Fire That Doesn’t Exist

Silence.

A stifling silence blanketed the training hall, and Ren Kaizen stared, frozen, his right hand still faintly illuminated with the impossible Blue Flame. Instead, the air was unseasonably cool, a stark contrast to the warm fire that normally enveloped a flame.

All eyes in the room were glued to him — stunned, confused, frightened.

The unthinkable had just occurred.

Ren had wiped away Dante's flames.

Not defeated, not overpowered—wiped out.

Dante Raines, the most powerful Red Flame wielder at Pyron Academy, took a shaky step back that was almost unheard of for him—doubt.

His golden gaze fluttered from Ren's glowing hand to his own, completely bare, no fire at all.

"What… the hell was that?" Dante's tone was low, but edged with something menacing — disbelief and excitement together.

Ren didn't answer. His pulse thudded in his ears, his breathing labored.

"No. No, no, no. I screwed up."

He had fought so long to suppress it, to hold back. But the moment of danger, the will to survive, had prevailed over his self-control.

And now… everyone on earth had seen it.

Instructor Garrick Thorne finally spoke up. He walked into the arena, the clanking of his heavy boots reverberating as his cold, emotionless eyes followed his path.

"Ren Kaizen."

Ren's pulse spiked. He made himself glance at the instructor.

"What did you just do?"

He needed to lie. Quickly.

But before Ren could say a word, another voice beat him to it.

"That wasn't a normal flame."

It was Sera Asahina.

She stood silently at the arena's edge, arms crossed, her face inscrutable. But her eyes, piercing sapphires, were fixed on Ren with keen, calculating intensity.

Unlike the others — who all stared at me in confusion — Sera's face wore something different. Understanding. Recognition.

Ren's stomach twisted. Did she know?

Dante released a harsh exhalation, a croteched smile returning—razed, darkly dangerous.

"I knew it." He cracked his neck and stepped toward Ren. "You were hiding something, weren't you?"

Ren stayed silent.

Dante's smirk widened. "What was that, Kaizen? Some secret family flame? A lost technique? Or…" his voice dipped lower, a glimmer of something hungry in his eyes, "is it something else?

Ren clenched his fists. He couldn't let them know. Not yet.

"If the academy learns I have the Blue Flame… if the church or the Hellfire Cult finds out about this —"

A chill ran down his spine.

They would hunt him down.

The Blue Flame was never meant to exist. It was a myth, a legend — a curse.

He had to deny it.

He had to pretend nothing happened.

Ren worked to ease his grip, allowing the final curls of blue flame to fade. He met Garrick's cold stare.

"It was nothing."

The instructor slammed his eyes shut. "Nothing?"

"It wasn't fire," Ren responded, smoothly lying. "It was just an accident. Perhaps some lingering embers from Dante's assault.

The students murmured. Some nodded, their attention drifting.

But not Dante. Not Sera.

Dante smiled for a split second, then twisted something sharper.

"Tch. You're a damn awful liar, Kaizen."

Ren's jaw clenched. Dante wasn't convinced.

And Sera… she just observed him, her keen eyes glued to his face.

Garrick scrutinized Ren for a long time before scoffing. "Hmph. If you say so."

But Ren could tell from the instructor's tone that he wasn't buying it either.

Yet he didn't pursue it further.

"The match is over." Garrick's voice sliced through the tension, refocusing the class. "Dismissed."

As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, the tension broke.

The students murmured among themselves, already having moved on.

"What a waste of time."

"Kaizen got destroyed again."

"Dante didn't even have to make the effort."

Ren used every fiber of his being to stay calm, to keep his breathing steady.

As the students walked out, he turned to walk out also —

Then a hand grabbed his wrist.

He froze.

Sera.

She wasn't smiling. Her sapphire eyes drilled into him, her voice low yet adamant.

"That wasn't an accident, Kaizen.

Ren's fingers twitched. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sera didn't blink. "Liar."

Ren felt his chest tighten.

She knew. She knew.

He hadn't had time to answer when a second voice entered the fray.

"Oi."

Dante.

Hands in his pockets, he tilted his head, golden eyes still shining with that same dangerous curiosity.

"I don't know what's up with you, Kaizen," Dante said slowly. "But I'll figure it out."

His smirk returned. "And when I do, I'll make you show me everything."

Ren stayed silent.

Dante departed as the footsteps dwindled.

After a second, Sera finally released Ren's wrist. "Be careful." She spoke low, almost as if… warning.

Then, she left, too.

The empty training hall echoed with Ren's solitary presence.

He breathed out shakily, looking down at his hands.

The last vestiges of Blue Flame still danced under his skin.

He had been exposed.

And now, it was just a matter of time before it all blew apart.