Chapter 28: The Storm of the Heart

The mission in the dungeon had ended. The group had shown good coordination, even with the internal tensions. The professors praised their performance and granted them a couple of days off. That's when Liana, with a racing heart and flushed cheeks, accepted Tony's invitation to take a walk through the city.

They strolled through the gardens of Central Plaza, under the warm light of the sunset. They talked about their elven roots, the differences between their clans, about magic and the future… until, amidst laughter and lingering glances, their lips met. A soft kiss, full of promise.

Just a few steps away, Ares was walking with a distant gaze. He had gone out to clear his mind, to stop thinking. But just as he passed through the plaza, his world froze.

He saw Liana… kissing Tony.

Time seemed to stop. His chest tightened, his stomach sank, and his mind went blank. He said nothing. He just turned around and disappeared.

---

That night, the city of Rango witnessed something unusual. At the edge of the district where the students lived, the sky turned dark, as if a storm were approaching. But it wasn't rain that fell… it was spiraling, wild, furious bursts of blue fire.

At the center of the chaos, Ares, alone, screaming in pent-up rage, unleashed a storm of blue flames that consumed the air around him. His power had responded to his broken heart. He couldn't control it. He didn't want to. His enhancer magic enveloped him, but it wasn't enough to contain the fire.

"Why does it hurt so much?!" he shouted, as the fire grew and twisted like a masterless dragon. "Why her…?!"

The people of the city watched from afar, terrified. The professors were alerted. Trebol arrived with other defense mages and ordered a deployment of magical barriers to contain the damage.

From a distance, Dana also watched him, her brow furrowed and her heart tight.

"Ares…"

---

The blue flames roared like untamed beasts for several minutes, rising into the sky in a spiral of chaos. Ares, with a heaving chest and lost gaze, was barely aware of what he was doing. His heart burned more fiercely than the fire around him.

But then, Blue himself emerged from the shadows in his smallest form, landing in front of Ares with gravity in his eyes.

"Ares. Enough."

The dragon didn't shout. He didn't roar. Just one word, firm and direct, managed to pierce through the young man's inner storm. The fire began to fade slowly, as if the boy's soul, broken and exhausted, had run out of fuel.

From afar, the city saw only the glow of the magic… but no one knew who had caused it.

---

The next day, at the academy, there were rumors of a "spontaneous magical storm." The professors investigated with no results. The magical alarms had detected no students outside their dorms. It was as if the storm had appeared… and vanished by its own will.

Ares showed up as usual. Quiet. Eyes downcast. No one noticed anything strange—except Dana, who watched him from the corner of her eye, a mix of curiosity and unease.

And Liana… she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. Or the fact that Ares no longer looked at her the way he used to.

---

Chapter 30: Coldness in the Heart

The penultimate week of the second grade began with a tense air around the group. Ares, once warm and close to Liana, now wore a distant, cold expression. His words were few, his actions mechanical. It was as if part of him had locked itself behind an invisible, unbreakable wall.

Dana tried several times to approach him, but his replies were curt. Liana noticed the change too… and though she wanted to talk to him, something held her back. Maybe guilt. Maybe fear.

Even Agust, usually the most arrogant of the group, was surprised by Ares's new demeanor. The boy raised by elves now radiated a heavy presence, as if carrying a storm inside him. And the truth was—he was. The rage from what he saw in the plaza still lingered, and though he didn't show it… it burned inside him like the very blue fire.

During a joint training session, Ares faced three magical golems alone and destroyed them with precise, cold movements. Everyone watched in awe. He was no longer the same.

"You're going overboard, Ares," said Agust afterward, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even acting like yourself."

Ares glanced at him without emotion.

"That should make you happy, right?"

Agust scowled.

"What's wrong with you? Is this about Dana? Or Liana? Make up your mind already, because you're tearing the team apart with that attitude."

That line shook him.

Ares clenched his fists. He didn't answer immediately. For the first time in days, real emotion flickered in his eyes. Confusion. Anger. Pain.

"I… don't know," he whispered.

And walked away.

Behind him, Agust clicked his tongue.

"Idiot."

From afar, Dana watched the scene with a frown. So did Liana. No one said anything, but they all knew it: Ares was changing.

And the blue fire… wasn't the only thing burning inside him.