The quiet that followed the battle was unnatural.
Tian Rui stood at the edge of the scorched earth, feeling the burn of the Forsaken Flame still flickering within him. He had been close to losing control—closer than he cared to admit. The hunger of the flame was growing, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold it at bay.
Lyen, always perceptive, remained by his side, silent. But even she couldn't hide the concern in her eyes.
"You're not okay," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tian Rui didn't answer. He couldn't. How could he explain the constant battle raging inside him? The flame, his power, was growing stronger with every passing moment. It fed off his anger, his fear, his desperation. And soon, there might be nothing left of him but the fire.
He turned away from the ashes of the battle, walking toward the distant mountains. "We need to move."
---
The group traveled for days, the landscape around them shifting from arid plains to dense forests. But the stillness in Tian Rui's chest never wavered. Every step felt heavier, the weight of the flame pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket.
That night, as they set up camp beneath the canopy of ancient trees, Veylan approached him. "You're pushing yourself too hard."
Tian Rui didn't meet his gaze. "I have no choice."
"You do," Veylan said, his voice hardening. "You can choose to fight this. You don't have to let the flame consume you."
Tian Rui clenched his fists. The fire flared in his chest, as if in response to the challenge. But he held it back. For now.
"I'll control it," he said, his voice low. "Or I'll die trying."
Veylan didn't speak again, but Tian Rui could feel his eyes on him, watching, waiting for him to crack.
---
The following morning, as they made their way deeper into the forest, a sudden disturbance in the air caught their attention. The sound of rustling leaves, a low growl that made the hairs on the back of their necks rise.
From the shadows, a massive creature emerged—a Verdant Fang, a beast of nature twisted by dark forces. Its fur was an unnatural shade of green, and its claws dripped with poison. The creature's eyes locked onto Tian Rui, and for a moment, he thought he could feel its hunger—hunger for the flame within him.
Before anyone could react, the beast lunged, claws slashing through the air. Tian Rui stepped forward, the Forsaken Flame flaring to life within him. His hand shot out, and the flame exploded from his palm, creating a barrier of fire that repelled the beast.
But the Verdant Fang was relentless. It roared, charging through the fire with unnatural speed. Tian Rui's heart raced. The flame within him surged, and he could feel it threatening to break free, to consume everything in its path.
"Rui, hold back!" Lyen shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the beast.
In that moment, something snapped inside him.
He reached for the flame, calling on its power with everything he had. The fire surged violently, flooding his body, and for a brief moment, Tian Rui lost himself. His mind was consumed by the blaze, his very essence drowned in its heat.
He didn't care. He didn't care anymore. He was beyond control.
The flame exploded outward, a wave of destruction that consumed the Verdant Fang in an instant. The creature howled in agony as it was burned to ash, its body reduced to nothing more than smoldering remnants.
Tian Rui stood in the center of the devastation, chest heaving with exertion. His body was coated in sweat, his eyes glowing with the unrestrained fire within him.
But as the flames faded, the emptiness returned. The hunger.
He sank to his knees.
---
Lyen and Veylan rushed to his side, but neither spoke. The silence between them was thick with the unspoken truth.
Tian Rui had done it again. He had unleashed the Forsaken Flame.
And this time, it had nearly consumed him.
---
That night, Tian Rui sat apart from the others, staring into the flickering fire. The flames seemed to beckon to him, whispering promises of power, of strength. It was so easy to give in, to let the fire take him completely. But he knew that if he did, there would be no coming back.
The flame was a part of him, yes. But it was not his master.
Not yet.