Forging the Flames of Precision

Evan returned to the mission board after the duel, his thoughts still lingering on the fight. The crowd's cheers, the sheer power of his magic, the precision of his nucleus—it all felt surreal. But he shook the thoughts away, focusing on the task at hand. He had a mission to complete.

As he made his way to the mission area, he spotted Cedric waiting near one of the smaller storage sheds. Cedric's grin widened when he saw Evan, and he practically sprinted toward him.

"Evan!" Cedric called out, his voice full of excitement. "Why didn't you tell me? The duel! I heard everything!"

Evan sighed, though a small smile tugged at his lips. "It wasn't planned, Cedric. He challenged me, and I accepted."

Cedric's grin only grew. "And you won! Against Lareth, of all people. People are saying it was like watching an advanced apprentice fight a novice. That flame—your precision—Evan, that wasn't normal."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "Normal?"

"You know what I mean!" Cedric said, crossing his arms. "Your nucleus. It's awakened, hasn't it? And it's aligned with fire, isn't it? That's why you've been so focused on Flame Spark and why you're advancing so fast. It all makes sense now!"

Evan said nothing, keeping his expression neutral. Cedric leaned in, his tone teasing. "Come on, admit it! I knew you were good, but now I'm starting to think you're hiding something."

Evan didn't respond, instead walking toward the mission area.

As Evan continued, Cedric's words lingered in his mind. It wasn't just Cedric—he was certain many others were thinking the same thing. Rumors had likely begun spreading about his supposed fire-aligned nucleus. No one suspected the truth: that Evan's progress wasn't due to an innate affinity, but because he had meticulously recreated the behavior of Kael's [Ember Veil].

The thought brought him a sense of both relief and caution. A fire-aligned nucleus was valuable, but not extraordinarily rare. If people believed the rumors, it would explain his rapid progress without drawing too much attention. For now, he could let the misconception work to his advantage, keeping the truth about his methods hidden while he continued to develop in secret.

The next two days were grueling but productive. Evan completed more missions, earning a steady stream of contribution coins while his Ember Engine continued refining itself. However, progress had slowed. The engine advanced only to 73%, and each step forward felt harder than the last. It was as if something fundamental was missing—concepts or knowledge he didn't yet understand, blocking him from generating the remaining subproducts.

Frustration bubbled beneath the surface, but Evan didn't allow it to consume him. Instead, he thought back to the tools he had. There had to be a way to push through the barrier.

That's when the idea struck him: assimilate.

If assimilate allowed him to imprint runic structures and patterns into his mind, perhaps it could help him better understand the Ember Engine. If he could dive into its intricacies, he might find the missing pieces.

The first attempt was overwhelming.

Evan activated assimilate while focusing on the Ember Engine. The rush of information was immediate—a flood of overlapping runes, connections, and patterns surging into his mind. His body tensed, and a sharp headache blossomed behind his eyes. When he released the ability, he was left gasping for breath, his limbs heavy with exhaustion.

But the effort wasn't in vain. As he rested, fragments of understanding began to surface—small, fleeting insights into the engine's mechanics. Encouraged, Evan repeated the process.

For the next two days, Evan alternated between assimilating and recovering. Each session left him drained, his body aching and his mind buzzing with new information. It was grueling work, but he refused to stop. With every attempt, he uncovered more details about the engine's structure and how the subproducts interacted.

By the end of the second day, Evan sat cross-legged in his tent, his breathing steady as he processed the flood of information. His thoughts turned to Kael's [Ember Veil]. He had always admired the fluidity and power of Kael's magic, but now, with his deeper understanding, he noticed something troubling.

Evan frowned, staring into the empty space of his tent. "It's flawed," he murmured. "The [Ember Veil]... it's not perfect."

The realization was unsettling. During his sessions of assimilation, he had come across inconsistencies in the structure of Kael's magic. The subproducts it produced were remarkable, but the balance wasn't as seamless as it appeared. Certain interactions created inefficiencies—small, almost imperceptible weaknesses that could disrupt the flow of energy.

"This… this can't be intentional," Evan thought. "Kael probably doesn't even realize it."

The revelation left Evan with more questions than answers. If even Kael's seemingly flawless magic had underlying flaws, what did that mean for his own progress? Could he overcome the same limitations, or was he doomed to replicate them?

Sitting in silence, Evan felt the weight of his discovery settle over him. For the first time, he realized that mastering the Ember Engine wasn't just about matching Kael's magic. It was about surpassing it.

With renewed determination, Evan closed his eyes and activated simulate, his nucleus pulsing faintly in response. The Ember Engine came into view, its intricate layers shifting and pulsing with energy. Evan began directing his nucleus toward a new goal—not just refining the engine, but addressing the flaws he had uncovered.

"This is just the beginning," he whispered, his voice steady. "If there's a flaw, I'll find it. And I'll fix it."

Evan spent the next few days immersed in tests, his tent becoming a quiet laboratory of thought and experimentation. He had begun noticing something troubling in his magic: the current configuration of subproducts within the Ember Engine wasn't efficient.

Each use of his Flame Spark consumed energy at an imprecise rate, generating excessive ash and smoke. The embers, while promising, weren't sustained well by the [Smoldering Concept] subproduct. The fuel they provided burned too quickly, destabilizing the flame if pushed too hard. Frustration crept in as Evan realized the design wasn't suitable for prolonged use.

Sitting cross-legged in his tent, Evan activated simulate and replayed his mental recordings of Kael's fight against Teral. He had already admired Kael's mastery during the battle, but now, with his deeper understanding, new details stood out. Kael had used these very elements—embers, ash, and coal—as part of his combat mechanics. The embers weren't just fuel; they became tools. Kael had used them to create shields, reinforce his body, and build the colossal Giant of Embers.

But there were clear trade-offs. The Giant of Embers was incredibly powerful but came at a cost. The coal it required was burned at an alarming rate, leaving Kael stationary and vulnerable if the fight dragged on too long. Evan noted how Kael's mobility had diminished significantly once the giant form was activated. It wasn't something Kael could sustain indefinitely—the generation of coal by his [Ember Veil] wasn't instantaneous, creating a bottleneck in the middle of combat.

Evan leaned back, his notebook open beside him, the pages covered with scattered diagrams and notes. "Subproducts of concepts need to interconnect," he muttered. "If they don't flow properly in a chain, they'll just burn out faster."

This realization brought clarity: Kael's giant form wasn't just a powerful offensive tool, it was also a necessity to work around the limitations of his core. The interconnected nature of the subproducts allowed Kael to fight effectively despite the inefficiencies. Though the form lost potency in generating flame and sustaining embers, it was still brilliantly effective.

Evan tapped his pen against the page, a mix of awe and intrigue building in his mind. "Even with those limitations, he gave Teral trouble. That's incredible."

Kael had transformed his weaknesses into strengths, crafting a unique fighting style that revolved around the manipulation of embers. Though it wasn't the most energy-efficient approach, it was undeniably effective, allowing him to battle a monster like Teral on nearly equal footing.

Evan returned his focus to his own work. He needed to address these inefficiencies in his Ember Engine. If Kael's magic worked by creating embers for physical constructs and shields, Evan wanted to test a different approach. He needed his flames to burn more precisely, concentrating their power and reducing the production of smoke and ash.

Using simulate, Evan began running mental experiments. He visualized the current proportions of his subproducts and tested incremental adjustments. Could the embers be stabilized without sacrificing too much flame intensity? Was there a way to integrate the ash into the spell more effectively, perhaps to create defensive layers or traps?

His notebook quickly filled with ideas:

Adjusting Proportions: Testing ratios that allowed embers to burn slower while sustaining the flame.

Reducing Smoke: Experimenting with ways to channel the excess energy into the flame rather than letting it dissipate as smoke.

Recycling Ash: Exploring the possibility of using ash as a binding agent to reinforce embers or enhance defensive structures.

Fuel Optimization: Modifying the [Smoldering Concept] to better support the flame, ensuring longer burn times without sacrificing output.

Evan's thoughts returned to Kael's fight. The Giant of Embers had been extraordinary but also cumbersome. "If Kael had refined his fuel consumption, he might not have needed the giant form at all," Evan murmured. "Or maybe he did. Maybe that's what made it unique."

Over the next several hours, Evan cycled between his notebook and simulate. He tested theoretical combinations of subproducts, adjusted proportions, and simulated how each configuration would behave in a real fight. The results were mixed. Some adjustments reduced smoke but weakened the flame. Others improved the ember fuel but created instability in the flame's core.

Despite the setbacks, Evan felt exhilarated. Every test, every failure, brought him closer to understanding. He wasn't just replicating Kael's magic anymore—he was innovating, crafting something uniquely his own.

Sitting back in his chair, Evan glanced at his notes, his mind buzzing with possibilities. The ash, the embers, the smoke—all of it could be optimized. He wasn't there yet, but the path was becoming clearer.

"This isn't about copying anymore," Evan said softly, staring at the glowing runes in his mental space. "It's about surpassing."