The silence that followed the battle still echoed in my head as we moved through the narrow ravine. The hot wind mixed with the lingering cold left by the construct, creating an uncomfortable sense of instability in the air. The fragment pulsed in my pouch like a restless heart, and each vibration felt as if it were calling to something inside me.
Rai'kanna walked ahead with firm steps, though I noticed the tension in her shoulders. Elara observed every rock, Liriel kept her hands close to the grimoire, and Vespera made jokes only to break the mood — but even she spoke quietly. Lyannis walked beside me, her spear resting on her shoulder, glancing at me from time to time as if she wanted to ask something but held back.
When the path opened, we arrived at an area completely different from the rest of demi-dragon territory. The stones were black and smooth, almost polished by heat. Small cracks glowed with orange light, as if the ground itself were breathing fire.
"This place…" murmured Elara, "feels alive."
"Because it is," Rai'kanna replied. "This area sits above a magma chamber. The heat here is so intense that only demi-dragons can walk through without protection."
Vespera stepped back. "Then why exactly are we here? I can literally feel my shoes melting."
"Because the energy from the creature we fought yesterday went in this direction," Liriel said. "And also… Takumi's flame has been reacting ever since we got close."
I didn't want to admit it, but it was true. Since we entered the volcanic region, the heat inside me seemed to synchronize with the environment. The flame was more intense, almost impatient, as if it wanted to move on its own.
Lyannis noticed. "Takumi, your hand is glowing."
I looked. My palm emitted a faint reddish light.
I sighed. "This is becoming way too frequent."
Rai'kanna turned to me, eyes narrowed. "If anything strange happens, tell me immediately."
"Will do."
We kept walking until we reached a circular stone formation. In the center, there was a narrow hole in the ground, from which hot vapor and a low sound emerged — something like a muffled chant.
"What is this?" I asked.
Rai'kanna approached cautiously. "A vent. Ancient dragons used this as a point of spiritual rest. The energy here is pure flame."
"Pure?" Liriel frowned. "But it's unstable."
"Unstable like me?" I murmured.
Rai'kanna shot me a quick look. "Not exactly. The instability here comes from external interference. But… maybe your flame is reacting because it recognizes something."
The sound coming from the vent grew louder. It wasn't a roar. It wasn't wind. It was something like… a hoarse, deep, almost sorrowful melody.
Lyannis tilted her head. "It sounds like a song."
Vespera took a step back. "Great. A singing volcano. Absolutely nothing could go wrong."
Before anyone could reply, the ground vibrated in a different way — not like magma rumbling. It was more subtle, rhythmic, almost like someone knocking from inside.
I approached slowly. "Something is down there."
"Takumi, careful!" Elara pulled my arm.
But then it happened.
The fragment inside my pouch suddenly glowed. The vibration spread through my entire body, and the flame inside me reacted as if it had just awakened from a turbulent sleep.
And then, the vent erupted in light.
The whole group stepped back.
This time it wasn't ice, nor shadow, nor corruption. It was fire — pure fire, but distorted, as if it had been forced into a shape that didn't belong to it.
From the hole emerged a flaming figure the size of a human, yet unstable, with fire forming arms, legs, and a faceless head. Every movement left shimmering trails in the air.
"A fire elemental," Liriel murmured. "But… broken. As if it had been torn apart from within."
Rai'kanna spread her wings in alarm. "Prepare yourselves. It's not whole."
The creature raised its flaming arm and pointed straight at me — again.
Vespera muttered, "I'm starting to think the whole world wants to kill Takumi."
Elara didn't take her eyes off the enemy. "Not kill. Test."
Lyannis held her spear tightly. "Or take him."
The creature took its first step, and the heat grew stronger. But something kept me from stepping back. The flame inside me vibrated at the exact same rhythm as the elemental, as if two hearts were trying to synchronize.
"Takumi," Rai'kanna called, "don't get close to that."
"He… doesn't look hostile."
"He doesn't look hostile yet."
The creature came closer. I raised my hand without realizing it. The flame responded — gentle, but firm. A wave of heat traveled through my arm.
And then the elemental… stopped.
It stepped back. As if it recognized me.
Lyannis moved a little closer, suspicious. "Why is it backing away?"
Liriel opened the grimoire. "It's reacting to your fire. Probably because the essence inside you… and the one inside it have a similar origin."
"Similar origin?" I asked.
"Yes. Something — or someone — is meddling with ancient forces. Forces that existed before the dragons."
Rai'kanna's expression hardened. "This is going too far."
The elemental seemed to shudder. Parts of it were starting to evaporate as if it were fighting an inner force. Its heat fluctuated — strong, weak, strong again — almost like it was trapped.
"What's happening to it?" I asked.
"It's being pulled in two directions," Liriel said. "Its original essence wants to manifest… but the corruption wants to control it."
"So it's… suffering," Lyannis said, lowering her spear.
Rai'kanna stepped forward. "Takumi, try to stabilize it."
"How?"
"Let your flame flow."
My body reacted before I could think. The flame spread along my arm, soft like a living ember. I touched the air near the creature, and it reacted immediately — absorbing part of the heat and returning an intense light.
For a moment, I felt something.
A memory. Not mine. Ancient. Deep.
"A voice," I murmured. "I heard… a voice inside it."
"Saying what?" Liriel asked.
"That… it didn't want to obey."
The elemental trembled, as if confirming it.
And then an invisible force pulled at its body, distorting it. The fire twisted, exploded into violent flames — and the creature roared in pain.
"Takumi, let go!" Rai'kanna shouted.
I pulled my hand away. Too late.
A wave of uncontrolled fire spread out, forcing everyone to retreat. The elemental began to fall apart, turning into unstable sparks that rose into the sky like shattered stars.
And before disappearing completely, it released one last ember toward me.
It landed on my hand, and the heat I felt wasn't destructive.
It was a plea.
Liriel watched closely. "What was that?"
I opened my hand slowly. The ember dissolved into light — and left behind a small glowing residue, similar to the previous fragments… but different. This one was warm, alive, carrying an energy that felt like it was pulsing with fear.
"Is that another fragment?" Elara asked.
"Yes," I replied. "But this one isn't ice. Or shadow. This one…"
Rai'kanna finished:
"It's fire."
Lyannis looked at me with concern. "Takumi… these fragments are all connected to you."
I closed my fist.
"I feel like someone is gathering these pieces… and using them to call me."
Vespera's eyes widened. "Call you? What do you mean call you?"
"I don't know. But each creature we've faced seems to carry a piece of something bigger."
Rai'kanna grew serious. "Then we need to find out what it is before he gathers all the pieces first."
The flame inside me burned stronger, as if responding.
And in that moment, I realized the enemy wasn't just watching us.
He was accelerating.