The Abominable roared, its guttural, bone-chilling howl reverberating through the village, shaking the very earth beneath Kai's feet. He was losing too much blood. His mother lay frozen in terror behind him, and the creature was preparing to strike again.
Then, the temperature shifted.
The night that had been swallowed by deathly cold suddenly grew suffocatingly hot.
A flame flickered in the darkness.
Then it exploded.
A pillar of fire erupted from the ground, twisting and coiling into a raging inferno. The monstrous heat blistered the air, and then out of the fire he emerged.
An Elementalist.
His presence was a force unto itself. His crimson cloak whipped violently behind him, his body encased in an armor forged of ember and obsidian. His very _eyes_ burned like molten gold. As he stepped forward, the flames bowed to him, bending and writhing as though alive, as though answering his call.
The Abominable snarled, its blackened veins pulsating with fury. It charged.
The Elementalist did not move.
The beast was nearly upon him when the fire surged. A massive wall of flame erupted between them, stopping the creature short, sending it skidding backward. The monster shrieked, but the Elementalist remained eerily calm.
"You are a weak one," he muttered, and with a flick of his wrist, fire danced through the air.
Then the battle began.
The Abominable lunged again, but the Elementalist stepped aside with a deadly grace, his foot barely touching the earth before flames burst from the ground, licking the monster's flesh, searing muscle from bone.
The creature howled, thrashing madly, but the Elementalist was already weaving fire like it was an extension of his own body. Spirals of flame coiled around his arms, turning into whips of molten destruction. With a deadly swing, he lashed out—fire snapped across the monster's face, scorching half of it into a bubbling, charred husk.
The Abominable retaliated. It swung its massive clawed hand, but before it could land, the Elementalist clenched his fist.
Instantly, the creature's arm burst into flames.
The fire consumed flesh, melted sinew, ate through the limb like starving wolves. The monster shrieked, stumbling back, black ichor pouring from its burning wound.
Then came the finishing move.
The Elementalist's body became a conduit of raw, unrelenting heat. The air itself trembled, the ground cracked. Fire spiraled upward, rising like a flaming tornado, gathering at his fingertips.
With a single motion, he thrust his hand forward.
The fire condensed into a massive spear of pure flame—rushing toward the Abominable like an unstoppable force.
The moment it struck, the creature detonated.
The explosion sent shockwaves through the village, shaking the ruins, sending embers cascading into the night sky. The Abominable was lifted off the ground, chunks flying everywhere, its body consumed, its screech dying in its throat as it was obliterated.
Then silence.
The Elementalist exhaled, his flames retreating, the glow in his eyes flickering for only a moment.
Kai was on the ground, gasping, clutching his shoulder. The Elementalist stepped toward him, his molten gaze surveying him with mild curiosity.
"You're alive," he said. His voice was deep, unyielding.
Kai could barely nod.
"This one was weak," the Elementalist continued. "There are worse things in the dark. Stay safe and leave immediately as it will come for you next."
Before Kai could respond, the man turned—and in an instant, his body was engulfed in flame.
He disappeared into the fire, vanishing without a trace.
Kai barely had time to process it.
The monster was dead. The village was in ruin. And now, everything had changed.
---
Kai's breath came in ragged gasps, his chest burning as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. His mind struggled to catch up with everything that had just happened—the fire-wielding warrior, the monstrous carnage, the Abominable reduced to nothing but blackened remains.
The village was ruined. The air was thick with smoke, the scent of scorched flesh and destruction hanging like a suffocating veil. The survivors—those lucky enough to escape the slaughter—were scattered, staring in horror at what had just unfolded.
And then he heard it.
"Kai."
His mother's voice.
He turned sharply, his legs nearly giving out beneath him, but he stayed standing. She was there, still trembling, still reeling, but alive. Her face was pale, streaked with grime, her clothes torn from the chaos. She stumbled toward him, her hands shaking as she reached for his face.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice raw, desperate.
Kai swallowed back the pain that raged through his body. He was hurt—badly—but seeing his mother standing, breathing, untouched by the monster's wrath was enough to numb the agony for now.
"I'm fine," he rasped.
She exhaled sharply, a choked, broken sound, and pulled him into her arms. For a moment, he let himself collapse against her, feeling her warmth, her steady heartbeat, the way she clutched him like he was the only thing left in the world.
And then, finally, she spoke.
"The abominable has marked you. You have to leave."
Kai stiffened, pulling back just enough to look at her. Her expression had changed—not the fierce resistance from earlier, nor the paralyzing fear that had gripped her during the attack.
This was something else.
Resignation.
Acceptance.
"You mean—?" He couldn't finish the sentence.
She nodded, slowly, painfully. "You were right. You don't belong here anymore. It will come for you here if you stay."
The words hit him harder than the monster's claws ever could.
She had fought so hard to keep him in the village. She had refused, insisted he was needed here. But now, she had seen the truth—seen what he had faced, what the world beyond their home had in store for him.
And she had realized.
Kai wasn't meant for this life.
He was meant for more.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "You are stronger than I ever knew, Kai," she whispered. "Go. Find your path. And don't ever look back."
For the first time since the night began, Kai felt himself breathe.
And this time, he knew.
He would leave.
And he would never return the same.