The evening air bit colder than before as Cinder was arriving at the train station.
Creeping through an old shattered wall, he pulled himself up the rafters. Climbing up to the next floor he threw his bag onto the crumbling chair in the corner and looked at the system message in front of him.
'I feel too stupid for this,' he looked around the room, eyes settling on his campfire.
"What smolders long after the fire dies?"
'Does it mean coal?' Walking over to the fire pit at the edge of the broken wall he started shifting through the ashes.
Finding a decent chunk of charcoal he picks it up curiously.
***
[Medium Detected: Charcoal (Connection Rank C)]
***
'So how does it work? Do I have to throw it?' Cinder thought for a moment before crumpling it in his hands.
Ashes fluttered into the air, floating delicately before they were swept away by the growing cloud. The smoke billowed around him, dark and twisted, as if reacting to his touch, to his power. Cinder let out a steady breath, his eyes narrowing as the ember-like glimmers pulsed within the mist, alive with energy.
For a moment, he simply stood there, lost in the dance of smoke and ash, feeling the hum of the power that ran through his fingertips. It was raw, unrefined—but it was his.
Then he heard a chime and his body tightened. The smoke sucked itself down his nose and throat, scorching every part of flesh it touch.
He let out a scream of agony as his body convulsed, the ash tearing away at his sling and bones.
Whether it was seconds or hours he couldnt tell as he lay on the ground breathing heavily.
He looked up at the message above him.
***
[Passive Ability: Emberborne - Unlocked]
-Ash flows through your vanes sealing your wounds shut.
-You can feel presence inside of your ash
-Your body temperature can be raised at will.
[Active ability: Ash Snap]
-Compress ash or embers and detonate near you.
***
He unlocked his medium which meant he could now use his abilities.
Cinder sat up staring at the new screen, mediums were a thing that made it easier to use or empower your abilities.
After unlocking the medium and unlocking the first abilities you would receive the worst part of it all.
Your vow.
***
[Initiating Vow…]
[Vow Activated: Hollow Flame]
-Your body always burns, you must consume ash and smoke.
***
"What…" Cinder, staring curiously at his Vow wondering what it meant suddenly felt a new pain in his chest.
AAAAGGGHHH-
He screamed. The pain unbearable as he collapsed.
He clawed at his chest, begging the fire to stop—but it only burned worse.
His chest felt like it was melting from the inside. Tearing open his shirt Cinder looked down at his chest.
His veins glowing read, the symbol of black flame smoking and searing.
Cinder looked at the ash remaining in the fire pit and extended his hand.
'Ple…please…please work,'
His hand hit the ash as it came alive crawling onto his hand before being absorbed by it.
The pain receded his muscles and chest feeling like they had been torn apart.
"I can't have that happen again," Cinder stood up, his chest bare but more refined.
He looked down at his hands—still trembling. Still alive.
The fear hadn't left him. It clung to his skin just like the soot. But deeper than that, something hummed. Power.
He hated it. Feared it. But he couldn't deny it.
Looking at his arms, Cinder thought they looked different. They were an ashy pale color before but now it was faintly darker. As though he was burning beneath the skin.
Looking around he realized that everything was covered in soot.
'Wait.. I wonder if it'll work,' remembering what he had found when he first moved into the abandoned rail yard, he walked over to a metal storage locker laying on the ground.
Lifting the lid and digging around for a moment he found what he was looking for.
A pack of cigarettes.
Walking over to the fire pit again he took out one of the strike anywhere matches that he used.
Deciding not to make the room more of a mess in case it worked, Cinder walked to the edge of the wall before jumping up and grabbing the roof and pulling himself up.
It felt easier than it had before. He sat down on the edge and pulled out the cigarette.
Striking the match with a quiet hiss, he put the cigarette between his lips and lit it.
He had seen his Mother do it plenty of times before and had always sworn to never smoke himself.
'I'm becoming more like you by the day, aren't I?' He gripped the singed edges of the scarf and sat quietly.
Inhaling harder than he should have, his tongue burnt with the taste of tobacco. His throat stung for a moment before he heard the message.
Then he felt it, a thick pressure in his chest. He exhaled and with it came more smoke then their should have been. It clouded around him, dark and hot with smoke and ash, sparkling red with embers.
It clung to him as though it obeyed him.
His entire figure distorted. He tried sucking it back in through his skin to replenish his vow, but it doesn't seem to work.
He glanced at the messages he received.
***
[Medium Detected: Cigarette (Rank A)]
[Your form has been restored.]
***
'I guess the second one is my vow, atleast it works. I'll have to talk to Toma later,' Deciding he would ask the twins to help him get his hands on more later he felt his eyes sting.
'Even if I can see through it, my eyes still burn, I should get some goggles too,' Cinder stood up deciding to test his abilities.
He put the cigarette out and started walking further onto the roof.
The cold air no longer feeling as cold.
Cinder looked around, before snapping. He could feel the Nythe flowing through his body. The souls essence that powered abilities.
In front of him the air compressed tightly with the smoke surrounding him before detonating. A force of air hit him. It wasn't destructive or damaging. It could work to throw enemies of balance or to like stuff on fire.
'I wonder if I can make it smaller or bigger,' he channeled less into it and a small spark appeared. Doing the same but adding more the force was bigger but still not quite an explosion.
'I wonder,' Cinder pulled the cigarette that he had already smoke prior and put it against his lips.
He snapped barely adding any Nythe to it and focused it on the tip of the cigarette, there was a spark and a hiss as he inhaled.
He felt the ash in his body being restored.
"Thats convenient," he finished replenishing his vow and dropped the cigarette putting it out.
He stared off into the night before falling asleep on the roof, it was no longer cold.
———-
A week passed in smoke and steel. He'd learned to burn without screaming.
He had a pair of ash covered goggles hanging from his neck, a sword he had received from the academy as well as his bag was full of cigarettes he had gotten from the twins.
On his waist he had an academy issue pouch filled with sticks of charcoal he had made after spending all of the academy credits he had received on the goggles and cigarettes.
Toma and Mirei were really confused by the request, but they had still followed through.
He was ready for the crucible as much as he could be. He stood quietly listening to the headmaster.