Alex continued flying through the trees for several hours. Fatigue was starting to take hold, and he realized how gigantic this forest was, almost endless.
Suddenly, an intense heat struck his face.
"What is this heat…?" he murmured, intrigued.
He changed course, drawn by this burning source. In a few wing beats, he spotted a strange scene: a small hedgehog with glowing red spikes was surrounded by three creatures.
Alex recognized them immediately.
"Goblins…" he whispered.
Three goblins armed with daggers, their eyes shining with sadism. They were licking their blades, excited by the feast they were about to devour.
"Poor hedgehog… dying like that…"
But something was off. The air around the creature was distorting, wavering, as if twisted by intense heat. Alex frowned.
And then, the hedgehog burst into flames.
Its spikes ignited with a blazing red, and in an explosion of embers, it launched about ten flaming spikes all around itself.
One of the goblins barely dodged, but one of his eyes was burned on the spot. The other two were not so lucky. The spikes pierced them, and their bodies caught fire immediately.
They screamed, struggling, consumed by the flames.
Alex, shocked, felt a shiver run down his spine.
"That hedgehog… it's dangerous…"
The hedgehog, now a living ball of fire, rolled on itself and propelled straight at the last goblin. The impact was so violent it literally went through the creature. The goblin collapsed, belly pierced, already reduced to ashes before hitting the ground.
The flames slowly died out on the hedgehog's back, which calmly resumed its path as if nothing had happened.
Alex, still panting, flapped his wings to get away.
But a crazy idea grew in his mind.
"A flame like that… it would be perfect for forging…"
He was almost salivating. He licked his lower lip, eyes shining with greed.
Without hesitation, he returned to the creature.
The hedgehog, on alert, raised its head — its spikes began to glow red again.
But Alex was faster.
"Static lightning!"
A discharge burst from his mouth, paralyzing the hedgehog. It froze, unable to move.
Alex rushed in, ready to bite, ready to drink its blood and steal its power.
But something strange happened.
The hedgehog's body was shining. It was absorbing the heat of its own fight. The ground trembled.
"Huh…?!"
BOOM!!
An explosion rang out.
The blast threw Alex against a tree with terrible force. He groaned, his wing messed up, pressed against the bark. All around him was only fire and dust.
"He… blew himself up?! Why commit suicide like that…?"
But the smoke slowly cleared.
And in the grayish smoke swirls, Alex saw a small figure moving forward with difficulty.
He squinted.
"Is he alive…?"
The incandescent hedgehog was walking, legs trembling, visibly exhausted but alive. It had survived its own explosion.
Alex tried to take off, but a burning pain in his wing pinned him to the ground. He gritted his teeth.
Then, in a torn scream, between frustration and burning desire, he yelled at the figure moving away:
"No matter where you go… I will have your flames!!"