The Fire Within

Jay awoke with a jolt, drenched in sweat. The nightmare still clung to him—flames engulfing him and everyone around, his friends screaming, nobles in black cloaks watching from the shadows, their faces twisted in contempt.

He sat up slowly, the rickety cot beneath him creaking under his weight. Morning sunlight barely filtered through the grime-covered window of his one-room slum dwelling. The awakening had changed everything, but the poverty remained. His bloodline hadn't replaced the moldy ceiling or the cracked walls.

But he wasn't the same boy who once slept here with empty dreams.

His staff leaned against the wall where he had left it, and as he reached for it, a flicker of heat surged through his fingers. Sparks danced across the wood, responding to his touch.

Jay jerked his hand back, heart pounding. Still there.

The fire hadn't left him. It lived inside him now—an extension of his soul. But it didn't feel like a blessing. It felt volatile, hungry. Restless.

School was different now.

Whispers followed him down the stone corridors. Nobles' sons sneered more openly. Others looked away, unsure whether to greet him or fear him.

Jay found out over the few days in school he had a hard time controlling his flames while using his soul weapon. During one of the combat classes Jay accidentally flared out in rage literally and injured a student. If this was after graduation and in awakening school hurting or even killing a student wouldn't matter. But in Jay's case, it may be a little bit different but nothing he would have to worry about too much at that point. The only question is if he going to make it to that point. 

"Huhhh"

Jay tried to keep his head down, but he felt the eyes on his back, the weight of the label they'd given him—anomaly. Not a student. Not a warrior in training. Not even just a Sunken.

He was something that shouldn't exist.

He passed by a group of noble-born initiates, all wearing pristine uniforms marked with the sigils of their houses. One of them, a tall boy named Calros, narrowed his eyes as Jay walked past.

"So this is the fire-starter," Calros muttered loudly. "A rat from the gutters playing god."

Jay stopped, his fingers tightening around his staff. He turned slowly.

"What did you say?"

Calros stepped forward, eyes gleaming. "You heard me. Don't think awakening makes you one of us. That fire of yours is a trick. A fluke."

A crowd was already forming—students sensing blood in the air, craving a show.

Jay didn't rise to the bait. Not yet.

He stepped closer to Calros, meeting him eye to eye. "A trick that burns brighter than yours ever will."

The smirk on Calros's face faded.

Before things could escalate, Rellen appeared, shoving through the circle. "Jay, stop. He's not worth it."

Jay hesitated. The fire inside him stirred, responding to his anger like it was eager to burn.

But he listened. He stepped back.

Calros scoffed. "That's right. Hide behind your despicable friend of yours a disgrace to the houses, nobles, and the kings. That's exactly where you belong a dog a pet hiding behind his master."

Jay's fingers itched, but he walked away.

For now.

Later, in the training yard, Jay stood alone, staring at a set of scorched dummies. He had been assigned a private instructor—a subtle way of keeping him isolated and monitored. They said it was "for his own good." What they meant was "for everyone else's safety and to keep him in their hands for now at least."

Master Halvor, a grizzled old veteran with one eye and a reputation for silence, stepped into the yard. He studied Jay with an expression that betrayed no emotion.

"You're unstable," Halvor said flatly.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Nice to meet you too."

The old man didn't blink. "The flames respond to your emotion. That makes you dangerous. But also powerful. We're going to make sure you're more of the latter."

Jay tightened his grip on the staff. "And if I fail?"

Halvor's lips curled faintly. "Then you'll burn. And take others with you."

The lessons began with control—learning to breathe through the fire, to feel its presence without surrendering to it. Halvor didn't speak much, only corrected when Jay was in danger of losing control. And that happened often.

But luckily Halvor was a water elemental and plenty of times he had to use his soul weapon a sword that looked indescribable to put out the flames he created.

Everyone knew the soul weapon was special, it gets stronger as you get stronger and the look evolves to reflect the battles you go through. Some fire elemental weapons evolves to be composed of completely lava or even fire depending on the person.

By the end of the first week, Jay's robes were half-burnt, his palms blistered, and exhaustion dragged at his bones. But he had improved. A little.

At night, he collapsed into bed, and the system that came with his awakening would flash faintly before his eyes.

[System Elemental Lord - Progress Update]

Bloodline: Forbidden ???

| Fire Variant Status: Unstable (Initial) |

Tier: ??? (To weak)

Compatibility: 98%

Warning: User has not synchronized with core bloodline memory. Recommended.

He didn't know what half of it meant. But what worried him most was the line that appeared the third night after his awakening.

[New Trait Detected: Ember Heart]

Description: Heart generates residual fire essence. Prolonged emotional strain may cause flareouts.

Control Level: Low

Risk Level: Moderate-to-High

Jay stared at that message for hours.

Residual fire essence? Flareouts?

Was he a danger to others… or to himself?

The first flareout happened on the tenth day.

He and Rellen were sparring in one of the lower yards—nothing serious, just keeping their form sharp. Rellen soul weapon was a short spear, light and agile. Jay had his staff that very little people got when awakening, though lately it felt like more than just a weapon. It felt… different.

They exchanged blows, laughter slipping through their grunts of effort, until Ari feinted and struck his shoulder.

Jay stumbled back, surprised, and something inside him snapped.

Heat burst from his core, uncontrollable and wild. His eyes flared with orange light, and flames shot from his hands, rushing toward Rellen.

He froze.

Jay shouted, trying to pull it back, but it was like trying to stop a storm with bare hands.

At the last second, the fire curved away and Rellen was able to build an earth dome around him as he struck his spear into the ground, hitting the stone wall behind him and a huge blast coming forth after left everything scorched black.

Jay dropped to his knees, gasping, the flames dying out.

Rellen rushed over, grabbing his shoulders. "Jay! Are you okay?"

He looked at his hands, trembling. "I… I didn't mean to."

"I know."

"But I could've hurt you."

"You didn't."

Jay looked at Rellen, shame washing over him. "Next time, I might."

The next morning, the council summoned him again.

This time, they weren't alone.

A man stood at the head of the chamber—tall, dressed in noble black and silver robes, a crest on his chest shaped like a burning crown.

He didn't introduce himself. The council didn't speak.

He walked slowly around Jay, examining him like one might a beast in a cage.

"This is the boy?" the man finally asked.

The silver-haired elder nodded. "Jay"

The man's expression didn't change. "His power is unstable. But raw. Promising."

Jay frowned. "Who are you?"

The man turned his gaze on Jay, and for a moment, Jay felt small—not because of fear, but because it was like the man saw right through him.

"I am Lord Kael of House Embergrave Elemental of wind," he said. "Your awakening has reached the ears of the capital."

Jay's throat went dry. The capital? That meant the King's Circle. The noble elite. The bloodline dynasties.

"You're going to be moved," Lord Kael said flatly. "You've outgrown this place."

Jay looked to the council, to the elders who had monitored him since his first spark. But none of them met his eyes.

"You can't just—" Jay started, but Kael raised a hand.

"I can. And I will. You're not safe here. From them. Or yourself."

Jay clenched his fists. "I didn't ask for this."

"No one asks to be a firestorm or a lowly slum who's awakened." Kael said coldly. "But when the spark lights, the world either burns… or adapts."

Jay didn't know what to say.

He had finally begun to feel grounded—training with Halvor, walking beside Rellen during school, hanging with Ari in the slums, everything was difficult up to now. But it was his struggle one he has gotten comfortable with.

And now, even that was being taken away.

That night, Jay sat atop a slum rooftop, staring out over the village. The stars shimmered above, and the faint hum of the inner village lights pulsed in the distance.

Ari joined him silently, sitting beside him without a word.

"They're taking me," Jay said after a while.

"I figured," Ari murmured.

Jay didn't look at her. "I don't want to go."

She stayed quiet for a long time, then said, "Maybe it's what you need."

He turned to her, eyes burning. "You're okay with this?"

"Of course not. But if the people here are going to keep treating you like a walking disaster, maybe it's time you went somewhere that teaches you how to control what you have. I've already failed my awakening so this journey will have to be your own a Sunken like me won't be able to go along with you."

Jay looked away. "What if I lose myself?"

Ari touched his arm. "Then you fight to stay you. And I'll be here—we will be here—when you come back."

He didn't respond. But her words settled in his chest like cooling embers.

By sunrise, a carriage bearing House Embergrave's sigil waited at the gates.

Jay stood with only a small pack slung over his shoulder. He wore a simple cloak, but beneath it, fire pulsed faintly through his veins.

Ari stood beside him, eyes glassy but strong. Halvor was there too, arms crossed, giving a single nod.

Calros watched from afar, unreadable.

Jay climbed into the carriage.

The door shut.

And as the wheels turned, carrying him toward an unknown future, Jay whispered to himself,

"This is just the beginning."