The Furnace Room

They dragged Nathan through the cold corridors, his body slumped and weak, wrists bound tight enough to leave raw marks on his skin. His breathing was shallow, barely keeping up with his racing heart. He didn't know where they were taking him, but the grim look in the guards' eyes spoke volumes.

They stopped at a steel door, a foreboding, dark mass with warning signs stamped across it in red, stark against the dull metal. Heat radiated from behind it, a pulsing wave that seemed to reach out, taunting him. Just as he started to make sense of it, the door slid open with a mechanical hiss, revealing an insulated room, alive with an oppressive, suffocating heat.

Kael waited inside, standing behind a reinforced glass panel. He smiled—a slow, satisfied expression that sent chills down Nathan's spine despite the furnace-like warmth.

"Welcome, Nathan," Kael's voice crackled through the intercom, laced with a cruel amusement. "I thought it was time to see just how well you handle a little warmth. After all, you think you're fireproof, don't you?"

The guards shoved Nathan forward, the force enough to send him stumbling over his weakened legs. He caught himself, barely, feeling the heat hit him like a physical blow. It was everywhere, the walls and floor radiating a searing intensity that clawed at his skin.

"This room," Kael continued, relishing each word, "is designed to amplify heat levels. It's unrelenting, like me. A perfect match for you."

Nathan bit down on his lip, swallowing back the dryness scratching at his throat. He straightened, forcing himself to meet Kael's gaze through the glass.

"You're wasting your time," he said, his voice hoarse but defiant.

Kael laughed, a low, mocking sound. "Oh, I don't think so. You see, Nathan, every Blessed who's passed through here thought they were untouchable, too. But I know how to reach that breaking point. I'll find yours soon enough."

With a motion of Kael's hand, the heat intensified, rising in rolling waves that pressed down on Nathan like weights. The room blurred, the air shimmering with the fiery haze, and each breath felt like it scorched his lungs.

Nathan closed his eyes, steadying himself, feeling his fire affinity pulse faintly within him—a quiet, struggling ember. He tried to summon his Heat Shield, but the oppressive energy in the room smothered his power, draining him even as he fought to maintain control.

Kael's voice echoed in the room, smug and relentless. "Do you feel that, Nathan? The real flames don't need you. This power you think you have? It's just a spark. A flicker. Nothing compared to this."

Nathan opened his eyes, his vision already wavering. Sweat poured down his face, each droplet evaporating before it could trail down his skin. His fingers trembled as he clenched them into fists, focusing on the faint warmth still within him.

"Keep talking, Kael," Nathan ground out. "You're the one who's afraid."

"Afraid?" Kael leaned closer to the glass, eyes narrowing. "I'm merely…educating you. Fear is for those who don't understand control."

The heat surged again, his skin feeling like it was being peeled away layer by layer. It took every ounce of focus just to keep from falling, from letting the suffocating blaze force him to the ground. His Heat Shield flickered weakly, a brief shimmer against the overpowering furnace, and he heard Kael's chuckle through the intercom.

"That's it, Nathan. Feel it—feel your limits and know that they're closing in."

His vision blurred further, the edges of his sight darkening. He could almost feel his body betraying him, muscles shaking under the pressure, his skin raw and blistered. And in that desperate, teetering moment, he felt it—a flicker of something deeper, more vivid than any ember he'd summoned.

The System's words reverberated in his mind, a barely-there whisper, yet powerful:

"Hold the flame."

A tremor of heat stirred within him, a primal, fierce warmth that had grown with every trial, every restraint, every whisper of defeat that Kael tried to hammer into him. He clung to it, feeling it swell, even as his vision dimmed. His breathing slowed, steadying around the pulse of fire within.

"Giving up already?" Kael taunted. "Is this all the fire you have left?"

Nathan lifted his head, his lips twitching into a grim smile. "You haven't seen anything yet."

But even as he said it, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees. The walls seemed to close in, an inferno clawing at him from all sides, blurring the boundaries of reality. In his mind's eye, he saw it—a flash of the Primordial Fire Realm, the fierce, blazing landscape flickering just beyond reach. Shadows of fire loomed within it, vast figures shifting in a scorching wind, their flames scorching and unyielding.

One of the figures moved closer, its gaze locking onto him, eyes burning with an intensity that seared through him. It was as though the entity was daring him, challenging him to rise to its level.

"Hold the flame."

The System's command echoed louder, becoming a lifeline that pulled him back from the edge of collapse. He fought to keep his grip on that inner fire, feeling it surge stronger, growing hotter as it mixed with the oppressive heat surrounding him.

Kael watched him struggle, an amused glint in his eyes. "Oh, you still have some fight left in you, don't you?" He shook his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Pathetic. Even now, clinging to some last shred of hope. But don't worry—I'll burn that out of you soon enough."

Nathan's breath hitched as he forced himself upright, legs quaking but determined. "You think this is enough to break me?" he rasped. "You'll need more than that."

Kael's smirk faded, his eyes narrowing. "Careful, Nathan. You're only making this harder on yourself."

"Maybe that's the point," Nathan spat, bracing himself for the inevitable retaliation.

Kael leaned in, his expression hardening. "Fine. If you insist on dragging this out, I'll be more than happy to oblige." He motioned, and the room's temperature spiked even further, the intensity enough to blur Nathan's vision completely, the world dissolving into searing red.

His heart pounded as he slipped closer to unconsciousness, but just before the darkness could fully claim him, he saw it—a flash, brighter and closer than ever before. The fire from the Primordial Realm wasn't just a vision this time; it was reaching for him, calling to him.

"Hold the flame."

With a final surge of effort, Nathan latched onto that distant call, his inner fire roaring in response. He let it flood through him, a fierce resistance against the crushing heat of the furnace room. He wasn't sure if it was real or some desperate illusion, but for a moment, he felt stronger, the flames within pushing back against the suffocating oppression.

And then, just as suddenly as it had come, the strength waned, his body giving in to the exhaustion. His knees buckled, and he fell, vision dimming as the flames danced behind his closed eyes.

The last thing he heard was Kael's voice, low and mocking.

"Goodnight, Nathan," Kael sneered. "Maybe next time you'll learn to stay in line."

As Nathan lay motionless, half-conscious, the System's voice drifted into his mind one last time, a faint, lingering whisper:

"Only in fire will freedom be found."

With those words, a fragile spark reignited deep within him, a reminder that he hadn't yet been broken.