12 The Flames

Just like those within the Void, the other Domains were also preparing their fighters for the upcoming Culling. The training and selection take years, nurturing the best of talents in order to ensure their highest chances at winning.

Yet among them, the most competitive of all was the Pyro Domain. Being a kingdom that has been on and off from the champion's spot in the Culling, they wanted nothing but complete and total dominance. So much so that it is only in that domain that they even send sons and daughters of their king.

"Prince Blaze it's your turn. Enter the training room please." A voice commanded from an audio crystal.

"Finally! It's time for the main character to shine!"

"Wohooo go Prince Blaze!" Nathan, another titan, said.

"Thank you my loyal subject." The prince was enjoying the attention given to him by his fellow titans.

Yet, as soon as he entered the training room, the mood drastically changed. With the other four talking about the only member of their team that seemed to drag them down.

"Honestly who even chose that guy as a titan?"

"Look at you Nathan, weren't you cheering him a few seconds ago?" Cinder, another member of the team, said.

"Come on, you know that he's even weaker than me. Anyway, back to my question."

"Well you're forgetting the fact that he's King Nova's youngest son." Cinder was the only one entertaining Nathan's question. The other two were simply watching the training of their trash excuse for a prince.

"Ahh yeah. I guess that old man still thinks his bloodline is superior."

They watched Blaze battle a couple of [Ice Hounds]. Creatures said to exist in the arctic part of the world. Monsters specializing in freezing the entirety of the area with their mere presence. As well as having the capability to turn their opponents into giant blocks of ice.

"Stop complaining will you. Even idiots like him are needed in order for us to reach our goal." Tristan, another member of their team commented.

"Well I guess you're right about that part. He's the only one who can track heat signatures after all." Nathan commented.

"Just let him run that mouth of his. He'd be dead soon enough."

Blaze began fighting within the simulated version of the [Ice Hounds]. The creatures covered every corner of the training room, moving slowly as a pack toward their prey that is Prince Blaze.

"Come! You shall all be stepping stones that leads me toward glory!" His flames began battling the ice that was forming, sending a wave of it that coated the ground around him.

"Pathetic! All of you are pathetic lower life forms!" The flames continued getting stronger and stronger, melting the ice and as the flames advanced, it dissolved even the water that quickly turned to steam.

The thickening steam hindered the vision of the creatures but, not their senses. They felt the strong heat still coming from the center and they all directed their attacks at it. Howling as they created ice lances from thin air. The spells were casted simultaneously, creating a raging downpour of ice lances that destroyed their target.

"My turn." Blaze actually set up a tarp. Creating a flame version of him that had the exact same heat signature.

While the hounds were busy firing their ice lances, Blaze was bidding his time. Getting closer and closer towards his prey until, they were within melee range.

"Flame Slash!" The prince was able to take down three of the hounds before he got noticed.

Their [Ice Lance] was on cooldown and, their [Frozen Territory] didn't work on Blaze. This left them with the single option of packing together. Making it more difficult to individually kill hem. Yet Blaze was unbothered. He simply leapt in the air, charging up his sword and, as he came down, he casted:

"Nova Slash!"

The whole room was caught in even thicker steam; making the room look like it was filled with clouds. Meanwhile, data was being collected by the training team. This was displayed on a screen which the four other titans saw.

"Well at least he doesn't lag too far behind us." Nathan commented.

Blaze's data showed that he was at the peak of the flame type he was using – orange. But this in itself was unimpressive because orange was the weakest out of all the flames. In fact, all the other members had blue flames as their source of power. A rarity to possess at their age while.

But there was one among them who wielded green flames. The rarest color of flames. It was Jade Helios, the sole commoner within the group. And for this very same reason, he was treated by the other members of the team as the true leader of the group.

"Honestly, I think you may have just swapped parents at birth." Nathan said, still gazing at the charts.

"I mean, your mother is a lousy whore after all." Nathan realized his mistake as soon as he said it. Everyone in their team did; getting a hair-raising experience from Jade who began selectively burning the loud mouthed titan.

"Choose your next words very, very carefully Nathan."

"I'm sorry!" With the door of the training room opening, Jade was forced to take down his skill.

Prince Blaze came out drenched in sweat. But even he could feel that there was something going on at that moment.

"Is it just me or is this place a bit hotter?"

"It's probably your overwhelming heat my prince. The training room must've been unable to keep it."

"Ah yes! That's probably it right Jade? Hahaha." Everything about that moment was normal enough. Blaze walked towards Nathan and Jade, with a smile still worn on his face.

"Who told you that you can speak to me like we're equals?" The next words uttered by Blaze were unnerving. His tone of voice immediately changed to that of a spoiled prince who thought that he was all that.

"Take off your shirt." Blaze commanded.

"Of course my prince." Jade said, revealing his body that was filled with burns everywhere. Courtesy of Prince Blaze who burned him every time Jade irritated him.

"Nathan, Tristan, hold him down for me." The two boys reluctantly followed the command, holding Jade down on the ground. Blaze then created a fireball on his hand and, without a moment of hesitation, the torture began.

Jade began screaming and moving his body involuntarily. Trying his best not to faint from the immense amount of pain he was feeling at that moment. The other three didn't think he deserved it of course. Not with how strong Jade was at least.

But Blaze needed to establish the hierarchy. He needed to show that he was superior to a street rat. Jade was, after all, from the slums of the Pyro Domain. The child of a woman who had no husband, giving Jade the status of a whore's child as he needed to use his mother's last name.

"You think that just because you have the same flames as my father, you can talk to me that way!"

He was going to be used by the king in order for Prince Blaze to survive until the end. With Jade's power, this would be a walk in the park and, he had no other choice but to do so. To let the monster they called prince be the last one standing. After all, his mother was being held hostage within the chambers of the king's castle.

"You're only useful as my shield no more no less!" The torture was halted earlier than it was supposed to because of the trainers calling them out.

"Prince Blaze, I don't mean to interrupt but, it's Jade's turn to do the drill."

"Ahh is that so? Well get to it then."

The three boys got off of Jade. The smell of burnt flesh covered the whole room to the pint that Nathan almost wanted to puke. He saw everything after all and, no matter how many times he's been part of it, Nathan never got used to Blaze's cruelty.

"Move whore child!" Blaze kicked Jade on last time, making the boy fall to the ground just as he was able to get back up. His body was still weakened by what just happened but, he knew better than to defy orders.

"Let's just get this over with." He muttered to himself, entering the room and beginning the simulation.

Jade faced thrice the number of hounds which Blaze did. Courtesy of that same prince of course who wasn't satisfied with the amount of torture he gave. But, the next thing that followed was beyond his expectations.

The training grounds was immediately enveloped by Jade's green flames. The hounds caught this and immediately turned to ashes, leaving not even their bones behind.

Three seconds. This was all it took for Jade to finish his training and to get out of the room. Creating data on the monitors that went a thousand times beyond Blaze's performance.

"I'll be taking my leave Prince Blaze." Jade said, emitting enough killing intent to mute even the proud monarch.

There was no stopping Jade. Everyone saw in his eyes that he was only half-conscious at that moment meaning, he wouldn't be stopped even if Blaze ordered it. All of them watched him walk out of the room and, it was only after he left that they were able to breathe again.

The reason why they stopped, the reason why they were trembling was due to the same reason. Whenever Jade used his powers or attempted to do so, he emanated the same aura as the strongest fire user of their domain. Jade was undoubtedly, the raw and unrefined version of King Nova.