There are always a few unexpected surprises in life and that’s what makes life more interesting. Like you think, you understand sothing better only to be surprised by it afterwards.
The sa thing was currently happening with as I saw a bright green fla coil around my arm like a maiden in love, clinging to with the desperate affection of sothing that didn’t know what boundaries were.
This was my affinity.
Arcane Jestfire.
Its description had been simple enough: I could control its heat and shift it however I wanted.
What it failed to ntion, though, was the clingy, obsessive and borderline tsundere personality of the damn thing.
I was crouched beside the rubble that blocked the only exit, thinking that if I could lt my way through, maybe, just maybe, I could still reach my investnt in ti.
But the mont I summoned the fla and willed it toward the rubble, it wrapped itself tighter around my arm like an overprotective lover.
Naturally, I was surprised. I an, who wouldn’t be?
So for the last few minutes, I had been locked in a battle of wills— trying to send the fla toward the rubble and the fla stubbornly refusing to leave , like it had abandonnt issues.
But no matter what I did... this damn fire just wouldn’t listen.
From the abandonnt issues, I recalled the girl who had tried seducing just a few monts ago.
Seraphina.
She was watching my little fire show with wide eyes.
Her earlier nervousness had completely vanished the mont she realized I was just as stuck here as she was. I could almost see the relief wash over her face.
I an, she was a smart one.
She probably thought that as long as I stayed trapped down here, she didn’t have to worry about survival anymore.
After all, it’s much easier to stay alive when your strongest card can’t leave the table.
I almost couldn’t believe she was the sa girl who tried that pathetic attempt to seduce and make stay even when she knew the entrance was blocked.
But in her defence, the situation was like that.
She was freshly trapped and attacked by a disgusting orc bastard before a Prince Charming—yours truly—saved her life after appearing out of nowhere.
Honestly, anyone in her position might’ve snapped a little. She probably thought I had so cool teleportation powers or so divine escape trick. Which, to be honest, I really wish I had.
So when her lovely little abandonnt issues kicked in, her brain probably scread: "Seduce the magic guy before he vanishes!"
In any case, she now sat on a rock a little distance away from , watching struggle with my rebellious fla like it was the most entertaining thing she had seen all day.
Viola cared about her, enough to introduce her to back on the SkyCruise. And yet here I was, acting like a complete stranger. Not out of malice... but because I honestly found her pathetic.
That’s why I had avoided her since the beginning.
She was everything I wasn’t.
She loathed herself.
She saw her own existence as a burden to others.
She was the kind of person who would rather fade into the background than take control of their story.
Completely opposite to .
I didn’t loathe myself. I adored myself, sotis maybe a little too much and maybe that was why I found her annoying.
Fuck... I got distracted again.
I swear my attention span has been getting lower and lower recently.
I focused back on my flas.
I nudged it gently to flow towards the rubble but it swayed a little as if it was going to do that before turning back to my hand.
I swear, I heard a "Hmph!!" Sound in my mind or it might’ve been just overthinking.
Either way, it seems my fla is truly a tsundere... and for so reason it’s mad with about sothing.
Honestly, it was annoying.
Still, the worst thing you can say to a tsundere is Fuck off.
I could currently feel two kinds of fire within .
One basic.
And one this Jestfire.
Sure, I could’ve used the normal fla but it didn’t have the heat-shifting trick that made the Jestfire so special.
So, I did what any sane and devastatingly handso man like would do.
I tried to convince the fla.
Yes. Convince it.
And after a bit of careful coaxing, it finally gave in and I felt sothing shift.
I didn’t like the fact that I would have to negotiate with my own fire every ti I wanted to use it... but as if mocking my concern, a new status window popped up before my eyes.
[Arcane Jestfire Has Accepted You as Master]
[New Abilities of Arcane Jestfire is Being Revealed]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
◈ Affinity: Arcane Jestfire
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
◈ Description: An evolved fla born from the fusion of contradictions. Arcane Jestfire carries both heat and chill and burns not with rage, but with wit. A fla that jests. A fire that rembers. Neither wholly kind nor cruel, it dances on the edge of aning, mocking the laws of nature with a cackle.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
◈ Traits:
☉ Dual Temperant: The User may shift freely between searing fire and cold, ghostly fla.
☉ Pyromorphic Form: The fla may adopt any visual form for a while and yet retain its elental nature.
☉ Ember of Jest: Carries a will of its own but will listen to its user unconditionally.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
As I scanned the new description my eyes widened.
Only one new effect had been added... but, it was a good one.
Not flashy or overwhelming but quietly dangerous. It was the perfect tool for deception.
Definitely sothing I could use.
A grin crept across my face before I could stop it.
The world really did have a sense of humor, giving the Trickster more ways to trick.
But alas, I didn’t have any more ti to waste entertaining any more villainous monologue.
With a sigh, I placed my palm against the rubble.
The green flas seeped from my hand, curling through the cracks and licking across the stone’s surface.
The temperature rose sharply.
The once-playful fla grew denser, its glow deepening as it devoured my mana faster than anything I had ever felt before.
The heat wasn’t just physical.
Sweat started forming on my forehead but I didn’t care... I continued pouring my mana... the dark cave stone turned bright orange as its form started lting.
I didn’t need to lt the whole pile, just one stone would do.
One well-placed lt and the entire rubble would collapse, clearing the path. It was simple and efficient.
Soon enough, the first stone began to soften under the green fla, its surface glowing faintly before shifting into a molten drip.
The liquid rock hissed as it hit the cold cavern floor,
steam rising through the air.
A faint vibration followed, a quiet, ominous crack echoing through the rubble.
It was working.
Maybe a little too well.
The stones began to shift rapidly, grinding against each other as the structure started to give way.
Without wasting a second, I summoned my Card of Arcana with one hand and flicked it toward the far side of the cavern, still within my domain but safely distant.
I an, I was far too young, handso and clever to be dying so soon.
So, the mont that rubble ca down, I would teleport straight to the card using [The Magician] effect, which, to be fair, was the only effect I hadn’t tested yet.
It was risky for sure but honestly, when has that ever stopped ?
The trembling deepened as the entire chamber rumbled.
The cracks spread fast.
I didn’t need a genius to tell what was about to happen.
"Ah, shit."
That was all I managed before the world above gave out.
A roar of falling rock swallowed the cavern as tons of rubble ca crashing down.
Before the rubble could bury , I focused on the card, my only exit.
"The Magician."
The command left my lips just as the first boulder ca down.
A surge of heat exploded from my chest.
The world went white-green as my body was swallowed by flas.
Boom.
The next mont , the whole world flipped as I reappeared from the card I had thrown a few monts ago.
The fire still clung to for a second before dissipating.
I straightened up, brushing off the imaginary dust,
and exhaled.
"Well..." I muttered, smirking faintly. "That worked."
The teleportation worked not bad for a test run that could’ve ended in becoming modern art under a pile of rocks.
But the satisfaction faded as my eyes lifted toward the newly opened passage.
Because only now did I feel it...
The ominous aura that filled the whole cavern.
Sothing felt strange and yet... familiar about that aura.
"What the hell..." I murmured, narrowing my eyes. "What is that power?"
I didn’t know but I sure as hell was going to find it out soon.
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