The Phoenix soul: A legend Arises

Chapter 33 "A Lesson In Fire"

The quiet of the early morning was broken by the sound of footsteps, steady and purposeful. Two guards emerged from the darkness, their presence unmistakable yet measured. As they drew nearer, they nodded respectfully toward Daelan. "Master Daelan," they greeted with a slight bow.

The guards turned to him and offered a deeper bow. "Prince Thrain," they acknowledged, their voices laced with reverence.

Thrain felt the weight of the title, as if it were something he hadn't fully grasped until now. It was an overwhelming feeling, yet oddly comforting.

The first guard spoke again, his tone warm but direct. "We've come to check on you both. The flames you wield, they're unmistakable. Not many can call upon such power."

After a moment of silence, Daelan broke it with a hint of frustration. "So, after all this time, you finally decide to show up? It's been over an hour."

"They said they knew," Thrain replied, his voice calm but with a touch of weariness. "They were just checking up now."

Daelan scoffed, his voice laced with annoyance. "They could have done that much sooner. You two aren't exactly serving the kingdom in the way they should be."

After a moment of pleading from the guards, Daelan finally relented and gave them permission to leave. But as they turned to go, he leaned in and muttered under his breath, "I'll have to work on the guards before we leave."

With a deep breath, he straightened up and turned to Thrain. "Alright, let's continue."

"I don't know how you managed it, but you picked up the explosion technique with hardly any resistance, and with the blue flames, too," Daelan remarked, surprised.

Thrain shrugged dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not really interested in all this. I want to learn lightning, or how you fly, or maybe how you lie so well... or maybe fire resistance, I'm just guessing."

Daelan sighed, his patience thinning. "Take it easy. Why the rush? This is literally our first training session. Besides, to learn something like lightning, you'd need rain and thunder. Maybe you could summon it, but I'm not sure. For now, we stick to what I say."

…

"We firewielders have a unique advantage, we can regain mana at night by absorbing the heat energy from the sun that reflects off the moon. If you want to speed up your recovery, find somewhere hot. You could even create flames yourself and draw energy from them."

Daelan gestured around them, his tone steady. "Fortunately, all the fire we unleashed earlier has left the area sizzling. Absorb the heat, you already know how. You did it instinctively at the academy, and you even used heat manipulation on your brother. Yes, I was there. I saw that fight. You're practically taking on the world at this point."

…

Thrain focused, channeling the heat around him, drawing in what little mana he could. It wasn't much, but it was enough to feel the familiar warmth pulse through him again. Daelan did the same, absorbing the ambient energy from the surroundings.

"About that heat manipulation," Thrain said, a bit uncertain. "I don't really know how I did it. I just... felt like I had to. When I saw him, I just wanted to burn his legs, and suddenly it happened. He screamed, and I didn't even have to be close."

Daelan blinked, taken aback. He had always assumed Thrain used the heat from the flames, but this was something entirely different. "I've never heard of anyone doing that before. Using pure willpower to control the heat like that…"

He shook his head in disbelief. "What I know is that most people can control flames to boil water, manipulate the smoke, or regulate the heat when the surroundings are hot enough, but not just" Daelan paused, glancing at Thrain. "Not like that. That's… impressive, actually."

"Try it on me," Daelan challenged, his tone light.

Thrain focused, channeling the heat, but nothing happened. He frowned, frustration building. "Guess it only works when I'm annoyed or angry. Does our ability respond to emotions too?"

"Of course," Daelan replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Who doesn't? Animals, dragons, even humans. Everyone does. Your theory's right. I should've mentioned that earlier."

Daelan paused, his smirk faltering as he looked at Thrain, his expression shifting. The realization hit him all at once. Thrain knew exactly what he was getting at, and Daelan knew that Thrain knew. That was why he'd condemned using anger.

"Ugh!" Daelan slapped his forehead in frustration.

"That eye thing you're confused about," Daelan started changing the topic and watching Thrain carefully, "it's called Ember Vision. It's an enhanced sight that lets you see heat signatures, or even detect living beings through their body heat, even in complete darkness. The last wielder also had it. You'll discover more powers as you go. You're already uncovering some of them. For instance, pyrokinesis control, I've seen you do that."

Thrain raised an eyebrow, still processing the explanation.

Daelan smirked, nodding. "Next, I'll teach you fire construction."

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Fire Constructs are advanced techniques. They're solid structures made of flame, objects or creatures that can act independently, like fire golems. Only masters can create them. Most normal benders can't do this; in fact, very few can. Only those who wield green flames, like you, can pull this off. It's unique."

Daelan extended his hand, flames swirling around his fingers. "You can create anything, as long as you infuse it with your mana to hold it. Defenses, attacks vortexes, arrows, anything you can think of. Watch."

With a swift motion, Daelan conjured a ball of fire. He tossed it on the ground, where it bounced slightly with a sound like metal striking, flames crackling around it. He then controlled it, guiding it back into his hand.

"You try," Daelan said, tossing Thrain a knowing look. "Let's see if you've got it."

Thrain focused, his hands outstretched as he tried to mold the flames into a solid shape. Daelan stood nearby, offering a running commentary on the process.

"Feel the energy flow from your core, not just the flames. The key is to bind it with your mana, it's like weaving a thread through fire to make it solid. Concentrate, but don't overthink. Let it respond to your intent."

Thrain's brow furrowed, his hands trembling as the flames flickered chaotically. He screamed, and the flames flared violently, engulfing his arms before dissipating. "If you want me to concentrate, why don't you shut up and stop distracting me!" he snapped, his voice laced with irritation.

Daelan chuckled, his amusement clear. "You're the one getting distracted, not me. Come on, kid, don't blame me for your lack of focus."

Thrain tried again, his frustration mounting as the flames refused to take shape. After several failed attempts, he turned to Daelan, his face twisted in annoyance. "Why are you laughing?"

Daelan smirked, his arms crossed. "It's just funny. You're supposed to be this overpowered prodigy, connected to the Phoenix and all that, but you can't even form a basic construct. Meanwhile, I mastered this on my first try." His grin widened. "It's nice to finally have something over you."

Thrain's annoyance boiled over into anger, and without thinking, he unleashed a fiery blast toward Daelan. The flames surged forward with raw intensity, but Daelan sidestepped them with ease, his expression shifting to one of playful challenge.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Daelan said, his voice taking on a sharper edge. He rolled his shoulders, flames dancing along his arms. "Alright, kid. You want to make this a fight? Let's see what you've got!"

Thrain's fists ignited, his flames burning brighter than before as he took a step forward. "You're the one who asked for it," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

Daelan grinned, his own flames flaring in response. "Good. Don't hold back, Prince."

The air between them crackled with heat and tension as they squared off, their flames casting flickering shadows across the rocky ground. Daelan stood poised, his stance relaxed yet ready, while Thrain's anger pushed his flames to surge uncontrollably. It wasn't just a spar, it was a clash of fire and pride, a battle between mentor and student that neither intended to lose.

…

After a while of dodging Thrain's relentless flame attacks, Daelan stood unfazed, letting some hit him directly while others seemed to dissipate before even reaching him. Thrain paused, narrowing his eyes as realization dawned. "I knew it, you're not getting affected," he said, panting.

Daelan smirked, brushing some soot off his shoulder. "Took you long enough to figure that out."

Thrain frowned. He hadn't been using the blue flames, but even his regular fire should've caused some damage. Yet here Daelan stood, untouched, almost like a shield of resistance surrounded him.

Eventually, Daelan yawned, feigning boredom. "So, this is the guy who wanted to fight a master? Disappointing." With that, he stepped forward and delivered a swift kick to Thrain's chest, his shin reinforced with a flicker of fire construction. The force sent Thrain stumbling back, gasping from the impact. The pain was sharp, almost unbearable.

"Guess we're done here," Daelan said casually, turning his back to him.

But Thrain's frustration boiled over. In a burst of raw emotion, he instinctively formed a flaming orb and hurled it at Daelan's head. The fireball blazed through the air with surprising speed and precision. Daelan barely managed to dodge, the heat brushing past his face as his eyes widened in shock.

"What the hell?" Daelan muttered, spinning around. For a moment, his mind raced. "Chen?" But as the smoke cleared, he saw Thrain standing there, fists ablaze, his eyes fierce with determination.

"Oh, so you're not done yet, huh?" Daelan said, stepping forward with a grin that bordered on predatory.

Before Thrain could react, Daelan closed the distance and placed a hand on his chest. A sudden surge of energy flowed between them as Daelan attempted to absorb Thrain's mana, but to his surprise, it didn't work. Thrain grabbed Daelan by the wrist, yanking him closer with raw force, his own flames flaring up in defiance.

"Not bad," Daelan said, his voice tinged with genuine respect, though he swiftly countered with a series of blows that sent Thrain reeling back. With one final push, Daelan knocked him to the ground, leaving Thrain too exhausted to continue.

Breathing heavily, Daelan crouched down beside him, tapping him lightly on the head. "Good effort, kid. But you're not done learning. That little move I did just now, where I sensed your fireball before it hit? That's called fire sense. It's a heightened awareness of flames, something you'll learn in time."

Thrain groaned, still catching his breath, but his frustration was replaced with quiet admiration.

Daelan leaned back, his voice softening. "You did good, though. Reminded me of your mother when we used to spar. She had that same fire in her. And just like her, you're full of surprises and stubbornness."

With that, Daelan sat down beside him, the heat of their duel still lingering in the air as both silently reflected on the exchange.

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