Flameblood Bonds
"Your flame is not yours alone. It carries every choice, every loss, every soul you've ever burned for."
— Yna, Dominion Analyst
---
STORM IN THE BLOOD
Rain slammed against the Ignis Dominion's dome like the world itself wanted in.
But this wasn't weather. It was consequence.
Too many aura flames had clashed inside the mountain during Trial Week. Now the Dominion's inner pressure had triggered a storm—not symbolic, but scientific. The kind that fried birds mid-flight and carved lightning glyphs into the sky.
Inside, the mess hall felt like another planet. Warm. Buzzing. But heavy. As if every student could feel the burn still lingering in the walls.
Renzo sat alone.
The corner booth under the flickering amber lights had become his retreat. His tray steamed with bland, nutrient-dense meat cubes and rehydrated rice paste—flavorless, functional.
Fuel. Not food.
His upgraded wristband blinked softly beside the tray.
> Flame Class: Igniter — Yellow. Stability: 81%.
Most students were still Red. Some barely Orange. Yellow made him visible.
A flare in a room full of embers.
People noticed now.
They didn't speak to him—but they stared. Whispered. Paused their training sims when he walked by.
They'd seen what happened in the Pyre Pit.
They saw him win.
But it didn't feel like victory.
It felt like weight. Like walking with a flame-shaped target on his back.
---
NEW BONDS
Kael dropped into the seat across from him, balancing a tray stacked with three steaming protein bowls.
"You looked like death two days ago," Kael said, chewing. "Now you just look like someone who pays rent. Progress."
Renzo gave a tired half-smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Yna slid into the booth beside Kael, holopad already glowing in her palm, charts dancing.
"Your flame readings suggest you're pushing into upper Yellow resonance," she said without looking up. "At this rate, you could spike into White Class in six months. Maybe less."
Renzo blinked. "Is that… good?"
Kael choked on a noodle. "That's insane."
Yna nodded. "Most initiates spend years stabilizing Yellow. Yours is evolving like it's chasing something."
"Or running from something," Kael muttered.
Yna finally looked up, her gaze sharp. "Flames don't run. They consume. His just happens to be… hungrier than most."
Kael leaned forward, voice low. "You're not the only one who's noticed. There are… others."
Renzo's eyes narrowed. "Others like me?"
Kael hesitated, then:
"There's one. A transfer. Came in last night."
---
RIVAL FLAME: DREI LUCENT
Later that day, the storm still raged—but the training yard fell silent as the gate slid open.
Even the rain dimmed against the energy field as the new figure stepped forward—hooded in gray, silver hair tied back with obsidian cord. He moved like a shadow taught discipline.
But his flame betrayed him.
Not red. Not orange. Not even yellow.
Blue.
Controlled. Precise. Cold as starfire.
Frost bloomed beneath his boots with each step—ice laced with flickering sapphire flame. Like winter had learned how to burn.
Yna's breath hitched. "Drei Lucent," she whispered. "Transferred from the Icelandic division. Blazer Class. Top combatant in his rank."
Kael muttered, "They say his flame formed the day his twin died. Blue's rare. Only deep emotional repression can freeze a fire that hot."
Renzo watched as Drei stepped into the center of the yard. No theatrics. No words.
He raised one hand.
His aura flared—clean, focused—
—and the training dummies exploded into snow and ash.
Their eyes met.
Drei looked at Renzo. Not with challenge. Not with curiosity.
With recognition.
Then, silently, he turned away.
---
FLASHBACK – VERUS' SANCTUM
> "Give him a rival," Verus had said. "One who'll fan his flame—until it burns everything."
In a vault where constellations bled into circuitry, the god Verus leaned over Drei Lucent's sleeping form.
He didn't implant thoughts. Didn't speak commands.
He seeded intent.
A celestial whisper.
Find the boy. Test him. Break him—if he resists.
---
TRAINING: SYNCHRONIZATION DRILL
Instructor Dal stood like a monolith before the assembled class, the synchronization dome humming behind him.
"Today we begin resonance drills," he said. "Mastery of Shadowsidian armor requires dual attunement. Pair up."
Kael elbowed Renzo. "Let's sync up, bro. I run hot, you run hotter. What could go wrong?"
But Dal raised a hand.
"No. Renzo pairs with… Drei Lucent."
Murmurs rippled instantly. Even Yna glanced up from her pad, eyes narrowing.
Drei stepped forward, silent. Blue flame curled at his fingertips like frostbite given life.
Renzo hesitated—then followed him into the chamber.
The door sealed with a hiss. Glyphs ignited beneath their feet.
> Initiating Sync Drill. Warning: Emotional dissonance may cause flame repulsion or spontaneous backlash.
They pressed palms together.
Blue met Yellow.
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then—
CRACK.
A blast detonated between them. Renzo was hurled backward into the dome wall. Sparks rained down like meteors. Drei didn't flinch.
Dal grunted. "Zero compatibility."
Yna's voice came faint through the comms.
> "Renzo's flame isn't just rejecting Drei… It's warning him."
Renzo stayed down, gasping.
His flame wasn't angry. It was anxious.
Something inside it knew.
---
NIGHTFALL – RAIN CONTINUES
Renzo stood on the observatory tower, eyes locked on the storm-scarred sky.
The rain couldn't touch him. A veil of flame shimmered around his body, keeping the world out.
But inside, his flame pulsed again.
Not in rage.
In warning.
He exhaled slowly, breath steaming in the cold air.
The silence wasn't empty.
It was waiting.
Then—
a whisper:
> "You're not ready for what's coming."
He spun, flame flaring—
No one.
Only the wind. The echo of a voice never spoken aloud.
---
ABOVE – VERUS WATCHES
High above, hidden beyond storm and sky, Verus observed from his sanctum of shattered stars.
He saw Renzo's flame now—brighter. Wilder. Nearly defiant.
He clenched his golden fist. Cracks spidered through the celestial chart, leaking divine light.
> "Let's see how brightly you burn," Verus whispered,
his voice almost reverent.
"When I send my Seraphim Hunter."