The forest burned.
Not wildly.
Not chaotically.
The trees beyond the cave mouth stood wrapped in still bronze-red flames, unmoving, as if the fire itself was holding its breath.
Ren felt it before he understood it.
The mark on his palm—
the flame mark—
glowed brighter than it ever had.
Hot. Sharp. Alive.
It wasn't pain.
It was a call.
Ren stared at his hand, breath shaking. The mark pulsed once—twice—and the fire in the woods responded. Threads of flame lifted from the trees, drifting toward him like they had been waiting all along.
"Ren…" Mei's voice was weak behind him. She was still down, struggling to push herself up.
The soul eater noticed immediately.
Its water-stained body twisted toward Ren, eyes narrowing.
"Oh?" it said softly. "So you're the anomaly."
Ren didn't answer.
He raised his hand.
The fire moved.
It wasn't explosive. It wasn't violent. The flames folded inward, drawn by Ren's will, compressing into a tight sphere hovering just above his palm.
His first real attack.
"Fireball."
Ren thrust his hand forward.
The fire surged—clean, focused—slamming straight toward the soul eater.
The soul eater reacted instantly.
Water erupted from its body in a violent formation—
Water Needle Stream.
Hundreds of compressed needles fired forward, screaming through the air. They sliced straight through the fireball, shredding flame into sparks and steam.
The attack dispersed.
Ren froze.
His chest tightened.
It cut through it…
Before he could think further, the soul eater moved. Water gathered rapidly around its arms, pressure rising, killing intent sharp and cold.
Mei tried to stand.
Her legs failed.
"Ren—run…" she gasped.
Ren didn't move.
Instead, he slammed his palm into the ground.
The fire surged again—this time not outward, but around.
A ring of flame erupted, expanding rapidly until it enclosed only Ren and the soul eater, forming a blazing barrier that sealed them inside.
A fire domain.
The outside world vanished behind heat and light.
The soul eater paused.
"…Interesting," it said.
Ren's heart hammered violently. Sweat poured down his face. Holding this much fire was draining him fast—but he couldn't stop now.
He clenched his fist.
The flames shifted.
Ren focused—not on size, not on power—but on shape.
The fire elongated, narrowing, rotating.
A cone formed—sharp, dense, spiraling forward from his hand.
"Move," Ren whispered.
He thrust.
The fire cone launched like a drill, tearing through the air straight toward the soul eater's core.
The soul eater barely twisted aside.
The cone grazed its torso, burning deep, charring flesh and boiling water instantly. Steam exploded outward.
But it wasn't enough.
The soul eater countered.
Water compressed violently in front of it, forming a roaring mass that vibrated with pressure.
"Water Cannon."
The blast fired.
Ren barely raised his arms before the impact hit. The cannon slammed into him like a mountain, hurling him backward. His barrier cracked, flames flickering wildly.
Ren crashed to one knee.
His vision blurred.
His lungs burned.
I can't… keep this up…
The flame mark pulsed again.
Harder this time.
Ren looked at his trembling hand.
One more.
That was all he had.
He inhaled deeply and let everything pour out—fear, desperation, resolve.
The fire obeyed.
All remaining flames rushed toward him, condensing rapidly. The temperature spiked violently. The air screamed.
A massive fireball formed—far larger than before, unstable, furious.
Ren roared as he hurled it forward.
The soul eater tried to respond—but it was too late.
The fireball detonated on impact.
Not an explosion—
an engulfment.
Flames swallowed the soul eater completely, drowning its water defenses, overwhelming its regeneration. The fire burned hotter than water could cool.
The soul eater screamed.
Then the flames collapsed.
Ren collapsed with them.
The fire barrier vanished.
He fell forward, barely conscious.
"Ren!"
Mei forced herself up, staggering to him. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him hard.
"Ren! Wake up!"
His eyes fluttered open.
"Mei…" he whispered.
Behind them, the soul eater staggered—charred, leaking water uncontrollably, its form unstable.
It was still alive.
But barely.
Mei stood.
Her breathing steadied.
Her eyes sharpened.
"This ends now."
Water rose around her—not wild, not rushed. It moved with precision, spiraling tightly around her sword.
The same technique.
The one she had practiced that morning.
"Water Spiral Cannon."
She stepped forward and thrust.
The spiral compressed instantly, transforming into a piercing stream—focused, merciless.
It tore straight through the soul eater's core.
No resistance.
No recovery.
The soul eater froze.
Cracks spread across its body.
Then—silence.
Its form collapsed inward, condensing rapidly, until all that remained was a stone, dull and lifeless, dropping heavily to the ground.
Mei exhaled.
She turned to Ren, kneeling beside him.
"You're reckless," she said quietly. "But… you did good."
The cave suddenly filled with light.
Not fire.
Not water.
Something violent tore through the cave.
The light that filled the space wasn't gentle—it was raw, flickering wildly like unstable lightning trapped in human form. The pressure hit Ren first. His instincts screamed before his mind caught up.
This wasn't protection.
This was presence.
The flames in the forest outside flared uncontrollably. Water pooled along the cave floor trembled, rippling outward as if struck by invisible shockwaves.
Ren's flame mark burned.
Not painfully—
Excited.
His heart skipped.
"…That feeling…" Ren whispered.
Mei stiffened. Her grip tightened on her sword. Every muscle in her body screamed danger—not from the sealed soul eater, but from above them.
The presence didn't speak.
It didn't need to.
It felt reckless.
Unrestrained.
Like something that existed to overwhelm.
And just as suddenly—
It vanished.
The cave went dark.
Only silence remained.
Ren swallowed hard.
"…That wasn't a soul eater," he said quietly.
Mei didn't answer.
But her expression told him everything.