Dragon Flame

Chapter 23

Jabber was silent for a long moment, his eyes on the ground. When he finally spoke, his voice was even quieter than usual.

 "I can manifest the Sun Arising Flame. It's... it's a wide-area flame type. Not focused like a fire bolt or concentrated like a flame blade. It spreads out, covering large spaces. Good for controlling areas, keeping multiple enemies at bay, and creating barriers."

He paused, his jaw tightening.

 "But I can't control it well. Sometimes it doesn't come when I call it. Sometimes it comes too strong and I can't stop it. The Sunset Clan is known for precision control of their flames, but I..." 

He trailed off, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

 "I'm fast though. Faster than I look. And I'm good at reading fights, at knowing when to move and when to hold position."

"Can you show us?" 

Mira asked, not unkindly. 

"The flame, I mean. Even if it's not controlled, we should see what we're working with."

Jabber's head snapped up, his eyes widening slightly with what looked like panic. 

"I... I don't think that's a good idea. If I lose control here, I could hurt someone. Could hurt all of you."

"We'll stand back."

 Flora said reasonably.

 "Give you plenty of space. We need to see it, Jabber. How can we incorporate your abilities into our strategies if we don't know what they look like?"

Jabber looked trapped, his gaze darting between them like he was searching for an escape route. His breathing had quickened, his whole body tense.

"Hey."

 Asta said, stepping closer to him. Not too close,he didn't want to crowd him,but close enough that 

Jabber could see his face clearly. 

"You don't have to if you really don't want to. But... we're your team now. Your guild. If something goes wrong, we're here. We'll handle it together."

Jabber's eyes met his, and for a moment Asta saw real fear there. Not fear of them, but fear of himself, fear of his own power and what it might do.

"Just try." 

Asta said quietly. 

"That's all anyone can ask. Just try."

Another long silence. Then, slowly, Jabber nodded. 

"Okay. But everyone needs to back up. At least twenty feet."

They moved quickly, giving him the space he'd asked for. Jabber stood alone in the center of the training yard, his arms hanging loose at his sides, his head slightly bowed. 

From this distance, Asta could see his chest rising and falling with deep breaths,preparing himself, gathering courage, or maybe just trying not to panic.

"Whenever you're ready."

 Flora called out, her voice encouraging.

Jabber's hands came up slowly, palms facing forward, fingers spread. His eyes closed. For several seconds, nothing happened. The training yard was completely silent except for the distant sounds of the labor quarters,voices, footsteps, the clang of metal from some other training area.

Then Asta saw it,a faint shimmer in the air around Jabber's hands. Like heat waves rising from sun-baked stone, making the space around his fingers ripple and distort.

The shimmer grew stronger, more visible. Small motes of light began appearing in the air, hovering around Jabber like fireflies. They were golden-orange, warm and bright, beautiful in their own way.

"That's it."

 Flora murmured, her tone almost reverent. 

"That's the Sun Arising Flame."

The motes multiplied, spreading outward from Jabber's hands in an ever-widening circle. They moved slowly, lazily, like they were drifting on a breeze that only they could feel. More and more appeared, until there were hundreds of them, thousands, filling the air around Jabber with golden light.

It was beautiful. Breathtaking, even. The light cast Jabber's face in warm tones, making his dark hair look like it was threaded with gold. And for a moment, Asta understood why the Sunset Clan's flame was so revered.

This wasn't just fire,it was like capturing the moment right before sunset, when the sun's light turns everything golden and perfect.

Jabber's eyes were still closed, his face creased with concentration. 

Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead. The motes continued spreading, filling more and more of the training yard, and Asta realized they were actually quite hot,he could feel the warmth even from twenty feet away.

Then something changed.

Jabber's expression twisted from concentration to strain. The slow, lazy movement of the motes became erratic, jerky. They began multiplying faster, too fast, the golden light growing harsh and bright instead of warm and beautiful.

"Jabber?"

 Flora called out, concerned creeping into her voice.

The motes were clustering now, swirling around Jabber in tighter and tighter circles. The temperature in the training yard spiked dramatically,Asta could feel sweat immediately breaking out on his own forehead and could see heat waves distorting the air.

Jabber's eyes snapped open, and Asta saw panic there. Pure, undiluted panic.

"I can't…" 

Jabber gasped, his voice strained.

 "I can't stop it…"

The motes exploded outward in a wave of golden fire.

Asta threw his arm up instinctively, shielding his face as the wall of heat and light rushed toward them. He heard Mira curse, heard Flora shouting something, but the words were lost in the sudden roar of flames.

But the fire didn't reach them.

At the last possible second, just as Asta was bracing for the impact, the flames curved. They bent upward and outward, arcing over their heads like a wave breaking against an invisible barrier. The heat was intense,Asta felt like his skin was going to blister,but the flames themselves didn't touch them.

The golden fire shot upward into the sky, dissipating as it rose, the motes scattering and fading until they were gone entirely. In the space of three heartbeats, the massive display of power vanished like it had never been there at all.

Asta lowered his arm, blinking spots from his vision. The training yard was exactly as it had been before,no scorch marks, no damage, nothing burning. Just Jabber, standing in the center, his arms now hanging limply at his sides, his face pale and exhausted.

Then his legs gave out.

Asta was moving before he consciously decided to, sprinting across the distance separating them. He reached Jabber just as the boy's knees bu

ckled completely, catching him under the arms and easing him down to the ground rather than letting him collapse completely.

"Jabber! Hey, stay with me..."