The Game's Extra: Azhriel Odyssey

A frost Monkey was both a good and a bad match for Alicia.

If looked from one hand, she could win this very very easily if she used her flames. However her hatred didn't seem like it would allow her to use it.

On the other hand, the monkey was an ice type beast. If her ice isn't powerful enough it won't be able to harm the beast.

This was battle that outcome, no one was sure of.

Start.

The monkey moved first.

It leapt forward like a streak of white lightning, claws glistening with frost. A gust of frigid wind followed its path, coating the grass in a thin layer of ice.

Alicia didn't move. Her saber was already in hand, blade lowered, body relaxed—watchful.

The monkey's claws slashed forward, aiming straight for her chest.

Clang!

Alicia twisted her wrist and parried, the force of the blow pushing her a step back. Cold crept up her blade, biting into the hilt, numbing her fingers.

She gritted her teeth and pushed forward, slashing across the monkey's side.

But the blade only grazed the surface. As the monkey's icy fur had hardened at the last second.

It hissed and leapt back, circling her with slow, calculating steps.

Alicia exhaled quietly, lowering her stance. Her saber shimmered faintly, a glow of her ice element pulsing through the metal.

She extended her free hand. Frost gathered in the air—shards of crystal forming in midair.

She launched them.

The monkey darted left, dodging the first wave. The second volley forced it to block with its arm, shards piercing into fur, but not deep.

It growled, breath misting in the cold air.

Alicia's expression didn't change, but her thoughts raced.

'Too shallow… the ice isn't working as I thought it would'

The Frost Monkey's resistance to ice was stronger than expected. Her ice shards were more like tickles than wounds.

The beast struck again, faster than before. Claws extended, it aimed for her flank—then feinted and went for her leg.

She jumped back. Just barely.

But the monkey's tail whipped around—crack!—striking her across the ribs.

Alicia coughed, stumbling to the side, her saber dragging slightly. A line of frost traced across her uniform.

She righted herself, eyes narrowed.

The monkey didn't stop.

It pounced again, and again—pressuring her, biting the distance away.

She blocked, parried, dodged—but she was slowing.

The cold was creeping in.

Each breath became a fog. Her limbs dulled. The more she used her ice, the more it felt like she was helping the beast rather than hurting it.

She slashed upward, trying to catch its jaw.

It jumped over.

She spun and tried to impale it mid-air—missed by a hair.

It landed behind her, claws cutting a line across her back before she could turn.

She staggered, saber falling to one knee, her fingers almost slipping from the hilt.

Her vision blurred from the pain.

The monkey roared.

For a moment, voices blurred out.

It darted back, charged, and leapt—straight toward her.

Its claws glowed with condensed ice. A killing blow.

Alicia's back was turned.

She didn't see it—only felt the air shift behind her, pressure surging fast, too fast to react properly. Her instincts flared, sharp like a blade against her nerves.

Her eyes widened into pinpricks as she raised her arm on reflex, ready to block whatever was coming.

However the attack of the beast never came.

Instead It was she who attacked.

Fwoooosh!

A burst of pure, raging crimson fire exploded from her palm. It wasn't focused. It wasn't aimed.

It was a raw surge of panic and instinct, the body choosing survival over everything else.

The flames roared around her like a blooming inferno, wild and untamed.

The monkey, caught mid-pounce, didn't even have time to scream. Its red eyes stretched wide for a heartbeat… then were swallowed in fire.

It turned to ash in seconds.

No body.

No bones.

Only dust remained, scattering in the curling heat.

Alicia stood frozen.

Her arm remained raised, but her gaze had glazed over.

The fire still crackled faintly, circling her feet like an angry spirit. She stared at it—not with awe, not even with triumph—but with pure dread.

Her breath hitched.

"Kyaaa…"

A choked cry escaped her lips as she stumbled back, eyes wide.

The crimson flame, her fire reflected in her pupils, vivid and angry, flickering like a nightmare.

Her chest tightened.

It felt like someone had wrapped chains around her lungs and pulled.

She gasped.

But the air didn't come.

Her legs trembled. Her fingers shook. Her saber clattered to the ground beside her.

The flames had already begun to die down—yet to her, it felt like they were growing. Enclosing her. Trapping her.

A memory surged.

A dome of fire.

Screams.

Pain.

The scent of burning flesh.

Her eyes lost focus.

"No. Not again."

She sank to her knees.

The world tilting sideways. Her vision swam.

Her throat refused to let sound through—like it had clamped shut from within. She grabbed her chest, digging her fingers into her own uniform, trying to force herself to breathe.

It didn't work.

The fire was gone.

But the heat still burned under her skin, crawling like something alive.

"Why… why did it come out again?"

The question echoed in Alicia's mind like a cruel whisper.

She had buried those flames—shoved them deep into the darkest corners of herself, locked them behind pain and memory.

So what if it was her affinity, if it was her gift. For her, it was nothing more than a curse.

Not ever again.

Those flames… they had almost destroyed everything.

They had taken so much from her—her family, her peace, her control.

Chop.

A sudden sharp blow to the back of her neck broke the spiral of panic. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell—unconscious.

Azhriel caught her gently before she could hit the ground. His arms steady, his expression calm… but his gaze flickered with a seriousness that hadn't been there before.

From the side, Chloe finally broke out of her frozen shock. She rushed over, eyes wide and brimming with panic.

"Alicia… Alicia!" she called, gently nudging her unconscious friend, voice cracking. "Please-"

"She's okay," Azhriel said cutting her off, still holding Alicia. His tone was soft but firm, steadying Chloe. "She just needs rest. Go take her to the shade. Let her breathe."

Chloe nodded quickly, wiping her face. "O-Okay."

With Nyverra's help, she took Alicia into her arms, carefully carrying her to the edge of the field, where the academy staff had already prepared resting zones.

They laid her down under a broad tree, where the wind was gentle and the ground cool.

Azhriel stood there for a moment longer, silently watching Alicia being taken away.

He'd known, obviously.

He'd seen the signs from the beginning.

The fear she carried. The stiffness whenever someone spoke of fire.

The restraint in her elemental use—always ice, never flame, even when fire would've been more effective.

"Haah…" Raymond let out a long breath, stepping up beside him. His brows were furrowed, lips pressed into a line.

"I kinda knew something was off, when she didn't use her inherent flames" he muttered. "But I didn't expect this."

Azhriel turned to him.

Raymond continued, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I've seen people freeze before—get stage fright or choke under pressure—but that? That was… different. That wasn't nerves."

"No," Samuel agreed as he approached, arms crossed. "That was trauma. Straight up PTSD."

They both looked toward Alicia, lying still under the tree as Chloe sat beside her, wiping her face.

A moment later, Arianne spoke. Her voice was quiet, but it cut through the air like a sharp blade.

"It's hindering her growth."

Everyone turned to look at her.

Arianne rarely spoke much but when she did, her words mattered.

She continued, her crimson eyes calm. "The flames she used… those weren't from any standard fire affinity. They were special. My grandmother once told me about them."

"Flames that never die out," she said softly, almost as if repeating an old tale.

The silence that followed was heavy. No one spoke.

Even Kevin, usually quick with a joke, had nothing to say.

Then—

"Everyone, back to your groups."

Illiana's voice echoed across the field, clear and commanding. The stillness shattered as attention shifted toward the instructor standing near the edge of the platform.

Her sharp eyes swept over the students. She had seen everything, but as always, she didn't coddle. Her job was not to shield them from pain—it was to make sure they survived it.

"The test will continue. Let Alicia rest. Medics are watching over her."

She looked at the group around Azhriel. "And the rest of you—prepare. The next names will be called soon."

One by one, the group began to move, casting one last glance at Alicia, who still lay unconscious beneath the shade of the tree.

Azhriel stayed a moment longer. He glanced at her… then turned, and walked away.

The fire was awake again.

Now, it was only a matter of time. fanah