Tave turned the token over in his hand, rolling it between his fingers, letting it catch the dim glow of the lava as it spun slowly in his palm. It felt warm, alive, even as if it were pulsing in rhythm with the heat of the chamber. He was giving himself one last moment. A breath before the storm.
He wasn't just preparing for the spirit. Sure, there was always the unpredictability of what might be summoned. Elemental spirits could be wild, ancient, and not always willing to bind. But that wasn't his only concern.
This was a Fire Elemental Spirit. If he succeeded, if the awakening worked then he wouldn't just gain power. He'd gain affinity. With Fire.
That meant something big. He already had affinity with the Dark element. And now, potentially, with Fire as well. More elements, at a glance, sounded like a blessing. More power, more versatility, right?
But the truth was messier than that. The more basic elements a person wielded, the harder it became to master any of them. Growth slowed. Focus became fractured. Utilization became a balancing act instead of a sharpened edge.
Most people were better off sticking to one. Like Oriana, who'd unlocked Ice by deepening her Water affinity. That was the natural path: one base element, then evolve it. Refine it.
Two basic elements, though? That was a heavier burden. Twice the training. Twice the complexity. It became a game of constant calculation, not to mention survival. But with those risks came possibilities.
The potential to unlock more than just advanced elements. To unlock combined elements!
Yes, basic elements could merge. Mix them well enough, master them deeply enough, and they could produce entirely new forces. In his case, Dark and Fire. There was a real chance he could unlock something like Hellfire. Flames that didn't just burn flesh, but consumed the soul itself.
And that… that was only one of many possibilities. The path was wide. Dangerous. But it was powerful beyond reason.
Tave drew a long, steady breath and forced his focus to sharpen. He had to trust himself now. If there was ever a moment to be confident, it was this one. And honestly? He was.
He'd thought this through, every angle, every risk. Two basic elements might be overwhelming for most, but Tave had already envisioned countless ways to use this combination with precision and power.
Dark and Fire. He was going to push it as far as he could. Unlock abilities that were rare, devastating, and beautifully destructive!
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the token into the air. It spun rapidly, catching the red glow of the chamber like a dying star. Then, as if pulled by unseen strings, it slowed, suspended in midair and drifted gently toward the hilt of the sword planted in the circle.
And then, a sharp ripple cut across the surface of the lava.
A single droplet shot up and splashed near the circle's edge.
"Shit…" Tave muttered under his breath.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The heat surged. The ground trembled beneath his feet. The faint hum of magic twisted into a low, menacing growl as the lava began to ripple harder, faster, like something was stirring just beneath its surface.
Was he too close? His instincts screamed at him to back away, to find higher ground. But he couldn't. Not now. It had already begun. There was no undoing it.
The cave trembled again, more violently this time. The chains on the ground rattled. The magic circle flickered. And the lava, the lava began to rise!
Higher. Thicker. Closer. It surged upward in swells, bubbling furiously, hissing as it licked the edges of the circle. Steam shot into the air with sharp, crackling snaps.
Tave grit his teeth, planting his feet firmly, even as panic clawed at his chest. He backed off just a little. Just enough to avoid the molten spray. His breath ragged.
"Stay calm," he whispered to himself.
Because this was just the beginning.
Until the air exploded in light.
It began as a shimmer, then a surge. A sudden burst of flame erupted midair, radiant and violent, forcing Tave to throw up his arm to shield his eyes.
The brightness was blinding, searing through the chamber like a miniature sun had been ignited right before him. The heat, already stifling, spiked into the unbearable.
And yet, it was beautiful. Magical. The fire didn't lash out wildly. Instead, it expanded with grace, a controlled brilliance that lit every shadow in the cave. The very air sparkled with glowing embers, floating like fireflies in slow motion.
And then…The light began to fold inward. Swirling, dancing, shaping itself.
A figure began to take form.
Tave could hardly breathe as the flames drew together, weaving into the silhouette of something, someone. Just behind the sword planted in the center of the circle.
The figure stepped forward. A woman of pure fire.
Tave's eyes widened. His breath caught. He stood frozen, mouth slightly agape as he took her in.
Her body was forged from condensed flame, glowing with a fierce, golden-red radiance. She had wings. Huge, majestic wings made of roaring flame. Her skin shimmered like dawn, like sunlight reflected in molten gold.
She wore armor, just enough to cover what mattered. But it was elegant, refined. Each piece glowed with intricate fire motifs. Her hair flowed down her back in waves of ember-touched brilliance, flickering and alive.
And her eyes. They burned. Not with rage, but with clarity. Calm. Authority. A noble flame.
[ You have successfully summoned Unique-grade Kaelira – The Flamebound Seraph. ]
Unique-grade. Higher than Epic, just a breath below Legendary. That realization hit Tave like a strike to the chest. The sword he'd prepared, the vessel for this spirit, was of Epic-grade, and yet the being now standing before him far surpassed it.
Kaelira. The Flamebound Seraph.
Tave's mind scrambled for answers. He had no records, no memory of a spirit by that name. Whatever Kaelira was, she didn't belong to the ordinary catalog of elemental beings. A Unique-grade spirit wasn't just rare. It was exceptional. Monumental.
And now she was here. Staring directly at him.
Her eyes didn't burn in rage, not at first. They measured him. For a long, breathless moment, she said nothing, as if peering through the surface of his soul. Evaluating him. Weighing him.
Tave knew better than to assume this was over. Summoning a high-grade spirit was only the beginning. He still had to bind her. Still had to prove himself worthy of wielding her strength. And spirits like her didn't bend easily.
Then, she spoke. A voice that rang low, filled with a chilling calm.
"Who are you…?"
It wasn't a question. It was a challenge wrapped in a demand.
Tave didn't answer right away. He felt the pressure of her gaze, the overwhelming heat in the air, his own uncertainty clawing up from within.
She didn't wait long.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
The chamber exploded with heat as her wings unfurled with a thunderous snap, and in the same breath, a massive wave of fire roared toward him. Tave threw up his arms, instinctively bracing against the onslaught, but it was no use.
The flames hit him like a falling meteor.
He was blasted off his feet. Launched across the chamber. His body slammed into the far wall of the cave with a brutal thud. The impact rattled his bones, heat tearing through his defenses, pain blooming across his limbs.
He crumpled to the ground, breathless.
And seriously… he should've made the binding process more instant!
Damn.